Graduation: Frequently asked questions

A ‘graduand’ is someone who is eligible to graduate but whose graduation ceremony is yet to take place. Once their graduation ceremony has taken place, they become a ‘graduate’. This is why, when we invite you to graduation, all invitees are referred to as a ‘graduand’.

No. Each graduation ceremony is organised for the presentation of awards for specific Schools/departments. As such, faculty members from those Schools/departments only attend on the specified date/time to present awards. It is for this reason students are not permitted to swap ceremony dates/times.

Yes, if you are unable to attend the ceremony you will graduate in absentia.

No. If you have not been awarded by 26 June 2025 (Clerkenwell/Moorgate) or 8 July 2025 (Tooting), you will no longer be eligible to attend graduation this summer. You will, instead, be invited to a future ceremony, once successfully awarded.

If you have debts relating to the payment of your tuition fees, you will be unable to attend your graduation ceremony.

Clerkenwell and Moorgate

If any students are listed (by the University's Income Team) as a debtor on 30 June 2025, they will no longer be permitted to attend the July 2025 Graduation. They will be informed by email, any booked tickets/gown hire refunded, and will be added to the next set of graduation ceremonies (provided the debt has been cleared).

Please note, even if debts are cleared before the ceremony (i.e. between 30 June and the student's actual ceremony date, e.g. 14 July), they still cannot attend (and must wait for the next set of graduation ceremonies). The deadline of 30 June 2025 is final.

Tooting

If you have any outstanding debts, you will not be able to graduate, nor receive your degree certificate. Debts must be cleared by 30 June 2025 (at the latest) to be able to attend a graduation ceremony in July 2025.

Debts can include unpaid tuition fees, library fines, etc. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have no outstanding debts to City St George's, University of London. Please contact your course admin team if you have any queries about this.

Please note that whist you will ultimately be awarded a Masters degree, MSci and MEng degrees are classed as ‘enhanced’ first degrees and are advertised as undergraduate courses by the University. As such, you will see both courses listed as ‘Bachelors/1st Degrees’ when you login to Ede and Ravenscroft’s (ticketing) website. This is correct.

There will be a limit on the number of guest tickets that students can book in the first instance. Please refer to your graduation invitation email for details.

After the registration deadline has passed, and numbers have been assessed, any remaining guest tickets will be released for sale. You will receive an email with instructions on how to purchase additional tickets (should these become available).

Yes, students' seats are allocated in the order that presenters read out names and graduands cross the stage on the day. It is very important that you sit in your allocated seat or there is risk that your name will be missed!

Guest seating is allocated to a particular area (such as stalls, circle or balcony), but individual seats within that area are not reserved.

During the booking process (via the Ede and Ravenscroft ticketing website) there is the opportunity for you to tell us of any special access needs that you or your guests may have.

You can also email the Graduation teams (at Clerkenwell and Moorgate or Tooting) with any access requests/queries. Please do this as far in advance of the ceremony as possible, stating whether the request is for yourself (graduand) or your guests, and what the requirements are.

Email Clerkenwell and Moorgate graduation team

Email Tooting graduation team

In the week leading up to the ceremony you will receive, via email, an official confirmation of your booking. You should ensure that you bring this with you on the day, either on your phone or a printed hard copy along with some form of ID. Upon seeing this confirmation, we will issue your (physical) student/guest tickets from the ticket collection desk (box office) at the Barbican.

As graduation is a formal occasion, an appropriate standard of dress is expected. For all attendees, business wear or formal dress is classed as appropriate. National dress of your home country is also acceptable. Please note that casual clothes such as jeans, shorts or t-shirts are not suitable and should be avoided.

No. Physical student/guest tickets are issued from the ticket collection desk (box office) at the Barbican when you arrive for your ceremony.

Yes. The main entrance to the Barbican on Silk Street is ramped and lifts give access to all levels. If entering The Barbican Centre via the Silk Street entrance, the lifts are located directly ahead beside the Lakeside Terrace entrance, which is street level. There is further information about access (and facilities available) on the Barbican's website.

