FAQ
Students are encouraged to review the FAQs for answers to common questions about Convocation. If you do not find the information you need here, please email convocation@mun.ca and provide your full name and student ID in your query.
Note that “applying to graduate” and “registering to attend Convocation” are two separate processes.
You can apply to graduate through Memorial Self Service by submitting an Application to Graduate located under the Graduation and Convocation menu before the appropriate deadline as outlined below.
Note that even if your graduation status is pending, you should go ahead and register to attend Convocation.
Graduation/ |
Application available |
Deadline to apply* |
Additional details |
February in absentia |
Nov. 1 |
Jan. 3 |
|
Spring (May/June) |
Nov. 1 |
Jan. 15 |
|
Fall (October) |
Early June |
July 15 |
For additional information on applying to graduate, please visit the graduation tab on the Registrar’s Office web page.
No. These are two separate processes.
To Graduate: For information on applying to graduate, please visit the graduation tab on the Registrar’s Office web page.
To Attend Convocation: During the specified timeframe announced on MUN Newsline, the Convocation web page and in your @mun.ca email, log on to Memorial Self Service to register to attend Convocation.
You will need to log onto Memorial Self Service to register to attend Convocation.
If your application is still pending, you should still register to attend Convocation. Note that your tickets and registration will not be finalized until you are deemed as eligible to graduate. If you are deemed ineligible for Convocation, you will be refunded the rental fee.
The deadline to register for Fall 2024 Convocation is September 25, 2024. Registering by the deadline ensures that you pay the reduced gown rental fee ($50) and will receive three guest tickets.
If you miss the deadline to register to attend Convocation, email convocation@mun.ca. Late registrants will be required to pay the on-site gown rental fee of $80 and cannot be guaranteed guest seating, although all efforts will be made to provide them.
For those graduating at the end of the Fall semester, degrees are awarded at a regular meeting of the University Senate in February which graduates do not attend, referred to as an “in absentia graduation”. Following this meeting, parchments for graduates will be sent in the mail. Thereafter, you will be assigned to the upcoming Spring Convocation ceremonies and will have the option to postpone attendance, if you wish, by registering at Memorial Self Service when the announcement is made to register to attend Convocation.
Although you will have already received your parchment in the mail, your experience at Convocation will be exactly the same as it is for all graduates. The only difference is that you will not receive your parchment at Convocation (given out backstage after crossing the stage) as you would have already received it following the in absentia graduation in February.
For information on deferring attendance, please refer to the following question “Can I/How do I defer my attendance at Convocation”.
Graduates receiving two degrees may attend both sessions of Convocation, or you may choose to attend one session and have the parchment for the second degree mailed to you.
Deferrals must be requested while registration for your assigned Convocation is open. To request deferral, log onto Memorial Self Service, select “Graduation and Convocation”, “Convocation (degrees only)” and select “I wish to defer my attendance to a future Convocation period”. Once you have chosen to defer attendance at Convocation, you do not need to indicate deferral again in the future. Your request for deferral will be held in the registration system until you are ready to attend.
After deferring your Convocation and to register to attend a future ceremony, you must return to Memorial Self Service during the registration period for the Convocation you wish to attend. The registration dates will be posted on the Convocation webpage (St. John’s and Corner Brook tabs). The dates of future Convocation ceremonies are currently available on the webpage and the registration period for each is normally within 6-8 weeks prior to each date. When you determine which ceremony you wish to attend, you are advised to check the Convocation website frequently so that you are aware of the upcoming registration periods.
The experience for deferred graduates will be exactly the same as it is for all graduates attending Convocation, except since deferred graduates will have already received their parchment, they will not receive another one backstage at Convocation. Deferred graduates attending a future session do not need to bring their parchment to the ceremony.
For questions, contact convocation@mun.ca.
Degree parchments are held at the Registrar's Office for one week after Convocation for pick-up. The Registrar's Office will then begin a mail-out and the parchment will be sent to your permanent address, which you can verify or update via Memorial Self Service.
Log onto Memorial Self Service to view your Convocation ceremony information (see sample image below.) You would have received a confirmation email from Gaspard confirming your gown and hood rental, as well.
Graduates will not receive a ticket from the Arts and Culture Centre in advance. Rather, a seating pass will be provided upon arrival at the Arts and Culture Centre.
You can request up to three guest tickets in St. John’s per graduate, per ceremony. There is no cost for guest tickets and they will be sent electronically to you, the graduate, at your MUN email address. Please provide your guests with their tickets in advance of the ceremony. Your guests will be asked to display the unique barcode on their cell phone or to produce a printed e-ticket for admission at the Arts and Culture Centre.
Additional guest tickets may become available upon request on a first-come, first-served basis. An announcement regarding this will be posted on the convocation webpage during the first week of October.
