Spring Convocation

Eligibility and application

Application

The application to attend Spring 2025 Convocation will be open from January 28 - March 11, 2025. 

For further assistance, please connect with the Convocation Office.

Graduation vs Convocation

• Graduation is the official process of having your academic credential conferred. This takes place at an Academic Council meeting, scheduled five times per year.
• Convocation is your chance to celebrate your achievements with peers, colleagues, instructors, family and friends. Convocation is held semi-annually in the spring and the fall. 

Eligibility

If you are expecting to graduate on or before May 1, 2025, and would like to celebrate your achievements with us in-person, please complete the application form to attend Spring 2025 Convocation at Royal Roads before the application deadline of March 11th, 2025.

December 2024 Graduates: 

• You are eligible to attend Convocation

January 2025 Graduates: 

• Eligible learners will have their degrees conferred on January 29, 2025.
• Once you have graduated, you are eligible to attend Convocation.

May 2025 Graduates: 

• you must meet our graduation criteria and your final grades must be approved and submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the grade deadline.
• Your credential will be conferred on May 1, 2025.
• Once you have graduated, you are eligible to attend Convocation.
• If you miss the application deadline, you will be eligible to attend the next Convocation ceremony. 

If you were eligible for Fall 2024 Convocation, but requested to defer your attendance, you are eligible to apply. Please email us at convocation@royalroads.ca to request your application form.

If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Letter of invitation

If you wish to invite family from outside of Canada to the ceremony and need an invitation letter for immigration, please email the Office of the Registrar.

Guest tickets

You will have the option to select up to 3 guest tickets on your application form. 

Due to fire code regulations, every guest must have a ticket, including infants.

Graduates do not need a guest ticket for themselves. 

If additional guest tickets become available, graduates will be notified mid-May; approximately 30 days before the event. We do not have a wait list, and we cannot guarantee the availability of extra guest tickets being available. 

Additional guests are welcome to join you on campus and will be able to watch the ceremony livestream from a viewing room in the Sherman Jen Building if they are unable to secure a ticket in the auditorium. 

Accessibility and special accommodations

• Please email convocation@royalroads.ca if you need any sort of special accommodations for you or your guests
•  This could include a room for prayer, an area for breastfeeding, special seating accommodations, accessible parking, service dogs, or extra time to get settled.
• Captioning in English will be available on the screens inside the auditorium.
• Translation services are not provided. Should you wish to bring your own interpreter, please email the convocation office to confirm your arrangements.

Preparing for your ceremony

What should I wear?

• Regalia will be provided for you when you check in.
• Regalia will include a gown, hat, and hood if your program requires one.
• Gowns can be quite warm; we recommend that you do not wear a suit jacket or sweater under it. Long sleeved collared shirts, blouses, or dresses are popular choices.
• Wear comfortable shoes. There is a lot of walking on campus, and the ground is often uneven. 

Should I eat before I arrive?

• Yes, we recommend eating before you arrive to campus.
• Food and beverage are not immediately available on West Campus.
• Habitat Café is open in the Grant Building on Central Campus. It is approximately a 15-minute walk from West Campus, so please plan accordingly. 

When should I arrive on campus? 

• Grad check-in will open one hour before your scheduled ceremony time.
• Please leave time to park and take the shuttle bus to West Campus as parking to the area will be restricted to accessible use only. 

Do you have a coat check? 

• We will have a designated self-serve area for you to leave jackets and non valuables.
• Leaving items is done at your own risk, as Royal Roads is not responsible for any lost or missing items.
• Please leave any valuables at home, with a friend or family member, or take them with you. 

On the day of your ceremony

Arriving to campus and parking

• When you arrive to campus, you will be directed to the best available parking lot by traffic control.
• Convocation ceremonies will take place in the Dogwood Auditorium, located on West Campus.
• Traffic will be limited to West Campus, and parking is restricted to accessible parking only.
• Once parked, take the shuttle bus to West Campus.
• If you choose to walk, the route to West Campus takes 12-15 minutes and includes some uphill and downhill sections.

STEP 1: Grad check-in

(note, Doctoral graduates will check in separately; further details will be sent by email)

• Graduates will check in 1 hour before ceremony start time.
• When you arrive to West Campus, look for the signs for “Grad Check-in” which will direct you to the check-in location inside the Sherman Jen Building in Room 114
• Please direct your guests to the Auditorium, which will open one hour before the ceremony.
• Please find the line up for your last name (A-M or N-Z)
• Volunteers will provide you with a name card *Do not lose your name card* You cannot cross the stage without it!
• Confirm the pronunciation of your name with our volunteers.
• Time to get your gown! Go across the hall to room 113 to pick up your gown. 

STEP 2: Gowning

• Hand your name card to our gowning volunteers
• Collect and put on your regalia, which will include a gown, hat, and a hood if your program requires one.
• Our volunteers are there to help! Please ask if you need assistance with your gown, hat, or hood.
• Once gowned, move into the line up area down the hall in room 119. You must be ready to line up 25 minutes before your ceremony start time.
• Don't forget your name card!

