Graduation 2026

Please have a look through the Frequently Asked Questions below. If you don’t see the answer you are looking for, contact us at [email protected]

FAQs

When will I know if I am eligible to participate in the ceremony?
After the exam board confers your degree, you will receive an email from [email protected] confirming your award and degree classification. If you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student who completed in September 2025, December 2025 or plan to complete in May 2026, you are eligible to join. Please note that May participants are only considered ‘potential graduates’ until their degrees have passed through the exam board. If you have questions about academic qualifications, please contact [email protected]
We ask all graduates and potential graduates to complete our Graduation Information Form whether you plan to participate in the ceremony or not.

What is the deadline for signing up to take part in the ceremony on 28 Jun 2026? What happens if I miss the deadline?
The deadline for signing up to take part in the ceremony was 1 May 2026. Due to contracts with suppliers and the requirements of our external venue, we are unable to accept late requests to join the event.

Is there a cost to participating in the ceremony? What is it for? How can I pay it? What is the deadline?
Each participant must pay a £115 graduation fee in order to take part. The fee must be paid no later than 1 May 2026 at midnight. You can make payment through the University’s store at https://store.richmond.ac.uk/
Please note that the store is not connected to any other University IT platform so in creating an account, you may use your Richmond email or any other private email you have. You’ll need to create an account before you can purchase a product.
The fee covers the cap and gown rental and 2 guest tickets to the event.

When and how can I order my cap and gown? Can I keep the cap and gown or do I have to give them back?
On 12th May you will be sent a link to book your cap and gown through our partners at Marston Events. After booking, you will receive your cap and gown on the day at the venue. Your graduation fee entitles you to cap and gown rental for the ceremony and afterward until we close the hall. You will need to return your cap and gown before you leave the venue. If you wish to extend your rental or purchase your academic dress, please make arrangements with our partners at Marston Events.
Please note: we have caps, gowns and hoods in the student hub. You can borrow them free of charge to take photos before the event or after, but we ask that you return them within 24 hours.

Can I get professional photography on the day?
Yes! Our academic dress providers are also our professional photographers for the day. You can book your photography at the same time you book your cap and gown rental. Photography costs additionally and but it is not required. You will receive informal photos taken on the day by our staff on site through email a week or so after the event.

I will be graduating with honours. Will this be announced at the ceremony?
Yes, honours will be announced at the ceremony and awardees will be given a stole that they can keep after the ceremony. For undergraduates, honours are for US awards (summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude). For postgraduate students the honours are merit and distinction.

I understand there is a student speaker at the ceremony. How is this person selected?
The graduation speaker is chosen by the University’s academic board who consider the student’s academic standing and their contributions to the University community. Speakers will be contacted by the academic registrar in early June.

When will additional tickets be released to ceremony participants if they are available? Will there be a cost?
Additional tickets may be available on 6 May 2026 dependent on the number of participants who have signed up to join the ceremony by the 1 May deadline. Additional guest tickets can be purchased at https://store.richmond.ac.uk/ for £35 each. We ask that all purchases for additional guest tickets are completed by 22 May 2026.

I’d like to invite some family members from my home country, but they will need visas to come to the UK. Can you help?
Yes! You can request a visiting family letter using our letter request form at University Letter Request – Fill in form
Please include full names, nationalities, passport numbers and dates of travel. Please allow 48 hours for us to process your letter request.

Can you give me the timing of the day and what to expect?
The ceremony will start at 11:30 am, but we will expect graduates to arrive earlier (likely between 9:30 and 10:30 TBC). Guests can arrive early, but won’t be invited to take their seats until about 45 minutes before the ceremony starts. The ceremony itself will last about 1 hour and 15 minutes and will include a student guest speaker, an honourary degree speaker and, of course, the awarding of all of the degrees. After the ceremony, we will host a brief reception where you can raise a toast to all graduates. The day will end around 2:30 with final departures from the building no later than 3pm. We’ll be sending out lots more information to graduate participants in the coming weeks. Please stay up to date of any changes here and via email.