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 make arrangements for your guest. More information on accessibility can be found on the Family and Guests page, under the Day of Ceremony section.

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. 

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

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 to indicate whether any further guest tickets (beyond the single purchased ticket) are available to purchase.

Please visit the Students page for additional details. 

Graduands can rent their ceremony regalia when they register for their ceremony on WebAdvisor. 

If you would like to rent or purchase regalia for photographs or 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.

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. 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 by the week prior to their ceremony. Tickets may be printed or scanned directly from a smartphone.

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.

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 are 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.

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!