Undergraduate students

Undergraduate students will be sent an email confirmation of their graduation ceremony to their Kent email address around the 2nd week of March for the July Congregations. Once this email has been received, students may then collect their official graduation invitation from the Congregations Office (G30, The Registry) if you are a Canterbury student, or, from the Medway Building if you are a Medway student. The invitations are released by the Congregations Office.  For undergraduate students who have deferred from a previous congregation you will also, as well as an email, receive a letter of invitation in the post to the home address that is on the Student Data System so please ensure this is up to date..

Postgraduate students

Postgraduate students will be sent an official invitation to their graduation ceremony around the 2nd week of March for the July Congregations. Your official graduation invitation will be posted to your home address on the Student Data System after we have emailed you confirmation of your ceremony to your Kent email address (if this is still live). The invitations are released by the Congregations Office after receipt of the relevant documentation to prove the student can graduate in July.

Deferrals

Students who wish to defer to the next available ceremony will not receive their certificate until it has been legally conferred in the next ceremony. Students cannot receive their certificate any earlier.

Legal name

There are strict rules governing your legal name which should appear in full on your certificate. Please ensure that you check the full legal name that appears on your student record as this is the name that will appear on your certificate. This will be the final opportunity that you will have to amend your name - if your name is not amended at this stage, the University will be unable to make any further changes once you have graduated. Please note that Professional bodies often require potential employees to provide documents containing their full legal name before offering employment.

Please inform the Student Records Office of your full legal name (including any middle names) no later than 21 June 2012. In order to update your record, you will need to provide them with a copy of a legal document containing your full name e.g. a passport or a driving licence.

Home Address

It is extremely important that your home address is kept up to date as all correspondence from the University (including transcripts and certificates) will be sent to that address once you have graduated. If you are a current student you can update your address on the student portal. If you are a postgraduate student or if you are an undergraduate (who has deferred from past congregations) you may contact the Congregations Office.

All ceremonies are by invitation only. If you have not received an email confirming your ceremony (if you are an undergraduate student) or your invitation by post (if you are a postgraduate student) by the end of March and think you should have done, please contact the Congregations Office and we will investigate the matter.

Registering

Once you receive your invitation you will need to register for your ceremony on your Student Portal or by clicking on the Online Student Registration link as directed in your invitation.  If you do not want to attend the ceremony allocated to you, you must still register online as directed in your invitation stating that you do not wish to attend.  The Congregations Office will then prepare your certificate to be posted to you following the conferment of your degree or award at the end of July.  If you graduate in absentia you cannot attend a ceremony at a later date. Registration must be completed by 8 May 2012 or you may be unable to graduate in July.

Please note: should for some reason you do not complete your course and have to resit you will be invited again to the next available congregation following successful completion of your course which will be November 2012.

If you have a debt to the University you may still be formally invited to a congregations ceremony but it is important that you take note of the deadline set for clearing debts. Please make sure all outstanding University debts are cleared no later than 8 June 2012.

As stated in the regulations governing the conferment of degrees all outstanding debts with the University must be cleared before you can be admitted to your degree - that is, before you have your degree conferred at a congregation and receive your degree certificate.

Please contact the Student Finance Office (Income Office) in Canterbury (T:01227 823953) or the Student Finance Office in Medway (T: 01634 888894 or 01634 888895) to ensure that your account with the University is clear.

Please note that if you still have an outstanding balance (debt) with the University after the deadline stipulated you will not be permitted to attend your ceremony.

You are guaranteed two guest tickets.

To pay for your graduation fee please click here to visit the online store.

The graduation fee is £40 (this includes two guest tickets).

Please note that entry to the cathedrals will not be permitted without a ticket.

Children aged 3 or under do not require their own ticket. Children aged 4 or over will require their own ticket to gain entry to the Cathedral.

IMPORTANT: You will not be able to collect your tickets unless we have received payment for these.

For Medway students, tickets will be ready for collection from the reception desk at the Medway Building at Medway campus from 21 May 2012 - 12 July 2012 during office hours which are from 9.00am-5.00pm Monday to Friday. Please ensure you have your student ID with you when collecting your tickets. If you miss the collection dates you may collect your tickets on the day from The Corn Exchange, Rochester.

For Canterbury students, tickets will be ready for collection from the Congregations Office from 21 May 2012 - 4 July 2012 during office hours which are from 10.00am-4.00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 10.00am-1.00pm Wednesday. Please ensure you have your Student ID with you when collecting your tickets. If you miss the collection dates you may collect your tickets on the day from The Shirley Hall, Kings School, Canterbury.

Your invitation will contain details on how to register for your two guaranteed guest tickets. Please note the tickets are non-refundable therefore please do not order and pay for your tickets until you are certain that your guests can attend. If for some reason you do not complete your course and have to resit and you have already paid for your tickets, the Congregations Office will carry this payment over to the next available congregation following successful completion of your course.

Please note that entry to the cathedrals will not be permitted without a ticket.

Students do not need a ticket for their graduation therefore your guaranteed tickets are for your guests only.