The cost of academic dress/gown rental ordered before the registration deadline is $50. After the deadline the rental cost is $80 payable when picking up your academic dress/gown on the day of Convocation, available at the Arts and Culture Centre one hour prior to your Convocation ceremony. Please note that we cannot guarantee your specific academic dress (size, hood, etc.) beyond the rental deadline.
Pick-up: Academic dress/gowns can be picked up in the Gown Room at the Arts and Culture Centre one hour prior to your Convocation ceremony. As graduates pick up their academic dress, they will proceed to pick up their stage card and then seated in the auditorium.
Drop-off: For return of academic dress, there will be a drop-off area just outside the Gown Room for up to one hour after the ceremony ends. Please note that academic dress that is not returned on-site will be the responsibility of the graduate to return to the vendor at your personal expense.
Note: For those wishing to have photographs taken outside of the allocated time frame for use of Convocation gowns, academic dress for this purpose can be rented from the St. John's Campus Bookstore.
For those wishing to have photographs taken outside of the allocated time frame for use of Convocation gowns, academic dress for photography purposes can be rented from the St. John's Campus Bookstore.
For those wishing to have photographs taken outside of the allocated time frame for use of Convocation gowns, academic dress for photography purposes can be rented from the St. John's Campus Bookstore.
Yes, there will be a professional photographer on-site who will take photos of each graduate while crossing the stage, as well as backstage. About two to three weeks following Convocation, photo proofs will be sent to graduates via their MUN email address with details on how to purchase.
Unfortunately, for logistical reasons we cannot permit privately hired photographers to be in attendance during the ceremonies. However you are welcome to avail of their services prior to or following the ceremony. Keep in mind that the academic dress is only available one hour prior to the start of the ceremony. Once graduates arrive and pick up their academic dress, they will proceed to the auditorium for a briefing by the university marshal.
If you would like to have photographs taken outside of the allocated time frame for use of Convocation gowns, academic dress for photography purposes can be rented from the St. John's Campus Bookstore.
When you complete the “Register to Attend Convocation” process in Memorial Self Service, select the field to indicate that you require accessibility accommodations. A member of the Convocation team will follow-up with you to review your specific requirements and the on-site process for Convocation.
Prior to Convocation, contact the ushering staff at the Arts and Culture Centre via email at sjboxoffice@artsandculturecentre.com.
For Spring Convocation only, graduates and their families/guests may avail of affordable overnight accommodations at Macpherson College on St. John’s Campus. Unfortunately, there are no campus accommodations available in the fall. For more information, please visit: https://mun.ca/stay/reservations/convocation-housing/.
Arts and Culture Centre
95 Allandale Road
St. John's, NL A1B 3A3
Click Here for Map
Graduates should minimize bringing personal belongings to Convocation. Backpacks or other large bags or items will not be permitted in the auditorium and therefore should be left at home. There will be no coat check service but coat racks will be available to graduates to hang their outerwear; guests can take their coats to their seats. Memorial University and the Arts & Culture Centre cannot be responsible for securing personal items.
Graduates and their guests should arrive one hour prior to the ceremony.
Graduates must enter the Arts and Culture Centre from the North Accessible Entrance (facing Prince Philip Drive). Guests are required to enter via the main theatre doors (under the archway). Your guests will need to present tickets for admission to the theatre.
Please allow for approximately two hours from the start time to the end of each session.
The Convocation ceremonies will be live-streamed so family and friends may view the ceremonies from the comfort of their home. Fifteen minutes prior to the start of each ceremony, a livestream link will be available on the Memorial home page.
If all the parking spaces at the Arts and Culture Centre are full, the Office of the Chief Risk Officer is providing free parking in all pay-per-use and permit areas on the St. John’s campus October 17, 2024. Please respect blue zones, fire lanes and no parking areas. In particular, we recommend Parking Lot 15 (campus parking map).
The Memorial University Bookstore has a wide variety of MUN branded gifts and apparel available at their St. John’s location on the second floor of the University Centre. Branded merchandise can also be purchased at any time online by visiting the Memorial University Bookstore website (https://shop.mun.ca/) and select “Convocation” in the top banner for a selection of MUN branded gifts available for purchase.
For the convenience of graduates and guests, during Convocation there is a Bookstore kiosk on the upper concourse of the Arts and Culture Centre offering an assortment of MUN branded gift items.
Rose bouquets can be pre-ordered for graduates on the Bookstore website. If ordered in advance, a quick and convenient pickup is available at the Arts and Culture Centre before the ceremony. If you have not pre-ordered flowers, a selection of floral arrangements will also be available for purchase at the Arts and Culture Centre before each ceremony.