To be eligible for Commemoration Day 2024, graduands must be either:
- An undergraduate, whose degree has been awarded and recorded  on Imperial’s student system by no later than Friday 30 August 2024, and they have not been invited to graduation before;
- A postgraduate who has been awarded the qualification of PhD or EngD, and their degree has been awarded and recorded on Imperial’s student system by no later than Friday 30 August 2024, and they have not been invited to graduation before; or
- An undergraduate who has received an approved deferral from Commemoration Day 2023 with Commemoration Day 2024 being their final opportunity to attend a graduation ceremony; or
- A PhD graduate from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine who has received an approved deferral from Graduation Day 2024 with Commemoration Day 2024 being their final opportunity to attend a graduation ceremony. 

Eligible graduands are then invited to register for their graduation ceremony, via email.
All graduands must have cleared any financial holds with the university before they are invited. 

Please note that there is a later awardee registration period (4 - 20 September),  for any students awaiting the results of a later exam board which falls during this period. 

CertHE, DipHE, PGDip and PGCert awards are not currently eligible to attend an in person graduation.   

If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please refer to the event Terms & Conditions.

All tuition fees must be paid before the repayment deadline to be eligible for graduation day. This deadline will be communicated to all graduands who have outstanding debt in advance.  
For Commemoration Day 2024 the repayment deadline is 31 July 2024. All debts cleared after this date will not be eligible to graduate at the next ceremony, or any future ceremonies.

If you have a query regarding an outstanding debt on your account, please contact the Student Credit Control Team as soon as possible (student.creditcontrol@imperial.ac.uk). 

There is no connection between the graduation ceremony and receiving your certificate. Certificates are not given out at graduation or collected on the day of graduation. The university sends certificates to graduands directly. 

Certificates are normally issued three months from when a student is conferred. If you have not received your certificate or have a question, please email: certificates@imperial.ac.uk. 

No, you do not have to attend a ceremony to graduate. Your degree will still have been conferred by the university, following your marks being passed by your department to Registry. 

Attendance or non-attendance at a graduation ceremony is entirely optional. 

There is no charge for graduands to attend their graduation ceremony or the Departmental Receptions taking place at various locations across the South Kensington Campus. However, there are additional costs associated with graduation which are listed below: 

• You must wear academic dress to process and graduate in the Royal Albert Hall. Hiring academic dress from our official gowning partner Ede & Ravenscroft costs £50
• Guest ceremony tickets to the Royal Albert Hall cost £24.99 per guest
• Guest Departmental Reception passes cost £15 per guest
• Purchasing photography. Packages from our official photography partner Tempest photography start from £25

We aim to make graduation accessible to all. As such there is financial support available to those who need it and Imperial can provide assistance for guest ceremony ticket(s), academic dress hire, guest reception passes, photography and UK travel to and from the ceremony. 

For details on how to apply, and more information please visit:  
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/students/fees-and-funding/financial-assistance/student-support-fund/ 

Please note the deadline for applying for financial support for Commemoration Day 2024 is Wednesday 18 September.

For Commemoration Day 2024, all eligible graduands will be invited directly via email in early August. Your email will contain a link to the registration platform, and instructions on how to complete the four-step registration process.
Please ensure your details are up to date by completing the Alumni contact and communications preferences form with any changes.

If you believe you were eligible for a past ceremony, and have missed an invitation, please contact the Graduation Events team using: graduation@imperial.ac.uk, although please note if you did not respond to a previous invitation you will not be eligible to attend a future ceremony except in serious extenuating circumstance.  

Graduands may choose to attend the ceremony in person, defer their attendance, or graduate in absentia.  

Please note you still need to complete registration if you decide to defer your attendance or graduate in absentia.
If you do not complete registration within the allocated registration period, you will not be invited to future graduation ceremonies. 

Deferring your attendance

Graduands who cannot attend their ceremony on this date, but would like to do so in the future, can choose to defer to a later ceremony. Graduands may only defer once, and will be invited to graduate at a later ceremony. Graduands who wish to defer must let us know by completing the relevant section in your registration form.  

