Convocation FAQ

Students who have completed their degree requirements by the end of the Fall 2023 term or the Winter 2024 term and who have “Degree granted” on their unofficial transcript on Minerva with a date of February 2023 or May/June 2024 respectively on their unofficial transcript on Minerva are eligible to attend the Spring 2024 Convocation ceremonies.

Please see our Apply to Graduate website, under Deadlines, for further details.

No, students do not need to register to attend convocation and you do not need to confirm your presence; however, you must have applied to graduate and be faculty-approved for graduation in order to partake in the ceremony, and you will need to reserve academic regalia once the regalia reservation form is open.

You should plan to arrive with your regalia at least one hour before your ceremony is scheduled to start. Please see the On Convocation Day page for more details.

You attend the convocation ceremony that corresponds to the major listed FIRST on your unofficial transcript in Minerva.

If you would rather attend the ceremony of your current second major, you must change the order of your majors in Minerva by the deadline.

Your preferred name (as it appears on Minerva) will appear in the Convocation program, on your line-up card and will be read aloud at Convocation. Your legal name will be used on your diploma parchment. Make sure to verify the information in Minerva by the deadline.

Our office is not responsible for graduate portraits or graduation mosaic photos. Please contact the Student’s Society of McGill for information on this.

The photography company, Green Apple Studio, is responsible for the photos taken during the Convocation ceremony. You will need to reach out to them directly for help accessing your photos.

Graduation is the term used to acknowledge the completion of degree requirements. Once you have successfully completed your degree requirements and been approved by Senate to graduate your transcript will indicate a 'degree granted' notation. Convocation is the ceremony at which the Chancellor or his delegate confers the degree and you receive your parchment.

Graduates are able to invite 4 guests to their ceremony. There are no tickets for guests at the ceremony venue and we ask graduates to use the honour system and respect the maximum 4-guest policy. The ceremonies are live-streamed so additional family and guests can watch from venues off campus.

There are no tickets for the Spring Convocation ceremonies. There is no cost to attend the ceremonies for your guests.

McGill does not issue formal invitation letters for Convocation. However, you can use the Spring 2024 Convocation Dates letter to make your Canadian visa request. 

Convocation is committed to being as accessible and barrier-free as possible for students, faculty, and guests. Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs or require accommodations to participate by filling out this Request for Accessibility webform. If you have any questions about accessibility, please email convocation [at] mcgill.ca.

No. There are no tickets for guests at the ceremony venue and seating is on a first-come-first-served basis. We ask graduates to use the honour system and respect the maximum 4-guest policy.

No, they do not.

Approximately one hour before the ceremony begins.

The link to the livestream will be posted to our website the day of the ceremony.

Your legal name will appear on your diploma. Make sure to verify the information in Minerva by the deadline.

For Fall 2023 or Winter 2024 graduates, the date of your Spring Convocation ceremony is the date indicated on your parchment. Please refer to the schedule of ceremonies page to determine when your Convocation ceremony will be held.

For students who completed their degree requirements by the end of December 2023 and are approved for graduation, “Degree granted” will appear on their transcript as of February 15.

For students who complete their degree requirements by the end of April 2024 and are approved for graduation, “Degree granted” will appear on their transcript as of May 24.

Your diploma will be given to you during your convocation ceremony. If you are not able to attend, you will be able to submit a request to receive your diploma. Please visit the Diploma website for further information closer to your convocation ceremony date.

Please note that diplomas are not available before your scheduled convocation ceremony.

After your scheduled ceremony has concluded, you can request to pick up your diploma from Service Point, or have it mailed to you. Please see the diplomas page for more details.

McGill University does not issue electronic diplomas at this time.

As soon as “Degree granted” shows on your transcript, you can generate a Confirmation of Graduation letter in Minerva. Alternatively, students may order an official electronic transcript (eTranscript) in Minerva. The eTranscript is sent to recipients in as little as 15 minutes and is available to order 24/7. 

Please note that diplomas are not available before your scheduled convocation ceremony.

No, you do not need to purchase your regalia. Gaspard, McGill’s regalia supplier, provides regalia for you to rent for your ceremony. Your regalia must be picked up and returned according to the schedule on our Academic Regalia, Lineup Card, and Guests page. Should you wish to purchase your regalia, you may do so via Gaspard's website, keeping in mind the preparation and shipping times relative to your ceremony date.

The reservation portal will be open from May 1 to May 15, 2024. The link to the reservation portal will be posted on the Academic Regalia, Lineup Card, and Guests page.

The regalia company will have a limited number of extra caps and gowns available for on-site reservation on a first-come, first-served basis, and at higher rates. In such cases, show up early the day when regalia pickup opens for your ceremony, and you will have to pay the rental fee on-site. Please refer to the pick-up schedule to determine when you will be able to go reserve your regalia on-site.

Graduates will not be able to cross the stage without regalia and their line-up card.

You may authorize someone else to pick up your regalia and line-up card by completing this 3rd Party Authorization webform. The person picking up your regalia and line-up card must provide a government-issued photo ID.

Please contact convocation [at] mcgill.ca with your student ID number.

Students receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees will receive a black gown, a hood that corresponds to their program, and a black mortarboard cap. Students receiving a certificate or diploma receive a gown and black mortarboard cap. Doctorate graduates will receive a red gown and hood with lining that corresponds to their degree / program, and a black Beefeater hat.

Yes, Indigenous students crossing the stage who wish to wear their traditional Indigenous regalia instead of the McGill gown are welcome to do so. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis graduates may also wear their graduation scarves with their academic regalia. They are encouraged to wear or carry their hood, the colour of which corresponds to the academic degree earned, as a symbol recognizing their entry into a community of scholars.

The hood should be worn with the strap around the neck, not around the shoulders. The silk lining of the flat part of the hood should face inwards against the back and the silk lining of the hood strap should be against your neck. You can tuck the hood strap under a tie if you wear one.

The regalia will cover from your neck to mid-calf. There is no formal dress code for what to wear under your regalia, although people usually wear business casual or semi-formal attire.

Line-up cards are automatically generated for graduating students and lists their preferred name, degree, and any honours awarded. The information on the card will be read by the convocation orator as graduates cross the stage at the ceremony. The card must be picked up prior to your convocation ceremony, along with your regalia. Refer to the schedule.

No, line-up cards are generated for every graduating student.

Line-up cards are picked up at the same location as the regalia. Please refer to the pick-up schedule.

Your preferred name as it appears on Minerva will be used for the lineup card. If you do not have a preferred name on Minerva, your legal name will be used. Please note that middle names do not appear on the line-up card, but do appear on the diploma.

Convocation awards and prizes will display in the Convocation program but not on the line-up card. Convocation awards and prizes that have been approved by Senate also display on your transcript. Convocation honours (e.g. Dean's Honour List, Distinction) will be read at the ceremony and will display on your line-up card but do not appear in the Convocation program. Honours also display on your transcript.

If you miss this deadline, contact your faculty's Student Affairs Office as soon as possible to find out what to do next.

Students in the Faculties of Arts or Science must complete a Graduation Term Change Request form.

If you missed this deadline, your diploma would include the legal name that is on your student file, and the program will include your preferred name, if you have one. If your legal name has changed, after Convocation, you may submit a name change request. Once the name change has been processed, you can submit a request for a replacement diploma.

You must attend the ceremony of your first major listed in Minerva.