Starting this semester, NAIT students will now need to apply to attend Convocation. According to the NAIT website, those who “expect to meet all graduation requirements or complete your technical apprenticeship education before June 2, 2023” are invited to apply to attend Convocation. While the policy is new for NAIT, other Edmonton post-secondary institutions, such as the University of Alberta and MacEwan University, have a similar procedure.
In previous years, as long as students were on track to graduate, they would be invited to attend Convocation in early May. But with the change to requiring approval, Convocation will be moved to June to “allow the Office of the Registrar time to conduct a graduation audit and finalize the list of graduates eligible to attend Convocation,” said Nicole Graham, NAIT Senior Media Relation Specialist. This year, Convocation will occur on June 26 and 27 at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
Students can apply on the NAIT website by filling out a short form. The form asks for the student’s name, program, preferred email and preferred name to be used when they walk across the stage. There is also a reminder about purchasing a graduation gown and tickets for guests. The deadline to apply is May 19, 2023, but the convocation website encourages students to apply early.
Once the application is submitted, it will be reviewed, and students need to be approved in order to attend. Approval will occur by the end of May. For programs that have later end dates but still finish before June 2, notifications will arrive in mid-June. If students complete their program requirements after June 2, 2023, they’ll be invited to attend Convocation in 2024. For more details, visit the graduation and convocation information page on NAIT’s website.
