Planning your day

What happens where

There are three venues that we use on graduation days:

• The Guildhall for gowning and photography (Guildhall, High Street, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1EU; what3words: ///heads.maker.shell)
• The Rose Theatre for ticket collection and your ceremony (Rose Theatre, 24–26 High Street, Kingston upon Thames KT11HL; what3words: ///crest.limes.image)
• Town House, Penrhyn Road campus for your ceremony reception (Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EE; what3words: ///dawn.limes.trades)

All these venues are located in Kingston town centre and are within walking distance from each other. Please note none of our venues have parking, for more information go to our Getting to Kingston section.

Arriving for your graduation ceremony

Arrive at the suggested arrival time for your ceremony and go first to The Guildhall (KT1 1EU), where you will be directed to pick up your gown. There you will also find the photo studio to have official photographs taken.

Suggested arrival times for a:

• 10.30am ceremony – Arrive from 8.00am
• 2.00pm ceremony - Arrive from 11.30am
• 5.30pm ceremony – Arrive from 3.00pm

Access

All our graduation venues have lifts and can accommodate wheelchair users and people with mobility difficulties. Please make yourself known to a member of staff when you arrive if you require assistance.

By rail

Trains run regularly from London Waterloo to Kingston and Surbiton stations.

• Kingston station - Midweek there are four trains per hour, journey times take between 28-33 minutes. Kingston station is approximately a 10-minute walk to the Rose Theatre and the Guildhall, and a 15-minute walk to Penrhyn Road campus.
• Surbiton station - Midweek there are 10 trains per hour, journey times take between 15-32 minutes. Surbiton station is approximately a 15–20-minute walk from our Penrhyn Road campus. Alternatively, there is a taxi rank located outside the station or you can take a number of local buses toward the University and into the centre of Kingston.
• Visit the National Rail Enquiries website for further information, and keep an eye on any planned industrial action.

By bus

Buses run both locally and from other parts of London. Visit the Transport for London website for further information.

By car

There is no parking at any of our graduation venues.

The closest car park is the Rose Car Park, on Kingston Hall Road (the entrance is on East Lane KT1 2NN). This car park can get extremely busy, so early arrival is recommended. Please note: this car park currently has NO lift working. Disabled spaces and parent bays are all located on Level 3 (Street Level). Alternatively, you may wish to use the Bittoms Car Park, just off from Penrhyn Road/A240 (KT1 2AG). It is the responsibility of graduates and/or guests to check opening and closing times of car parks.

There are accessible parking spaces for Blue Badge holders close to the Guildhall and Rose Theatre on the High Street and in the Rose Car Park, and there are also spaces close to Penrhyn Road campus. A 10-minute-only drop-off spot is available directly outside the Theatre.

Visit the Royal Borough of Kingston website to find out information about other car park locations and charges.

You can also visit our directions to Kingston University section for more information.

The first thing you need to do is collect your gown at The Guildhall (KT1 1EU). Only graduates are allowed in the gowning area. There is a waiting area for guests. You must collect your gown at least 1 hour before your ceremony start time.

Find out more about hiring a gown >

The time to collect your gown will depend on the start time of your July 2024 ceremony.

For a:

• 10.30am ceremony – Collect gown from 8.00am
• 2.00pm ceremony – Collect gown from 11.30am
• 5.30pm ceremony – Collect gown from 3.00pm

Where and when can I have my photograph taken?

After collecting your gown, make your way to the photography studios in The Guildhall (KT1 1EU), where our official graduation photographers Tempest will be ready to assist you.

The time you can have your photograph taken will depend on the start time of your July 2024 ceremony. Priority time slots are allocated to each ceremony, so please visit the photography studio within the times listed.

For a:

• 10.30am ceremony – Visit the studios between 8.00am - 10.00am
• 2.00pm ceremony - Visit the studios between 11.30am - 1.30pm
• 5.30pm ceremony – Visit the studios between 3.00pm - 5.00pm

If you are unable to have your photograph taken within the allocated times, you can still visit the studios at other times but you may have to queue longer. The studios will close at 7.00pm on ceremony days. You are welcome to have photographs taken with your guests – if your group is larger than six people please let the photography staff know when you arrive.

Please note. You do not need to book a slot for photography nor pay in advance. You can purchase the images you'd like to at a later date using the image references you'll be given before you leave the photo studio. We recommend you take advantage of the opportunity to visit the studios on the day as you can choose the images and purchase prints at a later date.

If you do not wish to have photography taken, please make your way to the Rose Theatre around one hour before your ceremony.

Find out more about photography >

Once you have collected your tickets and gown, and had your photography taken, you can relax, and maybe grab a drink or some food from the theatre bar while you wait for the auditorium doors to open. Listen out for an announcement approximately 30 minutes before the ceremony starts. The ceremony will last approximately one hour.

Finding your seat

Doors to the auditorium open approximately 30 minutes before the ceremony start time. Once the announcement that the doors to the auditorium are open, you will be able to take your seats.

Before you enter the auditorium, you must leave bags, coats etc with your guests. You will not be allowed in the auditorium with your belongings. If you do not have any guests, you will be permitted to bring a small bag inside the auditorium with you. You are responsible for all of your belongings and the University and the Rose Theatre are not responsible for any loss or damage.

Your seat number is on your graduate name card. Seating is arranged in alphabetical order by course, so you will be sat with your classmates in the order you will be presented on stage. Please sit in the seat you have been allocated.

Graduates must sit in the seat they have been allocated – your name card is your seat ticket.

Guests are not allocated a specific seat - guests are allocated to a level: Stalls (ground floor), Circle (first floor) or Upper Circle (second floor). Within that level you can sit on any seat that is not reserved, on a first-come, first-served basis. We do reserve seats for people with access needs that were indicated to us during the advance booking process.

Hearing aids

Anybody with hearing problems doesn't have to miss a word. The theatre has a wireless (infra-red) audio system. This works in two ways:

• If you wear a hearing aid you can collect a neck-loop from the theatre staff. Simply put on the neck-loop and switch your hearing aid to the 'T' position.
• If you don't wear a hearing aid you can pick up a discreet wireless headset from the staff.

Please speak to a member of staff when you arrive at the Theatre.

What happens during the ceremony?

The graduation programme will detail a brief running order of the ceremony including who will be speaking. There are a few speeches before the graduates are presented on the stage.

1. When it is time for you to be presented on stage, a member of staff will tell you which way to leave the auditorium. Take your name card with you.
2. When you are told to enter the stage, walk along the red carpet and give your name card to the person standing at the lectern. Wait for them to read your name.
3. Once they have read your name, continue to the centre of the stage to meet the ceremony host – pause here briefly.
4. Continue to walk along the red carpet until you are off-stage. A member of staff will direct you through the backstage area and into the theatre foyer where you can collect your certificate.

The moment you cross the stage will be photographed. Your presentation photograph will be available to view and purchase straight after your ceremony at the reception and they'll also be online a few days after your ceremony.