Please note that we cannot guarantee which ceremony you will be deferred to and you could be invited to any future ceremony, which has capacity.  

Graduating in absentia

Graduands who are unable/do not wish to attend their ceremony and would not like to attend a future ceremony may graduate in absentia, where they will not be invited to any further in-person ceremonies (for the same degree).  

If you graduate in absentia you can choose to have your name appear in the digital programme, but it will not be read out on stage.  

Departmental Receptions are held at venues across the South Kensington Campus. They are an opportunity for graduands, family and academic staff to come together to  celebrate before the ceremony, with drinks and light refreshments. The receptions run for 90 minutes.  

Graduand passes to the receptions are complimentary, but you must select this option during registration in order to secure your place. Graduands may also purchase up to two guest passes to the Departmental Receptions once registration is open.  

Guest tickets to the ceremony enable guests to watch the graduation ceremony inside the Royal Albert Hall.  Graduands will also be able to purchase two guest tickets to the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall whilst tickets are available.  

Please note guest tickets to the ceremonies in the Royal Albert Hall are sold separately via the Royal Albert Hall Box Office. 

Guests can attend graduation ceremonies in the Royal Albert Hall and the departmental receptions which take place at various venues across the South Kensington campus. 

Graduands are initially able to purchase up to two guest tickets for the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall and two guest passes to the Departmental Receptions. Tickets are subject to availability. 

Graduands are initially able to purchase up to two guest tickets for the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, and up to two guest passes to the Departmental Receptions taking place across the South Kensington Campus. 
 
If further guest tickets become available once registration is closed we will email all registered graduands to let them know with details of how to purchase.
These tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. 
 
Anyone found to have purchased more than two tickets, before the resale period, will be considered to be intentionally breaking the Terms and Conditions of the event and all of their guest tickets will be cancelled. 

Graduation is a formal occasion and as a result may not be suitable for young children. Guest ceremony tickets for the Royal Albert Hall or guest Departmental Reception tickets must be purchased for any child of two years of age or older. Tickets are not required for children under two years of age if they do not require their own seat. 

Children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times whilst at the South Kensington Campus and by an adult guest of the relevant graduand whilst at the Royal Albert Hall. Please note that it is not possible for a child to sit with a graduand at any time at the Royal Albert Hall.  

At all times whilst accompanied by their children, the parent is required to exercise sufficient supervision so as to prevent any hazardous situations from arising. This includes them being immediately available to intervene if necessary. Children must not be left unsupervised under any circumstances, and cover for any brief absences must be obtained. The parent would be required to pay particular attention during transit through the building, especially with small children, since the premises are designed for an adult population. Parents are advised to keep the child in a pushchair or held by the hand / safety reins at all times during transit.

Guidance on Children on campus can be found here:
Children and young persons on campus | Administration and support services | Imperial College London

If you have purchased tickets in error or are now unable to attend, you must apply for a refund on your tickets before 2 October 2024 by using the Refunds and Change in Attendance form

All our graduation activities, take place on our South Kensington Campus, and at the Royal Albert Hall, which is adjacent to the campus.
If you would like information about planning your journey to South Kensington from within London and major London airports, you can visit our Plan your journey page. 

Our Graduation ceremonies are held at the Royal Albert Hall. 
Registration, gown collection, photography and Departmental Receptions all take place on our South Kensington Campus.  

Yes, we stream all of our Graduation ceremonies live here on our website and on the Imperial College London YouTube channel. 

Academic dress is compulsory to attend Commemoration Day 2024.  

The university's official robemaker and supplier of academic dress is Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd, which will be the only provider of academic dress present on campus for all graduation ceremonies. You can see more details about academic dress here.  

Graduation ceremonies are formal occasions and therefore smart dress is required under your academic attire. We encourage guests to wear smart attire and also welcome traditional or national dress.

