Convocation Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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:

• Undergraduate students: undergradconvocation@uoguelph.ca
• Graduate students: gradconvocation@uoguelph.ca

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.   Please visit the 'Preparing for your Ceremony' section of the Graduating Students Information page for additional details about guest tickets. 

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 attending convocation on campus 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: 

• Purchase your degree hood from Harcourts. Call or e-mail Harcourts at 416-977-4408 or info@harcourts.com.
• Regalia can be rented from the University Bookstore. Gown rentals will not be available during the month of May and June.

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. 

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.

• Undergraduate students email undergradconvocation@uoguelph.ca
• Graduate students email gradconvocation@uoguelph.ca

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.

• Undergraduate students email undergradconvocation@uoguelph.ca
• Graduate students email gradconvocation@uoguelph.ca

Only graduating students may purchase tickets. 

Please visit the Family & Guests page of the convocation website under the 'Planning for the Day' for additional information about guest tickets.  

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! Please visit the Watch Livestream page, which streams the live ceremony footage 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 will be available for purchase outside of the Larry Pearson entrance prior to each ceremony and are available for pre-order through our partner Convocation Flowers.

To further contribute to an efficient environment for your graduates, guests, and faculty, customers are strongly encouraged to use Convocation Flower's online pre-order service. 

Following each ceremony, in the Gryphons Fieldhouse, you will find degree frames, U of G memorabilia and order forms for grad rings, hoods and more. Guests are welcome to preview grad gift options ahead of time on the University Bookstore website.

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.

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!