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Convocation Frequently Asked Questions

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Accessibility

Yes, both the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre and the Gryphon Fieldhouse are wheelchair accessible and can be accessed by the Larry Pearson entrance via Lang Way (formerly Powerhouse Lane).

We appreciate being advised of any accessible requirements graduands and guests have prior to the ceremony so that we can ensure everyone is able to fully participate. For more information on accessibility requirements, please contact the convocation team.

Closed captioning is provided at every ceremony but a sign language interpreter on-site will only receive priority for scheduling by the Canadian Hearing Society if the service is specifically requested by an individual. If you or your guest require a sign language interpreter and to ensure clear sight lines of the interpreter please contact Morgan Marini.

The GGAC is equipped with the electronic wayfinding system called BlindSquare to help blind and visually impaired people find their way around the facility. Download BlindSquare from the Apple Store.

 

Please contact the convocation team ahead of time to discuss accommodations for your ceremony. More information on accessibility can be found on the Graduating Students page, under the Accessibility section.

Please contact the convocation team ahead of time to make arrangements for your guest. More information on accessibility can be found on our Accessibility at Convocation page.

Ceremony

Visit the Day of Ceremony section of our Information for Students page for information on what to bring to your ceremony. 

Students who have applied to graduate and successfully met their degree requirements will be approved by Senate to graduate from their program. Students who have been approved to graduate will receive a confirmation email from the Office of Registrarial Services after the clearance to graduate deadline and you will receive your degree in the mail. 

No, however your name will appear in the digital program, which can be found here.

Students who have graduated but have not yet attended a convocation ceremony may request to attend a future ceremony, usually at the next scheduled date of ceremonies. Arrangements must be made prior to the assigned convocation ceremony date.

To request permission to participate in a future convocation, please contact the Registrar’s Office:

There will be a live webcast of all ceremonies here on our Watch page. Links to archived recordings of past ceremonies are also available from the same page.

For the schedule of ceremonies, please visit the Schedule webpage for details.

To register for your ceremony, please visit the Students webpage.

Only graduating students may purchase tickets. Upon registering for a ceremony, each student will receive two (2) complimentary tickets and may purchase one (1) additional ticket for $25 (space permitting).

Approximately two weeks before the ceremony, students will receive an email from the Registrars Office indicating whether any further guest tickets (beyond the single purchased ticket) are available to purchase.

Tickets will not be available for purchase on the day of ceremonies. 

Please visit the Graduating Students page for additional details. 

Regalia

Yes, all graduands must wear official University of Guelph academic regalia (gown and hood) to attend their convocation ceremony.  Please visit the Regalia section of the Graduating Students page for more information.

Please visit Regalia section of our Information for Students page for information. 

Graduands are required to rent official University of Guelph regalia when they register for their ceremony on WebAdvisor. 

If you would like to rent or purchase regalia for at-home celebrations you can: 

Our official convocation photographer will be at each ceremony and will take a photo of each grad at centre stage and off stage.  Grads will be able to purchase their digital image files within 24 hours of their ceremony.  The U of G Alumni team will email grads the link to access their photos. 

U of G grads can also book a grad photo session with Edge Imaging in the University Centre. 

Convocation Parchments

All students approved to graduate, who do not attend a ceremony, will receive their degree parchment at the mailing address on file.

Please check WebAdvisor to ensure we have your most up to date mailing address.

At the University of Guelph only your official transcript will list your major.

To order an official transcript visit uoguelph.ca/registrar/downloads for more information.

Graduates who are on sanction for outstanding payments will not receive their parchment until their account is paid in full. Once you have cleared your outstanding sanction please contact Enrolment Services requesting that your diploma be released to you.

Yes, the University will re-issue a parchment for a fee. Visit uoguelph.ca/registrar/downloads for more information.

 

Please contact the Office of Registrarial Services.

Family & Guests

Only graduating students may purchase tickets. Upon registering for a ceremony, each student will receive two (2) complimentary tickets and may purchase one (1) additional ticket for $25 (space permitting).

Approximately two weeks before the ceremony, students will receive an email to indicate whether any further guest tickets (beyond the single purchased ticket) are available to purchase.

All electronic tickets will be sent to graduates, who have completed payment, the week prior to their ceremony. Tickets may be printed or scanned directly from a smartphone.

Tickets will not be available for purchase on the day of ceremonies. 

Children, typically under two, who will be sitting on a lap do not require a ticket. Children who will be sitting in a seat do require a ticket.

Children are not permitted to sit with graduating students. Children in attendance must be supervised by an adult other than the graduating student. 

 

Yes, you can visit the Watch & Engage page, which streams the live video from our YouTube Channel.

 

Yes, a professional photographer is at each ceremony and will take both an on-stage and off-stage photo of each graduate. These will available for purchase at orderphotos.ca

 

Fresh flowers & commemorative gifts will be available for purchase at University of Guelph Convocation ceremonies and are available for pre-order now through our partner Convocation Flowers.

To further contribute to a safe and efficient environment for your graduates, guests, and faculty, we are strongly encouraging customers to take advantage of our online pre-order service. We will have a contact-free customer experience for guests who are simply picking up their pre-purchased and reserved product. This will also increase overall physical distancing measures.

Faculty, Staff & Alumni Volunteers

Visit our Staff and Faculty volunteer page to register.

 

Ceremonies are expected to last approximately 90 minutes.

 

Please contact Claire Alexander.

 

If you are unable to find a replacement, please contact Claire Alexander the day of the ceremony.

 

The beadle will hood students if a doctoral advisor is unable to attend.

 

No, only doctoral students are hooded by advisors.

 

The honor of hooding your child is reserved for University of Guelph faculty. If you are from another institution you are welcome to join the academic procession but the hooding will be done by the beadle or their doctoral advisor.

Visit our Staff and Faculty volunteer page to register for the procession.

Need Help?

If you have additional questions about graduation and convocation, please contact the convocation team.

We welcome all questions and feedback, as it helps us improve our website and create a better user experience for you!