Guest ticket information
Graduation is a special time for you and your guests. Sadly, the space limitations of our historic Great Hall mean that we can only allow two guests per graduand.
You can apply for guest tickets when you register on the portal and we will endeavour to allocate you tickets.
Graduating students do not require a ticket for Graduation and there is no charge for guest tickets. We will confirm your ticket allocation via email in early November, after the formal registration process has closed and we are able to confirm that all ceremonies do not exceed the capacity of the Great Hall.
Ticket collection
Tickets will not be posted in advance.
Guest tickets can be collected from the Ticket Desk on the day of your ceremony which will be open throughout the day from 8am to 4pm. However, tickets can only be collected by the student to whom they have been allocated, so please bring your student card or Photo I.D. with you when collecting tickets.
Extra tickets
Extra tickets are only released on the day of your ceremony. Subject to availability, they will be released 90 minutes before your ceremony from the Extra Tickets Desk, located in the Welcome Marquee close to the Ticket Collection Desk and Information Desk, on a first come-first served basis. You will be able to request an additional two guest tickets, bringing your maximum allocation to four guest tickets.
Live video relay facilities
You can bring as many guests as you like to the London Road campus, and guests without tickets for the Great Hall can watch the ceremony live on big screens in the video relay rooms in building 22.
If you need to reserve a space in this room for any guests who need special arrangements, then please email graduation@reading.ac.uk as soon as possible.
For family and friends unable to travel to Reading on the day, the ceremonies will also be web-streamed live via this webpage.
Guests with children
Whilst Graduation is a celebratory family event we do not consider it particularly child-friendly, especially the ceremonies themselves as they require guests to remain seated for up to an hour at a time. This being said children are still welcome to attend. If children do come, those aged 2 and under do not need their own ticket for the Great Hall as they are expected to sit on an adult’s lap and be carried at all times in the Hall. All children aged 3 and over will need their own guest ticket. Children under the age of 18 should not be left unaccompanied at any point whilst on the London Road campus.
Reserved seating arrangements for students or guests with a disability or mobility difficulties
Students
If you are a wheelchair user, please tell us during the Expression of Interest process by Sunday 6 October as we need to ensure that the ramp we use in the Great Hall is installed, and also update the capacity of the Great Hall for your ceremony with regards to the space taken up by the ramp.
If you have other mobility or other restrictive issues, we have a wealth of experience in working with graduates to ensure you can enjoy the day fully, but we do need to know about your requirements.
Please contact the Disability Office to make arrangements as soon as possible, or you can contact the graduation@reading.ac.uk email if you would prefer.
Guests
We try our hardest to accommodate guests with any concerns but it will always help to reassure them if arrangements are made in advance.
For guests with wheelchairs, the hall is accessible but we need to remove chairs from the seating area to accommodate the wheelchair, and if your guest needs an aisle seat or a seat near doorways for medical reasons, we can reserve appropriate seating.
Please contact graduation@reading.ac.uk if possible by Sunday 3 November to make arrangements. We may not be able to accommodate requests for guests received after this date.