The university reserves the right to refuse admittance to a graduate at Commemoration Day 2024 should they not be wearing academic dress or are inappropriately dressed. 

The university's official robemaker and supplier of academic dress is Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd, which will be the only provider of academic dress present on campus for all graduation ceremonies. You can see more details about academic dress here. 

Professional photography will be supplied on the day by Tempest Photography.  Graduands can take photos in their academic dress with family and friends and stage photography will also be available to purchase after each ceremony.

There is no need to book an appointment and you can find information on the available photography packages ahead of the day by visiting the Tempest Photography website and selecting 'Not Graduated Yet?' 

There is also the option to attend the pre-graduation Photography Day on Tuesday 15 October 2024, from 10.00 - 17.00.
There is no need to book an appointment but please register your interest using the Pre-graduation Photography Day registration form

There will be safety and security measures at the Royal Albert Hall on the day of your graduation.  All bags are subject to search by security personnel on entry to the Royal Albert Hall, following ticket scanning.  

For everyone’s security and safety, the following items are NOT allowed inside the venue, and anybody found to be carrying them will be asked to leave them with security, or may be refused entry to or removed from the venue:

• Flags (including items with flags on them such as: scarves, t-shirts etc.) 
• Sticks or rods  
• Confetti cannons  
• Tripods 
• Noisemakers or air horns 
• Alcohol 
• Helium balloons 
• Pyrotechnics 
• Laser pointers
• Weapons
• Paint, paint powder or similar substances
• Any other items that may disrupt the ceremony 

Where applicable, all guests at Graduation Day and/or Commemoration Day must comply with all safety guidance as may be imposed by the university and/or Royal Albert Hall and/or UK government with regard to preventing the spread of transmissible diseases.  

For current Imperial guidance please see this link: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/about/covid-19/ 

Before the big day, please make sure you watch this video, containing instructions on what to do, helpful tips and what to expect during the ceremony.

Instructions for your graduation ceremony

You can also watch previous graduation ceremonies, on the Imperial College London YouTube Channel, to see how the ceremonies look and feel. 

Please check the UK Government guidance on whether you need a visa to travel to London. The International Student Support may also be able to provide guidance on submitting your application. 

If you or your guest(s) require a supporting visa invitation letter from Imperial College London, this can be requested in the Visa Letter Support form.
Please note, that only graduands who have been awarded in the university's systems, and invited to graduate, will be able to complete the form. 

Obtaining a visa may take several weeks and it is your responsibility to ensure you have completed all legal requirements before you travel. 

We want to ensure all of our graduands and guests have the best experience possible as they celebrate completing their studies.

The Royal Albert Hall is wheelchair accessible with hearing loop capabilities. Please indicate your requirements when registering for the ceremony. If your guests have any additional accessibility requirements, please call the Royal Albert Hall box office when booking tickets to ensure seats are appropriate and they can plan for any assistance required.

You can contact the Graduation Events team via email at: graduation@imperial.ac.uk for any queries. Please ensure you contact the team at least two weeks prior to the graduation ceremony.

There are a limited number of car parking spaces available on campus which are reserved for Blue Badge holders. Graduands must request car parking spaces through the registration portal or by contacting the Graduation Events team at: graduation@imperial.ac.uk.

Please note that car parking spaces cannot be guaranteed but we will do our best to accommodate.

We want to ensure our graduands and guests can enjoy all aspects of the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. We can make arrangements for BSL interpreters to be available, but we ask that your notify: graduation@imperial.ac.uk as soon as possible.

There will be information desks located at registration and in the Imperial Main Entrance on the day.
Please visit us here if you have any questions or concerns on the day, and a member of staff will be able to assist you.

Please note we do not have wheelchairs available for hire on campus. 

If you were unable to find the answer to your question above, then please contact the Graduation Events team directly. Our office is open from 09.00 until 17.00, Monday to Friday.  

• Email the Graduation Events team. We aim to respond to emails within three working days. 
• For urgent issues that require a response within three working days, you can call the Graduation Events team on +44 (0)20 7594 6131.