In this article:
- When do graduation ceremonies take place?
- What about King's Online students?
- I’m studying on a 4-year Masters programme but decided to graduate with a Bachelors qualification after my third year
- What about graduate research students?
- What about MD students?
- What if I owe a debt to the university?
- Can I attend a later graduation ceremony?
- Can I graduate without attending a ceremony?
When do graduation ceremonies take place?
Graduation ceremonies at King’s take place twice a year – in July, our summer ceremonies, and January, our winter ceremonies.
If you are due to complete your course and be awarded between 1 August and 1 January you are eligible to attend the winter graduation ceremonies in January.
If you are due to complete your course and be awarded between 2 January and 31 July you are eligible to attend the summer graduation ceremonies in July.
Important to know:
- If you expect to receive your result before the next ceremonies take place but will not receive it until shortly after the booking deadline, please don’t wait to find out your result before booking.
- If you don’t complete your course successfully, we will refund you the full cost of any tickets purchased. However, if you wait for your result and miss the booking deadline, we might not be able to fit you in to a ceremony.
- We would advise not to book flights/hotels or commit to non-refundable costs unless you are certain that you will be eligible to attend a graduation ceremony.
If you are a student studying on a King’s Online programme your eligibility to attend a ceremony will be determined by your date of award:
- If you are/were awarded between 2 May and the 1 November, you will be invited to attend a ceremony in January.
- If you are/were awarded between 2 November and the 1 May, you will be invited to attend a ceremony in July.
I’m studying on a 4-year Masters programme but decided to graduate with a Bachelors qualification after my third year
If you have taken the decision to exit a 4-year course after your third year of study, you will need to first speak to your department confirm your decision.
Important to know:
- You should speak to your department and confirm your decision as early as possible, to ensure you are invited to a graduation ceremony.
- Whether you are invited to the July or January graduation ceremony, will depend on the date by which your department are made aware of your intention to graduate with a Bachelors.
What about graduate research students?
If you are a graduate research student it’s a little different. Due to the nature of your studies, it is possible that you won’t receive an invitation to book your place.
If you are eligible to attend the next ceremonies please use our bespoke Ceremonies & Events contact form.
Phd, MPhil, DClinPsy and EdD students
All Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy, Doctor of Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Education students are eligible to attend the graduation ceremony relevant to their faculty.
Important things to know:
- When placing your booking you should apply as a student, not as a member of staff.
- In order to attend the winter graduation ceremonies, you must be awarded your final degree by 1 December.
- In order to attend a summer ceremony, if you are graduating from the School of Medical Education or the Dental Institute, you must be awarded your final degree by 1st June.
For students from all other Faculties, you must be awarded your final degree by 1 July. If you’re at all unsure about which ceremony season you’re eligible to attend, you can log a case and we will do our best to support you.
What about MD students?
If you are undertaking your MD as a registered King's student you are welcome to attend the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine graduation ceremonies in the winter or the summer.
Important things to know:
- In order to attend the winter graduation ceremonies, you must be awarded your final degree by 1 December.
- In order to attend the summer graduation ceremonies, you must be awarded your final degree by 1 June.
University of London MD graduates
If you are an MD graduate from the University of London with links to King’s you are welcome to attend the School of Medicine winter graduation ceremonies at the Royal Festival Hall.
Important to know:
- There will be an administration fee of £10 when you book your place.
- As space is limited at Southwark Cathedral priority for these places is given to students registered at the university. The Southwark ceremonies are not therefore available to external MD students.
What if I owe a debt to the university?
Certain types of debt mean that your results will not be seen at the relevant examination board and you will not receive an award. If you have an outstanding debt to the university this could therefore mean that you may not be able to attend the ceremonies.
If you wish to attend one of the ceremonies, our advice is that you clear any debt you have to the university no later than 10 days before your Examination Board. If you don’t clear your debt on time, we unfortunately cannot guarantee that you will be permitted to attend a ceremony, and your place may be cancelled.
Can I attend a later graduation ceremony?
If you’re unable to attend the first ceremony you are invited to then you are welcome to defer your place through Student Records and come to the following session of ceremonies.
Important to know: You are only permitted to defer once after which point, in fairness to future graduates, it will not be possible to include you in a ceremony.
If you don’t defer your invitation to book but later decide that you wish to attend the next session of ceremonies, it is your responsibility to make yourself aware of the deadline and to book your place. You will not be sent an invitation to book your place because invitations are only sent to students who have previously selected to defer their place or are being invited for the first time. In this situation, please contact us through our bespoke Ceremonies & Events contact form.
Can I graduate without attending a ceremony? If you don’t want to attend your graduation ceremony then you may opt to graduate ‘in absentia’.
Selecting to graduate in absentia means that your name will be not be read out at the ceremony (only the names of those attending are read out) and it will not be included in the graduation ceremony programme.
Important to know: If you select this option then you will not be able to attend a future ceremony.
You can choose to graduate in absentia via the booking system on your student record.Your degree certificate will still be available to you – you don’t need to attend a ceremony to receive it. For more information please see our article Your Degree Certificate.