Frequently Asked Questions

Question

Answer

What do I need to know as a graduating student?

Head over to our graduate checklist to make sure you check off all that needs to get done for a smooth convocation experience.  

How do I get tickets? What do I need to know about tickets?

To obtain tickets, you must request them when you register for your convocation ceremony. 

Each grad will receive guest tickets each with a unique barcode (number of guest tickets will be 3 or 4 depending on how many graduates are in a ceremony). Each ticket may be sent directly to guests (via email) or downloaded and distributed to each of your guests manually.

Each ticket may only be scanned once – please ensure that each of your guests has a unique ticket in hand (on a mobile device or a printed copy) for the ceremony. Guests who do not have a unique ticket will not be permitted entry into the Convocation Arena.

Extra tickets for seating are not available for any convocation ceremony.

Anyone older than five years will need their own ticket. Younger children can attend without a ticket but must sit in a guest's lap.

Please keep in mind the ceremonies are typically two hours long. We encourage guests with young children to sit near exits in case you need to step outside.

There is a $55 ceremony fee.

This fee includes: the rental and use of regalia (cap/gown), guest tickets, and the post-ceremony celebration for you and your guests.

Your legal name (first and last name) as it appears in MyServiceHub is the name that will be read as you cross the stage at convocation. This name will appear on your Name Reader card, on screen in the Convocation Arena and on the livestream broadcast. 

At the time you register to attend your ceremony, you will have the option to select your chosen name (if applicable) to be used in place of your legal first name. The chosen name will only affect the convocation Name Reader card, the name displayed in the Convocation Arena and the name that appears on the livestream broadcast. 

Your full legal name, as it appears on your official university student record, will be the name printed on your graduation award document.

When do I arrive for my ceremony?

Arrive on time for your ceremony (8:00 a.m. for 9:30 a.m. ceremony; 2:00 p.m. for 3:30 p.m. ceremony) and sign in using your confirmation (QR code) or OneCard. The graduand procession starts 30 minutes before the ceremony, so it is very important for you to arrive on time.

What do I do with personal items on the day of my ceremony?

Personal items may be left in the line up area (this area is unsupervised) or you may bring them with you into the convocation arena. 

If you are arriving with your guests you may also leave items with them. Hold on to your phone for photos of your big day!

What should I tell my guests?

Let guests know that doors open 1h 30 min before the ceremony. They may arrive then or anytime before the graduand procession (9:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m, depending on your ceremony time). There is no assigned seating.

Guests may also refer to the Information for Guests page to learn more.

Note, no helium balloons are allowed inside of the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Should you or your guests bring any, you will be asked to dispose of them at the entrance.

What do I wear to my ceremony?

We suggest business or business casual attire to wear under your academic regalia. For more information about what you can wear, read our regalia guidelines.

We also suggest that you wear comfortable shoes! You will be standing, walking and climbing flights of stairs for more than an hour before your ceremony commences.

Only PhD grads wear mortarboards/hats as part of their regalia. Please do not bring your own mortarboard if it is not part of your TMU regalia.

What happens during the ceremony?

You will be guided through your convocation ceremony by marshals. They will seat you, line you up before crossing the stage, and answer your questions along the way. You can also refer to the graduate checklist for more detailed information about the order of ceremony.

The most important things to remember are: don’t lose your Name Reader Card and have fun!

Convocation ceremonies are typically two hours.

What happens after the ceremony? 

Post-ceremony celebrations are held on the fourth floor of the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Enjoy and celebrate!

You will need to retain your RSVP confirmation or your OneCard to check-out of the ceremony (to return your regalia and receive your award document).

Where do I return my regalia?

Return your regalia to Grad Gown Return (Varsity Court, second floor of the MAC) no later than one hour after your ceremony. If you do not return your gown and hood you will be invoiced $150.

You will not be able to obtain transcripts until payment is made or the regalia is returned in good condition.

I have an accommodation request for myself or my guest. What should I do?

If you have any graduand accommodation concerns, please reach out to our office early so we can work with you on making your convocation experience memorable. You can email us at convocation@torontomu.ca.

You will have an opportunity to make an accommodation request when you register for your convocation ceremony.

Accessible seating for guests is available on the third floor of the MAC. You do not need to arrange this ahead of time. Guests requiring accessible seating can be accompanied by your remaining guests in the accessible seating area.

All ceremonies have live ASL interpreters and live-captioning on screen in the Convocation Arena.

As a graduand, you or any of your guests with a valid ticket can attend convocation with a service animal.

The Mattamy Athletic Centre is considered a TMU campus building and follows the Animals on Campus Policy which permits service animals but not pets within campus buildings. 

At the time of your ceremony registration, please let us know if you will be bringing a service animal. Guests do not need to notify convocation about service animals.

I'm not planning, or cannot attend my convocation. What do I do?

If you are not attending convocation, you may graduate in absentia. If extenuating circumstances arise that affect your ability to attend your convocation ceremony, a case-file may be started to evaluate your attendance eligibility. Please visit the Curriculum Advising page to learn more.

When graduating in absentia, after July 1 or November 1 (for spring or fall convocation), you may arrange a courier of your document by logging into your ServiceHub account and submitting an Online Graduation Document Courier Request.

Alternatively, your award document will be made available for pick-up at the ServiceHub, POD150.

If you are unable to personally pick up your document, you may authorize someone else to pick it up on your behalf. Email a letter of authorization to the ServiceHub (servicehub@torontomu.ca) from your TMU email address. The letter of authorization must include the following: your full name, your student number, your program name, term of graduation, the full name of the person you are authorizing to pick up your document.

The individual picking up your document must also provide photo identification proving they are the person stated in the authorization letter.

For photos taken after the stage, GradImages will be in touch with you directly. Contact their Customer Service Department at (800) 372-3686 or email ecc.giservice@gradimages.net if you have any questions.

Class composites are provided by the TMU Students’ Union (external link) , please contact them directly for more information.

For more information about getting your degree mailed to you for a fee, visit torontomu.ca/curriculum-advising/graduating/ceremonies/.

You may also pick-up your degree in person at POD 150, during regular office hours. More questions? Contact Curriculum Advising at gradinfo@torontomu.ca.

Will my degree still be valid now that the university has changed its name?