There will be no replacement tickets issued if your guaranteed guest tickets or your extra tickets have been misplaced after collection.

UPDATE 09 MAY 2012: Extra Ticket Applications have now closed. We are currently going through the applications and will contact you via email regarding the outcome of your request in the week beginning 14th May 2012.

These tickets can be applied for online and are in addition to your guaranteed guest tickets. You can apply for a maximum of two extra guest tickets and the price for these extra tickets is £20.00 per ticket (payment is non-refundable).

The tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis following registration on the waiting list here. You can apply for extra tickets from 26 March 2012 at 09:00 via the above web link and the deadline for applying is 8 May 2012. You will be notified via email if you have been successful in gaining extra tickets after this date.

The extra ticket holders will be seated with the guaranteed ticket holders. All guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis.

If you are successful in obtaining extra tickets, they will be available to collect along with your one or two guaranteed guest tickets.

You must pay for your extra tickets by Midnight on 17 June 2012 otherwise your extra tickets will be re-allocated. To pay for your extra tickets follow the link stated under the 'Tickets' section above.

Please note that entry to the cathedrals will not be permitted without a ticket.

There will be no replacement tickets issued if they are misplaced after collection.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION VERY CAREFULLY

Students will be informed via email if they have been successful in being allocated extra tickets after applications close on 8 May 2012.

Anyone who purchases extra tickets without a successful email confirmation may not be refunded.
If you do not need extra tickets anymore please reply to the successful email stating you no longer want them.  This way they are distributed to the next person who was not originally successful and therefore every student is treated fairly.

The Congregations Office will be aware of how many tickets students have asked for and therefore any student who has more than the designated tickets on the day will have the remaining tickets confiscated with guests unable to attend and will not be refunded.

Please Note: Canterbury Cathedral dates back to the 10th Century. Therefore there are large pillars incorporated within its construction. This in some cases restricts full viewing. Please be aware that the Congregations Office cannot be held responsible if you are seated in one of these areas. All guests are seated on a first come first serve basis. It is advisable to arrive as soon as comfortably possible for your guests bearing in mind there is no shelter and very little seating in the grounds of the Cathedral.

If you have received tickets but no longer require them, please return them to the Congregations Office so they may be re-allocated. It is very disappointing to find on the day that there are empty seats in the Cathedral. Once again all tickets are non-refundable.

Please note that under no circumstances is it acceptable to the University for you to advertise spare tickets on notice boards or computer screens.

PLEASE NOTE: You cannot obtain a visa letter until you have been officially invited to the degree congregations. Please do not approach the Congregations Office for a visa application until you have your invitation.

In order to attend the ceremony some students may require confirmation of their (or their guests) invitation to a congregation and award ceremony to obtain either:

• Exit clearance from their home country or
• Entry clearance to the UK

This visa letter will be produced by the Congregations Office and will only confirm the invite of a student to a congregation ceremony; this should not be confused with tier 4 visa letters that Student Records and Admissions issue to students to secure long-term student visas.

To attend a congregation ceremony students/guests would enter the UK on a visitor visa.

Please Note:

• No requests for a congregations visa letter can be accepted until students are allocated to ceremonies
• Students will be required to complete a request form
• Visa letters will be issued to students at the University's discretion.

If you wish to apply for a visa letter you can download an application form or alternatively you can collect a form from the Congregations Office, Room G30, The Registry.

In no circumstances can visa letters be sent in a PDF format to students. They must either be collected from the Congregations Office by the student in person or sent to the address provided on the application form.

Important Information:

The Congregations Office are advised by the embassies that Visa applications can take up to 6-8 weeks for processing so please make sure you apply in good time. The Congregations Office will NOT process any Visa applications after 8 June 2012.

Academic dress is supplied by a private company called Ede & Ravenscroft.

All students receiving awards and degrees must wear academic dress (robes). You can place your order online at Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd or by contacting Ede & Ravenscroft's call centre on 01223 861854. There is a small discount if you book online. Payment can be taken by credit or debit card by Ede & Ravenscroft.

All the relevant information explaining how to order your academic dress is on the Ede & Ravenscroft website.

Before ordering your gown please make sure that you know your height, head size, faculty (Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences) and level of award that you are due to receive. This will make the process of ordering your gown much easier. If you are unsure of any of these details ask a fellow student to measure for you or look on your student portal for details of your course.

Please note: The deadline for ordering your gowns is 21 days before your ceremony. After this date Ede & Ravenscroft cannot guarantee that they can accommodate your order.

Ede and Ravenscroft can be contacted at:

Ede & Ravenscroft
Unit A
Denny Industrial Centre
Waterbeach
Cambridge
CB5 9QD
T: 01223 861854
W: www.gownhire.co.uk

All graduands/awardees should dress smartly for the formal occasion of their graduation. Suits are usually worn by men and women are permitted to wear trousers if smart. Students are very welcome to wear national dress. All graduands must also wear the appropriate academic dress which has to be hired by a company called Ede & Ravenscroft. Please read your invitation letter on how to hire your robe.

