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Ceremony locations and details

Graduation Ceremonies take place at multiple locations based on the campus that you studied at, and the level of award that you studied for. The main locations include Canterbury Cathedral, Rochester Cathedral and Augustine House. 

Please ensure you arrive on time

It is important that you adhere to your graduation timetable and arrive in good time at the registration check-in desk to ensure that you can take part in your ceremony and have your name read out. Whilst every effort is made to accommodate a late student, we cannot guarantee admittance to the ceremony if you do not arrive on time. In this case, we will do our utmost to allow you and your guests into the ceremony to watch and we will subsequently offer a deferral to another graduation date.

Canterbury Cathedral is a magnificent setting for one of the proudest days of your life.

Essential information for the day of your Graduation is provided below:

You will receive an email invitation, sent to the same email addresses that are held on your student record (both personal and CCCU email address).

Preparing for the day

Submit your RSVP, purchase guest tickets and confirm your attendance 

In order to attend your graduation you are required to complete an online RSVP prior to your ceremony. Whilst completing the online RSVP you have the opportunity to purchase your allotted two guest tickets, priced at £22 per guest.

Locations

  • Canterbury Cathedral, Cathedral House, 11 The Precincts Canterbury CT1 2EH
  • Main Campus, North Holmes Road Canterbury CT1 1QU
  • Augustine House, Rhodaus Town, Canterbury CT1 2YA

Timings

Canterbury Cathedral graduation ceremonies last approx. 1hour 15mins.

Graduation Ceremony Final Confirmation email 

One week prior to the Graduation Ceremony you will receive a final confirmation email, you will need to bring this email with you on the day of your ceremony to collect your guest tickets at the ticket collection desk.

 The final confirmation email will include:

  • The total number of guest tickets that you have purchased – you will need to present a copy of this email at the ticket collection desk on the day of your ceremony for your guest tickets
  • Your seat and procession number (the number in which you will be presented for your award).

Hire your academic gown

Graduations are an important celebratory event, and our experience is they are much appreciated by our students and their guests. Part of the celebration is for all those who are taking part in the ceremony to dress appropriately. Academic dress (consisting of robe, hood and hat which together we call a ‘gown’) is mandatory for those taking part in the ceremony. A student must wear a Canterbury Christ Church University gown appropriate to the level of qualification for which they are being presented, even if the student already holds a higher qualification. National dress may be worn.

Gowns can be hired via our preferred suppliers, Ede & Ravenscroft. It is important to note Ede & Ravenscroft require 3 weeks’ notice to hire a gown so order yours in plenty of time. You may source your gown from elsewhere but please note that a student arriving in inappropriate academic dress or not gowned will be unable to join the procession and will not be presented for their award during the ceremony.

Visit the Ede & Ravenscroft website here if you wish to hire your graduation gown from Ede & Ravenscroft.

On the day

On the day of your Graduation Ceremony your guest tickets will be available for you to collect from Augustine House.

Ticket collection will be available from 2 hours before the start of your ceremony.

Your gown will be ready for collection on the day of the event from Augustine House (AH3.31)and staff from Ede & Ravenscroft (the gowning supplier) will be available to help you dress.

You will be advised of your seat and procession number (the number in which you will be presented for your award).

Student registration is located at the Chapter House at Canterbury Cathedral and closes 30 minutes before the start of your ceremony and you must have registered for your name to be called in the ceremony.

Getting to the venue

No parking is available on campus or at the Cathedral. Please  visit the Canterbury City Council website to find out the location of pay and display car parks and Park and Rides across the city.

View University site maps and travel information.

What to do if you are running late

If you are running slightly late you should make your way to be gowned in Augustine House (AH3.31) and head to the Cathedral as soon as possible, please note that students arriving late are not guaranteed to graduate.

In the case of emergency or for any reason you are sure to miss the ceremony do not panic. Log a call with the i-zone and we will contact you after the ceremonies regarding the option of deferral.

You are able to defer/postpone graduation and attend another event generally within a year. If you choose to defer, this can only occur once you have received your invitation. It is at the discretion of the Graduation Office as to which date you may defer to.

To update your details or request a deferral please contact i-zone on 01227 922222 or email i-zone@canterbury.ac.uk

Photography

On the day of your graduation photography studios will set up in Augustine Hall and at North Holmes Road (please see timetable for more information). The studios will be available to visit both before and after the ceremony. Our photography suppliers will also be present inside the Cathedral to capture the moment you receive your award and these photos will be available to view and purchase after the ceremony. Photography packages can be pre-ordered via Ede & Ravenscroft or ordered retrospectively via Ede & Ravenscroft’s website.

Free professional headshot

The Graduate Futures team are offering graduating students the chance to get a free professional headshot. These will be on offer in the Careers Hub in Augustine House throughout the day on Tuesday 12 September. There is no need to book. You are encouraged to get your photos taken after your graduation ceremony to allow time to get to the Cathedral. Please allow at least 15 minutes for the photos, although there may be times when it is busier. Please note, these are not gowning photos, so please do not wear your robes. Please book separately with Ede & Ravenscroft for your official graduation photos. For any queries please email alumni@canterbury.ac.uk

Seating at the Cathedral

Students will be seated in a separate area to guests. Students will be grouped alphabetically (surname order) by course of study. Your final confirmation email will state your seat and procession number (the number in which you will be presented for your award).

Guests are not allocated specific seats for ceremonies. Most of the seats in the nave of the Cathedral have a view of the presentation area, but some have a restricted view. We regret that we cannot guarantee that you will have a full view of the proceedings. We recommend you arrive well in advance of the ceremony as queues form early. Space for a wheelchair/mobility scooter should be requested in advance via the online RSVP form in order to ensure that we can accommodate your requirements. 

Children and babies

The ceremony may not be suitable for infants and young children and we therefore would recommend that children do not attend.

If you do decide to bring your children they must hold a ticket. Tickets for children under the age of 5 can be requested by emailing i-zone@canterbury.ac.uk, children under the age of 5 must be seated on the lap of a parent or carer during the ceremony (the child ticket does not count towards your total ticket allocation).

Children over 5 years old must hold a general purchased guest ticket and have their own seat for the ceremony to comply with Health and Safety guidelines, set down by the University.

If your child becomes distressed, we may ask you to leave the ceremony for a short period, so that other people are not disturbed.

We offer live streaming, detailed below, which may be more suitable.

Live streaming

If your friends and relatives are unable to attend the ceremony in person, live coverage of your ceremony will be available to watch online.

If your family and friends are joining you for your special day but are not able to attend the ceremony, there will be live coverage of the graduation ceremony streamed in our Students' Union, St George's Centre. 

Luggage

Please note that there are no cloakroom facilities at graduation events and luggage cannot be left unattended.

Remembering your day

Commemorate your graduation day by purchasing souvenirs from our  Canterbury Christ Church University memorabilia range.

Visit the University's Bookshop, which is located at the Canterbury Campus, in the Laud building

 

We continue to ensure that our Campus and events are a safe and welcoming environment, were it is important that we keep each other safe. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or any other infections disease on the day of your Graduation, we recommend that you do not attend and that you contact the I-Zone )i-zone@canterbury.ac.uk) to explore the options available to you

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Canterbury Cathedral
The Precincts, Canterbury CT1 2EH, United Kingdom
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Rochester Cathedral
The Precinct, Rochester ME1 1SX
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Augustine House
Augustine House & Hall, Rhodaus Town, Canterbury CT1 2YA
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