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A. Official graduation check

• Before you apply for graduation, we recommend that you meet with your departmental advisor(s) to do an official graduation check. Although you may have completed your program requirements, you must also complete the general degree requirements.

B. Names for graduation documents and 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, digital program book), 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 medal recipient or a graduand speaker. For medal recipients, a citation is written about the student. Medal recipients and graduand speakers 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.

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 graduation application, and request for your name to be changed after submission.

The deadline to submit your gender-affirming name change request for your parchment is the date senate meets to award degrees (May for June ceremonies, September for October 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 found here and submit your form and documentation to urecords@sfu.ca.

Gender Identity Name Change

• Before making the request to change your name, 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 here.
• To request your gender-affirming name on select documents as listed below, please contact urecords@sfu.ca. Please note that this request would only impact the name that appears on the parchment, at the ceremony, and in the digital program book. 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. For further information, please see Implications for Parchment Name Changes below.The table below outlines the documents related to graduation and the name type that can be used. If no gender-affirming name is identified to our office, your legal name will appear on all the following documents.

The table below outlines the documents related to graduation and the name type that can be used. If no gender-affirming name is identified to our office, your legal name will appear on all the following documents.

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 when the document is used for:

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

For degree verification purposes, legal names will be used.

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. For more information, please see here.

Once you have reviewed your information and are sure that you have met all requirements for graduation, proceed to Step 2.

Apply online

Apply for graduation during the final term you are enrolled at SFU. Before starting your graduation application, please ensure you have your credit card number ready to pay for the graduation application fee:

1. Log into your student account at
2. Click the drop down menu under Academics
3. Select Apply for Graduation
4. Read the instructions, scroll down, and click the Accept button to begin the online application process
5. After payment has been processed in step 10, return to the application and click the ‘Complete’ button in step 11 to submit the application.
6. To check your graduation application status, to cancel your application, or for any other questions, please refer to the FAQ page.

Prior to your convocation ceremony, you should confirm your attendance and reserve regalia.

It is important that you let us know you are coming to your ceremony.  Three weeks before your you will be able to confirm your attendance and reserve your regalia on . Download instructions.

1. Log in at
2. Click on the Nav Bar icon (it looks like a compass) on the right side of the screen and select Self Service
3. Click on Confirm Convoc Attendance
4. Select your Ceremony
5. Once confirmed, click on Reserve Regalia hyperlink

NOTE: You may confirm that you have successfully completed this process by checking that the "Confirm Attendance" link is now greyed out. 

Ceremony dates and order cannot be changed.  Plan ahead with your families and employers so that you are able to attend your ceremony as .

Know what to expect on your Convocation day

See Planning your day.

If you are a student with a disability and you require assistance at your ceremony, please see Convocation assistance.

Instructions for Confirming Attendance and Reserving Regalia

Download the instructions for Confirming Attendance and Reserving Regalia.

Inviting guests from outside of Canada?

If you wish to invite guests from outside Canada, please download and review Inviting Family or Friends to Visit.