STEP 3: Grad Line-up

• You will be lined up according to the number on your name card.
• The grad line up is specific to how you will cross the stage
• Please listen to volunteers to ensure you are in the correct place.
• If you are late, you will be asked to wait until the graduate procession has entered the auditorium so our volunteers can find a seat for you and try to place you with your program. 

Crossing the Stage

• Marshals will indicate when it is your row's time to stand up to cross the stage
• Follow prompts from Staff and Marshals
• DO NOT FORGET YOUR NAME CARD; you cannot cross the stage without it!
• Your name card will be verified before you cross the stage
• When on stage, hand your name card to the MC at the Podium and KEEP WALKING across the stage, even if someone is having their photo taken. The idea is for your name to be announced as you are shaking hands and having your photo taken mid-stage.
• If you wish to shake the hand of the Chancellor or President, please extend your hand to initiate the handshake. They will not offer to shake your hand unless you have extended it for them.
• Stop on the mark on the floor, and face directly to the audience for a photo. Photos will be available on our website 1-2 weeks after the ceremony for you to view and download free of charge. 

After your ceremony

• The procession will go outside for a hat toss (weather permitting)
• A New Alumni Welcome will take place in the Sherman Jen Building where you can celebrate your accomplishments by visiting with faculty and classmates, purchasing grad memorabilia, and visiting our vendor booths:
  • Campus Store for frames. Order in advance for pick up at the Campus Store in the Sequoia building from 9-5)
  • Buy a class ring through Jostens
  • Have your grad portrait taken; advance bookings will be available in May.
• Visit Hatley Castle
• Remember to tag #RRUgrad in all your photos! 

Returning your regalia

• You may wear your regalia while you are on campus; please return it before you leave.
  • Deadline for gown return on Friday June 6th is 7:00 pm.
• Return your regalia to
  • Sherman Jen Building in room 113 (where you went for grad check in)  
  • Hatley Castle in room 121 (at the end of the hall on the right)
• Please do not leave regalia anywhere else on campus.
• Keep your black mortarboard hat!
• There is a $200 fee for late return of regalia after deadline, or for not returning it to the locations specified above. 

Shuttle Bus

• Shuttle bus service will run from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm on Friday June 6th.
• Approximately 10 minutes to West Campus / Dogwood Auditorium
• If you are at Hatley Castle, please ensure you catch the shuttle from West Campus by the Auditorium to the upper parking lot. 

Professional grad photos

Lifetouch/Prestige Photo Studio will be on campus for pre-booked grad portrait sessions, with a limited number of walk-in sessions available.

A $10 sit fee will be required at the time if your appointment. 

A pre-booking link will be available here in late-May.

Graduate slideshow

Graduates, keep an eye out for the email link in May for an opportunity to be part of a slideshow.

From May 1- May 22, 2025, you will have access to upload up to two photos for an opportunity to appear in the graduate slideshow photo montage that will play during the ceremony.

Make this photo fun and exciting – you are welcome to upload group shots with friends and family - so long as the photo includes you. 

Late submissions cannot be accepted, so please be sure to meet the May 22nd deadline.

Campus location

Royal Roads University is located at 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria BC. 

Ceremonies will take place in the Dogwood Auditorium, located on West Campus. 

The Dogwood Auditorium will open for guests one hour prior to each ceremony. 

• View the full Campus Convocation map.
• View the West Campus Convocation map.

Parking and shuttle bus

Parking

• When you arrive to campus, you will be directed to the closest available parking lot to the venue by traffic control.
• Convocation ceremonies will take place in the Dogwood Auditorium, located on West Campus. 
• Public parking will be available in the Upper Parking, Central Parking lot and Lower Parking lots only. 
• Traffic will be limited to West Campus, and the West Campus Parking lot is restricted to accessible parking only. 
• Parking is complimentary for June 6th. 

Shuttle Bus

• Shuttle buses will operate on a loop from all parking lots. Please allow extra time for potential wait times between shuttles.
• Once parked, take the shuttle bus to West Campus. 
• Shuttle service will run until 7:00 pm on Friday June 6.
• The shuttle bus does NOT go directly to Hatley Castle. You will need to loop around campus and get off at the four-way stop on College Drive (please ask your driver).

Walking to Dogwood Auditorium

• Parking is a 12-15 minute walk to the Auditorium, which includes steep hills.  
• We recommend wearing appropriate footwear when walking on campus.
• Pedestrian routes from the parking lots will be marked for easy navigation.

Accommodation

On-campus accommodation is not available. 

We are pleased to suggest the following options: 

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Colwood

• 318 Wale Road, Victoria, BC
• ask for Royal Roads University discount

Solo Suites

• 590 Goldstream Avenue, Victoria, BC

Four Points by Sheraton

• 829 McCallum Road, Victoria, BC

DoubleTree by Hilton

• 777 Douglas St, Victoria BC
• ask for Royal Roads University discount with code: 3125095

The Westin Bear Mountain

• 1999 Country Club Way, Victoria BC

Food and beverage

• Food and beverage is not immediately available on the West Campus. 
• Habitat Café is located in the Grant Building and approximately a 15-minute walk to West Campus so please plan accordingly.