Graduation Day 2024 Guide
This guide contains the key information you need to know to get the best out of your graduation day. Congratulations and enjoy your day!
Three steps to a successful day
Step one - register
Register and collect your graduation envelope from the Ethos Sports Centre, Prince’s Gardens. You have been allocated a specific registration time slot to register, please check you emails for further details. It is not possible to register or collect your gown before or after this time.
Step three - arrive at the Royal Albert Hall
Arrive at the Royal Albert Hall in plenty of time for the ceremony – you should aim to arrive 45 minutes before the advertised start time of your ceremony.
Don't forget...
- your graduand e-ticket email, - which includes your QR code to register on the day, your graduand Royal Albert Hall ticket for your ceremony, your gown booking reference (if applicable) and your Departmental Reception pass (if applicable.)
- your CID number
- photographic ID
- safety pin(s) to hold your hood in place
- to arrive in your allocated registration slot
Please arrive on campus at least 90 minutes before your ceremony, or earlier if your registration slot requires it, to ensure that you have enough time to collect your gown and your envelope. You will not be able to participate in the ceremony without your gown, QR code and registration envelope. Late arrivals may be refused entry to the Royal Albert Hall.
Before your ceremony
Graduand e-ticket email
Your graduand e-ticket email contains a QR code which you should use to:
- register on the day in the Ethos Sports Centre
- collect your gown from the Ethos Sports Centre (if applicable)
- access the Royal Albert Hall and see your seat number.
- attend departmental reception venues, (if applicable). Any guest departmental reception tickets you purchased were sent as a separate email, subject line: Guest e-ticket | Graduation Day 2024.
This graduand e-ticket email was sent two weeks before your ceremony and the QR code can be found within the body of the email and the attachment. Search your mailbox for email address: Imperial-College@idloom.events or subject line: Graduand e-ticket email | Graduation Day 2024.
Royal Albert Hall e-ticket for guests
Guest e-tickets are sent by email two weeks before graduation day. Search your mailbox for email address: e-tickets@royalalberthall.com.
For any queries relating to your guests e-tickets please email contact@royalalberthall.com or visit the box office on the day.
Registration and guests
The registration and gowning area at Ethos Sports Centre, is only accessible for graduands. We kindly ask that your guests wait in Prince’s Gardens or at the Eastside Restaurant and Bar, located on the ground floor of Linstead Hall, Prince’s Gardens. This will be clearly signposted on the day.
Alternatively, there are a number of other venues on campus for them to enjoy refreshments while they wait, including:
Venue |
Graduation day opening hours |
College Cafe, Main Building |
08.00 - 18.00 |
Library Cafe, Abdus Salaam Library |
07.00 - 22.00 |
Kokoro, Sherfield Building |
11.00 -21.00 |
Blackett Cafe, Blackett Building |
07.30 - 16.00 |
Huxley Cafe, Huxley Building |
09.00 - 15.00 |
Chemistry Cafe, Chemistry Buidling |
08.00 - 16.00 |
Lumen, EEE Building |
10.00 - 18.00 |
Loudbird, Sir Alexander Fleming Buidling |
08.00 - 16.00 |
Business School Cafe, Main Entrance |
08.30 - 17.30 |
Dangoor Plaza outlets, Dangoor Plaza |
07.00 - 16.00 |
All buildings are marked on the Graduation Day 2024 map, found in the sidebar.
Arrive for your ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall
You should arrive at the Royal Albert Hall with your e-ticket and gown 45 minutes before your ceremony starts. Please note the Royal Albert Hall reserves the right to search bags, so please be prepared for your bags to be checked when you enter the venue. To avoid delays, please do not bring large bags to graduation. Please note that entrance after a ceremony has begun cannot be guaranteed.
Safety and security
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
During your ceremony
Dress code
Graduation is a formal occasion. You should be dressed smartly and you are welcome to wear traditional or national dress. Shorts, jeans and trainers are not appropriate for graduands or guests.
Important information
Out of respect to all graduands and for the enjoyment of all of our guests, we ask that you remain in the hall until the entire ceremony has concluded. Please keep mobile devices switched off or on silent mode. Use of flash photography and selfies on stage in the Royal Albert Hall is not permitted.
Ceremony live streaming
Family and friends who can’t attend your ceremony can watch you graduate on our live stream on our website: www.imperial.ac.uk/graduation. This will also be shown on a large screen at the live stream venue (see below) for guests unable to buy tickets to the Royal Albert Hall.
Live stream venue
The venue for the live stream is the Union Concert Hall, Imperial College Union, Beit Quad. This venue is directly next to the Royal Albert Hall so guests can still celebrate with you before and after the ceremony.
Please note the live stream venue will be operated on a first come first served basis and doors will open 45 minutes before the ceremony.
Arriving late
If you arrive after registration has closed for your ceremony, please make your way to Registration in the Ethos Sports Centre and make yourself known to a Graduation Volunteer (in a turquoise volunteer shirt) outside the venue. They will take you straight to the late registration desk inside Ethos. We cannot guarantee entry to late registrants.
After your ceremony
Attend your Departmental Reception
Passes for Departmental Receptions had to be purchased in advance. Receptions will start shortly after your ceremony ends and will take place across the South Kensington Campus. Please note that registration for these passes has now closed and you cannot purchase Departmental Reception passes on graduation day. Find your Departmental Reception venue!
Photography
Photography will be available in the Junior Common Room, Sherfield Building, South Kensington Campus between 07.00–22.30. You can visit photography at any time throughout the day, before or after your ceremony, so remember to leave enough time to get to your ceremony or Departmental Reception. You can pick up your stage photography in the Senior Common Room, in the same area as the gown return desk.
Photo opportunities
There are plenty of photo opportunities around the campus on the day, which can be used as the perfect backdrops for your own personal photographic memories. These include:
Photo opportunity |
Location |
Graduation flower wall |
Main Entrance |
Giant Imperial letters |
Dalby Court |
Graduation wall sticker |
Faculty Building, Dalby Court |
Queen’s Tower (please note due to essential maintenance, |
Queen’s Lawn |
Queen’s Tower lions |
Queen’s Lawn |
Imperial College Mascots |
Outside the Royal Albert Hall |
Find the perfect Imperial souvenir
Imperial merchandise will be available to buy at the Student Union shop on Level 2 of the Sherfield Building and at the pop-up shop on Dangoor Plaza from 08.00 until 20.00, There will also be limited merchandise available at the Royal Albert Hall by Door 6.
Make the most out of being an Imperial alumnus
As an alumnus, you can access a wide range of exclusive services and benefits, including careers support and networking opportunities, membership of Imperial libraries, and the chance to keep in touch at events around the world. Visit the alumni stand in Ethos Sports Centre or visit www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni to learn more.
Share your day
Share messages on social media using #OurImperial to see them appear on our screens in the Royal Albert Hall.
Post photos on a public X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram account using #OurImperial to share your memories and your inspirations, and make sure everyone knows what graduation means to you.