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.
Log onto Memorial Self Service to register to attend Spring 2023 Convocation. Registration for ceremonies in St. John’s will open Thurs., March 2, and close Wed., May 3, 2023.
Opening and closing dates to register to attend Convocation are announced on MUN Newsline, the Convocation web page and students will also be notified via their @mun.ca email address.
Yes. If you are deemed ineligible for Spring Convocation, you will be refunded the rental fee.
The deadline to register to attend Convocation in St. John’s is Wed., May 3, 2023. 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.
When the announcement is made to register to attend Convocation, you will need to complete the application to attend on Memorial Self Service and indicate that you wish to defer your attendance. For example, if completing your degree for the Spring Convocation ceremonies but you wish to attend the Fall Convocation ceremonies instead, you must indicate that on the application to attend Spring Convocation ceremonies when it is available on Memorial Self Service. Should you miss the deadline to register to attend Convocation, you will need to email convocation@mun.ca directly.
If you choose to defer attendance at Convocation, rest assured your Convocation experience will be exactly the same as it is for all graduates. The only difference is that you will not receive your parchment backstage, after crossing the stage, as you would have previously received it by mail when you graduated.
Two months prior to your requested deferred Convocation ceremony, please email convocation@mun.ca to express your intent to register for Convocation. Your MUN Self-Service profile will then be updated so that you may log in to register. The registration process will walk you through making the necessary arrangements for your gown rental and guest tickets.
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.
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.
Should additional guest tickets become available after the closing deadline for all graduates attending Convocation, an announcement will be made via MUN Newsline and the Convocation web page which will include details on how to acquire additional tickets.
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 Wed., May 3, 2023 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 after crossing the stage. About two to three weeks following Convocation, photo proofs will be sent to graduates via their @mun.ca email address with details on how to purchase.
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.
Graduates and their families/guests may avail of affordable overnight accommodations at Macpherson College on St. John’s Campus. For more information, please visit: https://mun.ca/stay/reservations/convocation-housing/.
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, visit the Memorial home page where there will be a link to watch the ceremonies live. Please note that the livestream link will be posted on the home page of the website no later than 15 minutes in advance of the beginning of each session.