The cloakroom, next to the ticket collection desk (box office) in the Barbican, will be open to store belongings if required. The cloakroom is free to use (though donations that support the Barbican’s charitable work may be made).

The graduation brochure given to you on the day will tell you the exact order of proceedings and details of speakers. There are a few introductory speeches before you are presented on stage.

A member of staff will guide you into position at the appropriate time. Once you have crossed the stage, you will be directed back to re-take your seat.

The closest stations are Barbican and Moorgate underground stations.

Please see the Barbican’s website for further details.

Yes. Please see the Barbican’s website for further details.

Yes, however it is slightly more expensive to hire on the day. We strongly advise that you hire the gown ahead of the ceremony as the size and type you need may not be available. Ede and Ravenscroft will have their own stall in the Barbican should you need to hire on the day itself.

We suggest that you arrange to meet your guests at the Silk Street entrance to the Barbican Centre. Please refer to the Barbican Centre website for further visitor information.

The mobile signal at the Barbican is very limited, so we would not advise relying on your mobile when arranging to meet people. There is free (Barbican) Wi-Fi available, however.

We anticipate the ceremonies to last approximately 90 minutes.

Yes, the ceremonies can be viewed on the  campus-specific graduation webpages:

Clerkenwell and Moorgate

Tooting

Yes, there are several screens in the foyer where guests without tickets can stand and watch the graduation.

However, we urge where possible that guests who do not have tickets watch the livestream at home.

Full recordings of the ceremony won't be available for purchase; however you will be able to watch your ceremony back on campus-specific graduation webpages:

Clerkenwell and Moorgate

Tooting

For Clerkenwell and Moorgate students

If you are attending graduation, you will receive your certificate on stage (unless you have already requested/received it before the ceremony).

If you choose not to attend graduation and instead complete the certificate request form linked to in your graduation invitation email, your certificate will be made available after all ceremonies have finished. Read our guidance on degree certificates for further information.

For Tooting students

No – degree certificates will be sent out by the University of London or Registry (depending on the degree awarding body). Certificates can take up to three months to be posted to graduates following the date of the Graduation Ceremony.

Yes.

Simply log back into your Ede and Ravenscroft account before 3 July 2025 (Clerkenwell and Moorgate) or 7 July 2025 (Tooting) and request a refund by adjusting/cancelling your order.

After those dates, please contact Ede & Ravenscroft’s customer service centre (open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) directly via their contact form or on:

+44 (0)1223 861854 / +44 (0)1223 734759.

Gown refunds are available up to 7 days before your ceremony.

Simply log back into your Ede and Ravenscroft  account before 3 July 2025 (Clerkenwell and Moorgate) or 7 July 2025 (Tooting) and request a refund by adjusting/cancelling your order.

After those dates, tickets are no longer refundable, except in exceptional circumstances or you are not awarded in time.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Email Clerkenwell and Moorgate graduation team

Email Tooting graduation team

Yes, absolutely! However, you will need to purchase a guest ticket if the child needs their own seat. Babies (in arms) and toddlers up to the age of three (who are able to sit on a lap) do not need a ticket. Any children over the age of three will need to have their own ticket.

Clerkenwell and Moorgate

The International Student Support team in the Student Support Hub are on hand to give you advice if you need to apply for a visa to attend graduation or if your family members need to apply for visas to visit London as your guests at the ceremony.

Please note you do not need an official invitation letter from City St George's, University of London to make your visa application, and so we do not provide these. Your invite email should be accepted as evidence of invitation to the event for both the graduand and their guests.

Tooting

Your invite email should be accepted as evidence of invitation to the event for both the graduand and their guests. Should you require further assistance, please contact graduation@sgul.ac.uk.

If you do not attend the graduation that you have been invited to, or do not reply to the invitation, you will not automatically be deferred and re-invited to a later set of ceremonies.

Clerkenwell and Moorgate

It may be possible to request a deferral if you are faced with exceptional circumstances. Requests for a deferral must be submitted via the form linked to in your graduation invitation email (by the specified deadline) - and will be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Graduation Team.

Please see City St George's Graduation Deferral Policy.

Tooting

Please email graduation@sgul.ac.uk.