Details for guests
The next Convocation ceremonies will be held June 9 and 10, and Semelshun Indigenous Graduation Recognition Ceremony will be held on June 12, 2025.
VIU holds convocation ceremonies in the gymnasium at our Nanaimo campus. It is bleacher-style seating. Please consider bringing a small cushion for your comfort. There ceremonies are about two hours long.
Graduating students request guest tickets when submitting their application to graduate.
Tickets will be checked. No one will be admitted without tickets. Ensure your graduate gives you your tickets.
Due to Fire Code regulations, every guest must have a ticket (including infants).
The alternate viewing location is Building 210, Room 275.
The ceremonies are also livestreamed on YouTube.
Following the ceremony is an opportunity for light refreshments and to meet some of your grad’s professor and classmates at the alumni receptions in the Main Cafeteria (B300) (see map). There are food trucks with delicious food for purchase and a chance for your grad to have their professional headshot taken. There are also flower walls, which provide fantastic opportunities for selfies. We strongly encourage you to attend. This is your grad’s first step into the VIU alumni community, which can provide many great career-building opportunities for your grad.
Free parking will be available at most VIU parking locations on convocation days. Guests with significant mobility challenges can be dropped off on the south side of the gymnasium. Accessible parking is available in Lot Q accessed from Fourth Street.
See map below.
Guests in wheelchairs or requiring special seating arrangements, should have their graduate email Convocation@viu.ca well before the ceremony date to make arrangements.
The VIU Residence Hotel offers affordable short-term accommodation for visitors to the city of Nanaimo.
Our hotel features a variety of room options to suit every need, including four-bedroom apartments, two- bedroom suites and single rooms. Enjoy spectacular views, free guest parking and campus amenities! We look forward to welcoming you during convocation.
More hotel information will be shared here when it is available.
The Commencement Group will be on site in the gymnasium on ceremony days with a selection of bouquets and other gifts. You can also order ahead of time to guarantee you get the colour or size you want.
Accessibility map
Download a PDF of the map
Notice: Due to our largest-ever ticket requests, no guests will be allowed to attend convocation without a ticket. All people, including infants, require tickets. Please make sure graduates give tickets to their guests BEFORE they go to their muster locations. You will not see each other again until after the ceremony.