Please note: students must not wear jeans or trainers.

Students attending the ceremony:

H Tempest are professional photographers and will be available on your graduation day. For timings and venues of photography please look at our ‘on the day’ page.

H Tempest Photography
St Ives Cornwall
TR26 3HU
T: 01736 752411

Students graduating in Absentia:

UPDATE: 26 April 2012 - As of today we have had minimal interest regarding this service. Unfortunately if numbers have not significantly increased by Monday 30th April, we will be forced to cancel the shoot.

If you are unable to attend the graduation ceremony and have opted to receive your degree in Absentia, we are now able to offer you the opportunity to have official graduation photographs taken in robes by Tempest (the University's appointed photographer). These photographs will be taken at the University (further details will be provided in due course) on 18 May 2012. You will have the option to purchase your photographs on the day and they will be sent out to you after 18 June 2012 when final year undergraduate results are released.

If you would like more information on this or to register your interest, please email the Congregations Office

PLEASE NOTE: Only students who have registered via the Student Data System that they will be graduating in Absentia can use this service. Students attending their ceremony or deferring to another ceremony will not be eligible to have photos taken on 18 May 2012.

If you or your guests have any special requirements, e.g. wheelchair access, you should inform the Congregations Team as soon as possible after receiving your official invitation. You can notify us by emailing congregations@kent.ac.uk stating the graduates name, address, contact email and telephone number and the time and date of the ceremony you need special assistance with. Once we have note of the special requirements we will then either email or post a separate document to you explaining in detail where you will need to go on the day and any other relevant information you need to make your day flow with ease.

Important Information:

The Congregations Office do need to take into consideration all guests who do need special requirements so please only email us if it is absolutely necessary to ask us for help on the day. We need to know about any special requirements before 8 June 2012 to guarantee that we can assist you or your guests. Spaces are limited and we can only seat 2 guests (the guest who needs the requirements and another) in this area of the Cathedral so please take this into consideration if you are bringing more than 2 guests. Your remaining guests who will not be seated in this area will need to queue at the South West Door as normal and wait for the doors to open.

The University of Kent uses a professional filming company to record your graduation day.  Each ceremony is recorded individually and will be available online to view approximately three weeks after the congregations ceremonies.

The Congregations Office also offer the opportunity to purchase a the official DVD of your ceremony.  Following the viewing online of your ceremony, you may feel you would like to own your own copy of your special day.

PLEASE NOTE: The DVD's have to be specially edited and made and so may take up to 6-8 weeks after your ceremony for delivery.

All queries relating to the purchase of DVDs for graduation ceremonies should be directed towards the Congregations Office by emailing them at congregations@kent.ac.uk

Please allow at least three weeks after your graduation ceremony for the DVDs to be edited and made.

Payment can be made via the University's Online Store when the DVDs are available.

The graduation ceremony programme celebrates and records the achievements of graduates from the University of Kent.

If you, the graduate, wish for your name not to be included in the graduation programme you must inform the Congregations office by 8 June 2012. Failure to do so by this date will mean that your name will be published. For your information no results are published for students. Only your full name and course title is published.

Please note: If your details are included in the programme they will also appear on the commemorative clothing and vice versa.

Graduation ceremonies bring together families and friends from all over the world to celebrate your special day.

Canterbury

Stay in campus accommodation and take in the sights that Canterbury has to offer. See the dedicated Accommodation booking page at http://store.kent.ac.uk/ (Under "Conferences & Events" then “Kent Conferences/Events” and “Canterbury Campus Graduation Accommodation”) for further details and contact information.

Other visitor information can be obtained from:

Canterbury Information Centre
12/13 Sun Street
The Buttermarket
Canterbury Kent CT1 2HX
T: 01227 378100
F: 01227 378101
W: www.canterbury.co.uk

Medway

You can also stay in Medway campus accommodation. See the accommodation booking website for further information.
Alternatively, lists of nearby accommodation and other visitor information can be obtained from:

Medway Visitor Information Centre,
95 High Street,
Rochester,
ME1 1LX
T: 01634 843666
F: 01634 847891
W: www.medway.gov.uk.uk/tourism/

Please note that a discounted rate at the Ramada Encore Hotel in Chatham Maritime has been negotiated.

There is no parking in the grounds of the Cathedrals.

You can find information on surrounding car parks at the following websites:

• Rochester Cathedral parking
• Canterbury Cathedral parking

The University of Kent is unable to offer refunds for guest tickets or additional tickets. However we are happy to carry over your payment to the next available congregations should you fail to complete your course or defer due to reasons beyond your control.

If in the unfortunate situation you are unable to attend but have collected your tickets you must return them to the Congregations Office where they will be noted against your account in preparation for the next available ceremony you can attend.

If you would like to cancel/defer your graduation to the next available ceremony you must contact the Congregations Office at congregations@kent.ac.uk as soon as possible after receiving your official invitation. We can then defer you to the next available congregation.