120 minutes prior to ceremony start time
Arrival: Once at Whiteknights Campus, you’ll be shown where to park and directed to the Wristband Collection point in The SportsPark Pavilion. If you are not driving and are instead arriving directly to the London Road campus, the Wristband Collection point will be in the marquee on the central lawn in the middle of the campus.
Collect your guest wristbands: If you are arriving by car, you will collect your colour-coded wristbands upon arrival at the Whiteknights campus, after you have parked in Car Park 1A. The wristbands will entitle your allocated guests' entry into the Great Hall, as well as access onto the shuttle bus to London Road.
If you are arriving via another mode of transport directly to the London Road campus, you will be able to collect your guests’ colour coded wristbands from the Information Desk, situated on the central quad of this campus.
Guests can collect their wristbands in person without the graduand present, as long as the graduand has previously completed the graduation registration process via the RISIS Portal, however guests need to report to the Information Desk in person. Wristbands cannot be handed out to graduands to give to guests who are not present.
Extra wristbands: These are rarely available. If we are able to release any, they will be made available at the Wristband Collection Points from 2 hours before your ceremony ONLY - none will be allocated in advance. There will be a maximum of 2 extra Great Hall wristbands per student, depending on the capacity of your ceremony (this can only be determined on the day itself).
Any guests without wristbands will be directed to Ceremony Livestream Rooms where they will be able to watch the ceremony streamed live.
60 minutes prior to ceremony start time
Collect your robes: You will be able to collect your robes from Student Gown Collection in Building 22 on the London Road campus. Please arrive here in plenty of time to allow for your gown to be fitted correctly by our academic robe suppliers from Ede and Ravenscroft.
45 Minutes prior to ceremony start time
Student Processions: All Graduands must be present in the Student Processions Marquee 45 minutes before their ceremony starts. The doors to the Processions Marquee will be closed 30 minutes before the ceremony and anyone arriving late will not be able to take part in their ceremony. You will be given a short health and safety briefing and then organised into the correct order for how your names will be read out during your ceremony. The ceremony itself will be between 40 minutes to 1 hour in length.
After the ceremony
Celebrate your success!: The rest of the time is now yours! You should now make your way back up to the Whiteknights campus in your robes via the free shuttle bus and head to the Celebration Zone in Reading Students' Union. Now is a good time to have official Ede & Ravenscroft studio photos taken, chat to the Alumni team, and browse our retailers. The only thing you need to do is to remember to return your robes to 3Sixty in the Students' Union before leaving the campus for the day.
The ceremony itself
Graduands
Each ceremony lasts approximately 40 minutes to one hour. Your procession will be seated at the front of the Great Hall and when it is time you will process to the stage and the University Orator will then present graduands individually by name and in the following order:
- Higher degrees (Doctors, Masters)
- Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates
- Bachelor degrees
- Foundation degrees
Your degree classification will not be mentioned.
You will ascend a short flight of steps, with a handrail, on to the platform as your name is called by the Orator. You will doff your cap to the Chancellor or Vice Chancellor, who will doff their cap to you in return, and you will descend the steps by the same route. You will then be directed to collect your graduation pack (this will include your degree certificate) and go back to a seat for the remainder of the ceremony.
You will be given a free sustainable tote bag in which to carry your pack.
Guests
Guests with wristbands should make their way to the north-west doors of the Great Hall at least ten minutes before the start of the ceremony. There may be a queue for a short time while the Hall is being prepared between ceremonies.
As space is limited in the Great Hall, it may not be possible to take large items such as prams inside. If guests arrive late, they will only be admitted if space permits and at the discretion of the Ceremony Director.
Guest seating is allocated on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Guests should stay in their seats throughout the ceremony and should avoid taking photographs and video recording inside the Hall, as this can cause disruption.
Guests without wristbands will need to make their way to the Ceremony Livestream rooms on the Whiteknights or London Road campuses. There may be a need to queue for a short time while the rooms are prepared between ceremonies. Seating will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The Ceremony Livestream rooms will be located in Henley Business School on the Whiteknights campus, and in Building L22 on the London Road campus.
Lost Property
We advise all students and guests to keep a close watch on their valuables at all times. Any items of lost property should be handed in to the Control Centre at London Road, on the day of your Graduation Ceremony.
To enquire about lost property after Graduation, please contact the Graduation Office by calling 0118 378 5595/5596 or emailing graduation@reading.ac.uk.
Found property will be kept by the University for six weeks, and if unclaimed, will be donated to charity.