Sadly due to COVID-19, we were unable to deliver graduation ceremonies for our October 2020 Undergraduates and May 2020 & 21 Postgraduates. The College recognises how very disappointing this is and have made alternative arrangements to celebrate our students’ achievements, which are of the utmost importance. Graduates were contacted directly to inform them of the College’s decision to guarantee an in-person ceremony to those who were unable to attend their graduation due to the pandemic and invited them to share their preferences and thoughts in a 2020 survey.
Thank you to all those who responded and shared their views. The full results can be seen by clicking on the download button. Your input has been critical to shaping the approach to graduation for your cohort and others which have been impacted by the pandemic. A Graduation Advisory Committee was also established with representatives from staff and students to assist with graduation planning now and into the future.
Survey outcomes
32% of graduates responded to the survey and five key themes emerged which are detailed below. The full set of responses can be downloaded by clicking on the download button.
1. There was a strong preference for an in-person event
- 91% of those that responded wanted in-person events as part of the graduation offering
- 52% wanted an in-person event only
2. Almost half of those that responded want a short-term option to celebrate graduation:
- 24% of those that responded wanted a package of congratulatory content sent via email
- 24% would like an online event
3. 60% of those that responded said that they were highly likely or likely to attend an online event.
4. In terms of the length of time that graduates were prepared to wait for an in-person event:
- 52% of respondees indicated it should take place in the next one to two years either at the Royal Albert Hall or another venue
- 48% would prefer to wait three years or more for a ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall
5. An important priority for all graduates who responded is to keep their cohort together for their graduation event.
Next steps
We were delighted to announce in December 2021 that the College was able to secure additional dates with the Royal Albert Hall to begin offering rescheduled in person ceremonies. Regrettably, the two new March dates were unable to accommodate everyone who is waiting and graduands who were unable to attend March will be invited to a further in-person ceremony in the future, although we are unable to gurarantee that this will be at the Hall. Eligible graduates will be contacted in due course with further details on dates and venue.