Information for Students

The next set of ceremonies are expected to be held June 12–14, 2024. You can sign up to attend convocation when you submit your application to graduate. The deadline to sign up to attend is February 29, 2024.

Students who miss the deadline to sign up for their ceremony will be considered for that ceremony, only if space permits.

When you sign up for a convocation ceremony, you will be asked to indicate how many guest tickets you would like for your guests. All graduates are allocated up to three guest tickets upon request.

You may also request up to three additional tickets. Your name will be put on a waiting list for these according to the date the request was made.

Find more details about tickets.

Most of the communication about the ceremony comes via email from Convocation@viu.ca. These emails contain important information for you. Please add Convocation@viu.ca to your email contacts list to make sure that these messages end up in your inbox and not your junk mail folder.

Please log into your student record to make sure your emailing and postal mailing addresses are correct so important information doesn't go astray.

Students attending the convocation ceremonies must wear the proper VIU regalia for their program, unless they are wearing their Indigenous/Métis/Inuit regalia.

Find all the details about renting regalia.

The valedictorian is a graduating student chosen by their peers to give a 5-minute farewell and congratulatory speech addressed to the students, their guests, and the institution. One valedictorian will be selected per ceremony. Valedictorians are selected by the students of their ceremony, based on video auditions or written statements that will be posted online for viewing. The deadline to put your name forward for consideration for valedictorian is April 1, 2024.

Read more about the valedictorian selection process.

VIU graduates can sign up for an optional graduation photo session on the Nanaimo campus with Lifetouch Photography. The next photo sessions are scheduled for:

• December 11–15, 2023
• March 4–28, 2024

Learn more about grad photography sign up.

We strongly recommend that you check with your Program Chair/Coordinator or Degree Advisor before April 1, 2024 to be sure you will be eligible to attend convocation in June 2024. If you have courses at another institution that are to be used toward your degree, official transcripts from there must be received by the Registration Centre before your VIU graduation application can be processed. Learn more about VIU Graduation.

Please note that to be eligible to attend the convocation ceremony, you must meet one of the following conditions:

1. You will have all requirements of your program completed and graded by mid-May, 2024 in order to have your credential officially granted before the ceremony, or
2. You are realistically expected to complete any remaining requirements of your program no later than 60 days after the date of the ceremony, and you have the recommendation of your Degree Advisor or Program Chair/Coordinator confirming that you are eligible for "participant" status. Students participating in the ceremony as a "participant" will not receive their official parchment until they have completed all graduation requirements and their credential is officially granted.

The Convocation Handbook for Grads contains all the details about what is involved before, during, and after your convocation ceremony. Where do I go on ceremony day? What time do I need to arrive? Can someone else pick up my regalia for me? Answers to these questions and many more can be found in this guide.

Read the Convocation Handbook for Grads.