Convocation

Convocation takes place in June and October. If you completed in the Fall or Spring term, you will be invited to the June ceremony, while students who completed in the Summer term are invited to the October ceremony. In rare cases, you may ask to be in the following convocation (i.e. if you are unable to attend June you may email and request to be included in October).

Approximately 3 weeks before convocation, you can confirm your attendance:

Log into goSFU
On the top-right corner of your screen (Nav Bar), select the compass icon, click Self Service > Graduation/Convocation > Confirm Convoc Attendance
Click the ceremony code for your designated ceremony (A through I for June ceremonies and A through D for October ceremonies)
1. See also: Full Convocation Schedule
Confirm the details listed on this page, specifically your credential
1. If there is an error please contact gradstdy@sfu.ca
Read the permission to release photographs and select your choice
Click Confirm Attendance
A new screen will open confirming your attendance.
1. NOTE: You may confirm that you have successfully completed this process by checking that the "Confirm Attendance" link is now greyed out.

Regalia

All graduands wear regalia at convocation. At SFU it normally includes a gown, hood and a hat or Cambridge Bonnet. Master’s and Doctoral students wear a hood specific to their credential. Gowns are not floor length and your mid-calf and lower may be exposed. Doctoral students should also note that their gowns are open in the front which will show part of your outfit underneath.

Graduands are welcome to wear their Indigenous ceremonial dress, other cultural ceremonial dress, or their military or law enforcement dress uniform with, or instead of, the gown at the convocation ceremonies. In these instances, graduands must still be hooded.

Renting

Once you have confirmed your attendance now you need to rent your regalia. You may rent your regalia the day of convocation, however, you receive a discount when reserving in advance.

Follow the instructions from Gaspard and click Rent Regalia
You will be prompted to add your information, review your order and submit payment
If you have any problems or concerns regarding renting your regalia please call Gaspard at 1-866-949-5703 Monday to Friday 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (PST), email alphaomega@gaspard.ca or use the contact form on their website.
- When sending an email to Gaspard please include your name, institution name, student number and order number.

Purchasing

Instead of renting you may purchase your regalia directly through Gaspards.

Not attending convocation?

Your parchment normally be available for pick up at Graduate Studies during normal office hours starting the week after convocation. You may designate another individual to pick it up on your behalf by adding a document pick-up release on your goSFU account.

All parchments not picked up at the end of the month will be mailed to your mailing address.

Gender and Name at Convocation

Gender

Gender does not appear on any of the documents that support graduation or the convocation ceremony (i.e. graduation application, dean’s card, program ebooklet), nor is gender displayed on the official transcript.

The only time a student’s gender might be referenced during the ceremony is through pronouns used to refer to the student if they are a Convocation Medalist award winner. For these award winners, a citation is written about the student, and it’s also read aloud during the ceremony. Award winners are notified in advance of the ceremony and are provided with a form where they can include their preferred name and pronouns prior to the event and as part of the promotion of the recipients.

Name

Legal names are automatically used in all convocation processes and documents. For those whose gender affirming name differs from their legal name please see the process below to learn which documents can be requested to have your gender affirming name appear.

When you complete the graduation application through goSFU, you will be asked to confirm your name. If the name that appears is incorrect or differs from your affirmed name you can still submit your application, and your name can be changed after submission.

The deadline to submit your name change request and have it appear on your parchment is 2 weeks prior to the week of convocation ceremonies.

Updating Your Name

Legal Name change

If you have legally changed your name and want to make a change in our records, please complete the Name Change Application form.
For Undergraduate students, please submit your form and documentation to urecords@sfu.ca. For graduate students please submit to grad_reg@sfu.ca.

Gender Identity Name Change

Before making the request ensure that your chosen name in goSFU reflects your gender affirming name. If you need to make updates to your chosen name, you can do so following the process outlined on the Student Services' website.
To request your gender affirming name on select documents, please contact gsupport@sfu.ca. Please note that this request would only impact the name that appears on the parchment, at the ceremony, your thesis submission, and the program ebooklet. Other documents, such as the official transcript, senate letter, and confirmation of enrollment letter, must use your legal name.
Please be aware that there may be some implications from changing the name that appears on your parchment which create issues or barriers in the future. Review the implications prior to submitting a request to change.

Implications for Parchment Name Changes

Your parchment may be used as a form of verification in the future. Having a non-legal name appear on your parchment could result in delays or issues. Please find some examples below:

student loans payments
degree verification
study permit application/renewal
residency/citizenship applications
job applications requiring confirmation of degree
professional certification

Should you need your parchment reprinted with your legal name, you can purchase a reprint of your parchment. Parchment replacements can be requested through the Parchment Replacement Form. Learn more about the Parchment Replacement process.

Graduation Documents and Name Types

Legal Name

The following documents cannot be altered and must use your legal name:

Transcript
Credential Completion Letter
Senate Letter

Change your legal name by completing the Name Change Application form and submitting to grad_reg@sfu.ca.

Gender-Affirming Name

If no gender-affirming name is identified to our office, your legal name will appear on all the following documents:

Convocation eBooklet
Convocation Ceremony
Parchment
Thesis Submission

Change your gender-affirming name by submitting a request to gsupport@sfu.ca.

Faculty of Graduate Studies

Completing + Graduation