Diplomate Presentation Ceremonies FAQs

The College is committed to providing a safe environment for all visitors. Therefore, as appropriate, we will be following current COVID-19 government guidelines and ask visitors to be aware of these. We also recommend visitors from abroad to ensure they check the UK’s current travel advice if they are travelling to attend a ceremony.

If you or one of your guests are due to attend a ceremony and develop symptoms, feel ill, or you test positive for COVID-19, we would request that you consider the safety of others and re-schedule your attendance.

Royal College of Surgeons of England

Once you have passed your MRCS or FRCS examination, you will receive an invitation to join the RCS England as a member or fellow. After you join as a member or fellow, your qualification will be officially granted by the RCS England Council and you will be invited to attend a ceremony. Please note the ceremony you are invited to depends on when you joined the College as a member or fellow, and not when you passed the exams.

For other qualifications such as DOHNS, please note you need to pay a completion fee once you have passed your exam in order to have your qualification officially granted.

In case you are unable to attend the ceremony that you have been invited to, we can either post your certificate to you, or you will be invited to the following one. We send invites 3-4 months ahead of a ceremony so please keep an eye on your inbox and book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

The Faculty of Dental Surgery

Once you have passed your dental examination you will receive an invitation to join the Faculty of Dental Surgery as a member or fellow. After you join as a member or fellow, your qualification will be officially granted and you will be invited to attend a ceremony. Please note currently we are only running dental examinations twice a year so it may be 12 months before you are contacted to be invited to a ceremony.

In case you are unable to attend the ceremony that you have been invited to, we can either post your certificate to you, or you will be invited to the following one. We send invites 3-4 months ahead of a ceremony so please keep an eye on your inbox and book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

All tickets are allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

All diplomates need to book a ticket, which is free of charge. If you do not book a diplomate ticket you will not be able to attend this ceremony. If you need to arrange travel, leave, or a visa, please book your ticket first and cancel if you are no longer able to attend.

If you are no longer able to attend your ceremony please contact the RCS England Events Team to reallocate your ticket as soon as possible.

When entering your name on the booking website, please ensure this is correct and how it should appear in the booklet and be announced on stage.

Main ceremony hall

Diplomates are entitled to initially book a maximum of two guest tickets for the ceremony hall. We hope to be able to release additional tickets in the run-up to the event.

• £35 – Adult
• Free – Child (Under 16)

Live streaming room

Children are welcome to attend the day with you, but for those with younger children, there will also be a live stream of the ceremony available at the College should you wish to bring them in addition to your two ceremony hall guests.  Diplomates who have children (under 16) are entitled to book one adult plus a maximum of two children for the live streaming room. Please note that children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. The live stream room is only to accommodate children and accompanying adults, you must be accompanying small children to gain access.

• £20 – Adult
• Free – Child (Under 16)

Ceremonies get booked up quickly, so please book your tickets as soon as possible.

If the ceremonies are all fully booked, diplomates will then be invited to the next ceremonies, which will be held in the autumn of 2023.

Yes. If you are unable to attend the next ceremonies, you will be invited to attend our next group of ceremonies.

These will take place in the autumn of 2023 for both RCS England and the Faculty of Dental Surgery. Invitations will be sent out 3–4 months in advance.

If you require a visa in order to attend your presentation ceremony, please get in touch with the RCS England Events Team once you have booked your ceremony ticket and we will provide you with a copy of your invitation, including key information, to support your application.

Please ensure you are fully aware of travel restrictions as advised by the UK Foreign Office. 

For our March 2023 ceremonies, the timings are as follows:

Morning ceremony

• 9am Registration
• 10.30am Doors open
• 11am Ceremony of Presentation of Diplomates
• 12 noon Celebratory reception

Afternoon ceremony

• 1pm Registration
• 2.30pm Doors open
• 3pm Ceremony
• 4pm Celebratory reception

Please note that the timings of future ceremonies may vary and the above timings are a guide. Please see your ceremony confirmation email for further details.  

All diplomates are required to wear a gown and a mortarboard. Gowns are ordered directly from Ede and Ravenscroft.

Guests' suggested dress code is professional, men tend to wear suits and ties, women smart dresses/suits.

Diplomates seats are reserved. You will be assigned a seat number that corresponds to the order of the procession in which you appear in the programme.

Guests' seating is unreserved.

Please advise us in advance if you or any of your guests have any access or seating requirements, e.g. wheelchair access/hearing loop access.

Once you have processed to the stage and received your diploma you will not be returning to the same seat as you were originally assigned.

It is therefore essential that you do not have any personal belongings (e.g. handbags, coats, etc.) with you when you enter the ceremony hall. Please leave them with a guest or use the cloakroom facilities provided.