University students are furious that their graduation ceremony is to be moved.

The University for the Creative Arts, which has sites in Canterbury, Rochester and Maidstone, is to hold its ceremony on June 25 at Maidstone Television Studios.

Graduations had previously been held at Rochester Cathedral.

The university said it wanted to “bring students in Kent together for their graduation”.

Students have started at least two Facebook groups and an online petition to pressure the university’s management into changing their minds.

One of the Facebook groups, called Petition Against UCA Canterbury Students Graduating in Maidstone, has 213 members.

The online petition has 328 signatures.

Sophie Brewster, a 21-year-old fashion promotions student in her third year, commented that she would prefer the graduation be held at Canterbury Cathedral rather than the television studios.

She said: “They are trying to cram courses into the Maidstone Studio, how long are they planning to spend on each diploma?

“They are not going to be spending long on each person, it will be like a sausage factory.”

Miss Brewster said the university was “covered in posters” and there were petitions in many of the main rooms of the campus asking for a change in venue.

A spokesman for the university denied the decision has been made to save money or for religious reasons, and said the management was having regular meetings with Students’ Union representatives to “ensure that student concerns can be addressed”.

The online petition is at www.gopetition.com/petitions/kent-campuses-uca.html