Graduation and Convocation FAQs

Conferral refers to the exact award date of your designation from the UCalgary. This will display in date detail on your transcript once it's been awarded, and the awarded month/year will show on your parchment. 

Convocation refers to the ceremony date associated with your awarded degree. You do not need to attend a ceremony to have your application reviewed or to obtain your parchment.  

A degree is your designation as awarded by the UCalgary, confirming you completed all the necessary academic components required. 

The parchment is the physical paper displaying your degree details. All graduates from official degree, diploma, and certificate programs will have a parchment generated for their collection. 

All students are required to submit a degree application to start the graduation process and have their degree assessed, regardless of your intention for your parchment (attending the ceremony, mailing, pick up). This must be submitted by the deadline and details for submitting this can be found here.  

If you complete your degree requirements at the end of the fall term, your degree will be conferred in the winter (February) conferral. If you complete your degree requirements at the end of the winter term, your degree will be conferred at spring (May/June) convocation. February conferral students are also invited to Spring Convocation.  

If you complete your degree requirements at the end of the spring or summer terms, your degree will be conferred at Fall (November) Convocation. 

If you are unsure when you should be applying to graduate, you need to contact your faculty advising unit.

The date range for the term you wish to apply under may not be currently open. Dates and deadlines for each application period will be listed here once they are finalized. 

If you missed a deadline for applying to graduate, connect with your faculty advising unit as quickly as possible and have them contact the Convocation Office if they approve of a late application to graduate. It may not be possible to include your application, and you would then be advised to submit towards the next available award period. 

Because it is calendar regulated, the university only uses the legal name of a student on the parchment. You can update your legal name through a Service Request prior to the applicable name change deadline if required.  

Once the degree assessment is complete, an approved/awarded status will show in your Student Centre. Details showing your awarded designation will populate on any transcripts ordered from that time forward if proof of an awarded degree is required prior to obtaining your parchment. 

Faculties will complete their assessment by an internal deadline leading up to the conferral period. Many applications will be assessed in the weeks prior to the conferral date. 

Parchments have a system regulated print time and are available no earlier than your conferral date. 

All students need to submit a degree application through the system so they can be assessed. Electing how to collect your parchment is the second step. You will be notified once the options and firm deadline is available within your Student Centre to make your selection. 

Owing outstanding fees to the UCalgary could delay your parchment and transcripts being provided to you. Outstanding fees can be addressed within your Student Centre.  

Physically attending the ceremony will allow you to obtain your physical parchment the fastest, followed by picking it up after the ceremony at the noted time within your Student Centre, followed by mailing. 

The details of your ceremony are located within the Convocation Status button on your Student Centre. Students can only attend the ceremony date/time associated with their specific degree. An overall faculty breakdown can be found here. 

Details are within your Student Centre when you submit your attendance notification, and also located here.  

Gowns are rented for graduates from Gaspard for use on the ceremony day only. Your regalia will be available for collection approximately 90 minutes prior to the start time of your ceremony, and must be returned no later than 6 p.m. the same day. Failure to return on time will result in a late fee being posted to your account. 

Only graduating students may participate in the convocation ceremony, including walking in the processional and crossing the stage.

Limited exceptions may be considered if assistance is required due to a disability. Students needing to request accommodations to participate in the ceremony are asked to contact convinfo@ucalgary.ca. 

Details on accessibility for guests can be found here. 

Your legal name will automatically be printed on your reader card provided to you before the ceremony. If you prefer another name to be read aloud during your stage crossing, please consult with staff at your ceremony for how to modify your reader card. Phonetic adjustments can also be made to this card. 

Your legal name will also be generated on your parchment, as well as in the Convocation Program. 

There are currently no restrictions on the number of guests permitted to attend your ceremony, and tickets are not required. Any changes to this policy will be communicated to graduates as early as possible. 

Family and friends can be directed here for information. 

The livestream link will be provided to graduates prior to the ceremony date; however, only those graduates attending in-person will have their names announced. 

UCalgary cannot issue letters of support for visitor visas, nor do we have a sample invitation letter. If eligible, you may be able to generate an “Anticipated to Graduate Letter” via MyCreds, which can be included in your visitor’s visa application. Learn more here.

You will be advised of these details within your Student Centre when making this selection, including pick-up days, times and location. The option to pick up your degree is only offered within the noted times and picking up outside this window cannot be accommodated, so please plan accordingly. 

Parchments will be mailed out to the address on file in the system, so please check this before selecting the mailing option. Mail-outs will begin approximately two weeks after the conferral date. Delivery times are not able to be confirmed as these fall under the jurisdiction of the mailing/courier service, though we recognize graduates desire to have their parchments and will work to have these sent out as quickly as possible from campus. 

Your parchment is considered a legal document and as such, you must authorize someone to collect it on your behalf if you cannot do so yourself.  

You can submit a third-party authorization form through your Student Centre via a Service Request. Once the Convocation Office has confirmed receipt and approved your request via email, you'll be able to arrange a pickup time. 

After the notification deadline, the system is locked and you can no longer make a selection through your Student Centre. You can request that your parchment be mailed out by submitting a request form. To access the form, you will need to create a new account. Once you have set up your account, select the degree mailing form.  

You can also come to campus to collect your parchment on the pickup dates specified for your cohort. Notify staff on your arrival that you didn't submit your pickup selection ahead of time. Pick-ups outside of the permitted dates can't be accommodated, so please plan accordingly. 

The Artona Group Inc. is the official graduation photographer of the University of Calgary and will take photos during the ceremony. If you wish to set up a separate photo session with them outside of the ceremony regardless of whether you plan to attend, details for arranging this can be found here. 

Graduation rings through Jostens and parchment frames through the Alumni Office are available to graduates, with details found here. 

The University of Calgary Bookstore has UCalgary branded clothing and accessories for sale.  

Absolutely! Roles and times are organized through Better Impact and details can be found here.