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Frequently asked questions

RCM graduands sitting in the Britten Theatre
Below you can find some of the most frequently asked questions about Graduation.

All the information you need should be available on the Graduation website, so please read all the pages thoroughly. All graduating students will also receive direct communications in the run-up to the event, so remember to check your emails. If you still cannot find the answer to your question, you can contact us directly.

Attendance

What happens if I miss the deadline to confirm my attendance at Graduation?

After the deadline the seating plans for the ceremonies will be fixed. We will make every effort to accommodate you if you respond late, but we cannot guarantee that this will be possible.

To avoid problems, please ensure that you confirm your attendance before the deadline.

Find out more

What happens if I have a late assessment and will miss the main Board of Examiners?

You should confirm your attendance by the deadline as normal. Provided your assessment will take place in time for the Board of Examiners to approve your results before the ceremony, you should still be able to attend Graduation.

However, if your results are not confirmed by the time the Graduation Programme goes to press (generally a week before the ceremony), you should be aware that it may not be possible for your name to be printed in it. If you think this may affect you, you can discuss your situation with the Academic Registrar or the Deputy Academic Registrar.

If you have a very late or deferred assessment and it is not possible for your results to be confirmed in time, you will be invited to attend next year’s Graduation ceremony.

Helen Cooney

Programmes Operations and Quality Assurance Manager

+44 (0)20 7591 4318

helen.cooney@rcm.ac.uk

Elly Taylor

Academic Registrar

+44 (0)20 7591 4374

elly.taylor@rcm.ac.uk

Can I choose to attend the other ceremony and reception so I can graduate with my friends?

Unfortunately not. It is only possible to graduate with your classmates in your course and yeargroup.

Can I choose to defer my graduation ceremony to another year?

Unfortunately not. It is only possible to graduate with your classmates in your course and yeargroup.

I am an international student and need a visa to enter the UK. Can I have an invitation letter?

If you are an international graduand and don’t have a current visa or other UK immigration permission, you may need a Standard Visitor visa to enter the country. Information on Standard Visitor visas can be found here. Nationals of some countries do not need to apply for a visa in advance and can be granted entry clearance on arrival. To check whether you are a 'visa national' visit gov.uk.

The RCM can provide a letter confirming the date of your Graduation and reason for your visit to the UK. Letters can be requested by e-mailing graduation@rcm.ac.uk.

What if I want to bring an additional guest?

Guest tickets are limited to a maximum of two per graduand and are only available to graduands who are attending the ceremony.

After the deadline Box Office staff will review whether there any spare tickets remaining. Remaining tickets will be released for sale to students who wish to make additional purchases.

However, there is no guarantee that there will be additional tickets available. If any are available, they are likely to be few in number, so you should not rely on being able to make additional purchases or make firm travel plans on the basis of expecting an extra ticket.

To enable friends and family who cannot join you at your ceremony to see you graduate, the RCM intends to stream both ceremonies live on the RCM website and RCM YouTube channel.

Gowns & photography

Can I take photographs during the ceremony?

Yes, you can. However, we ask you do not use flash when taking photographs in the ceremony itself and avoid obstructing the view of other graduands.

Everybody should be free to take as many photographs as they like, with or without flash, before or after the ceremony, subject to keeping to Covid-19 safety requirements.

If I am having my official photo taken earlier in graduation week, how do I get a gown for the photo?

You will be able to collect your own gown on the day of your photograph. Please select the collection date you require in the gown order form.

If I am not able to have my official photo taken earlier in graduation week, can I get one taken on my Graduation day?

Due to the need to photograph the ceremonies, the photographer will not be running a portrait photography session on Thursday 15 or Friday 16 July, so you should book a photography session on Monday – Wednesday of graduation week. If this is completely impossible, you can contact the photographer at chris@photochris.co.uk to see whether he can make a special arrangement for you, but this is not guaranteed.

We may be able to offer an additional photography session on Thursday 15 July for students from the class of 2020, but this is currently subject to confirmation depending on the ceremony schedule. If this is possible we will add details as soon as they are available.

Contact the Graduation team

All the information you need should be available on the Graduation website, so please read all the pages thoroughly. All graduating students will also receive direct communications in the run-up to the event, so remember to check your emails. If you still cannot find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact the Graduation team.

Graduation team

Enquiries about Graduation

graduation@rcm.ac.uk