Convocation venue
Convocation ceremonies take place in the main gymnasium of the Physical Activities Complex (PAC) on the University of Waterloo campus. All graduates and guests must enter through the PAC East entrance.
Graduating students will pick up their gowns at the graduate check-in, located in Studio 1 of the Student Life Centre (SLC) expansion. After the ceremony, convocation celebrations will be held on the BMH Green.
Parking
Free on-campus parking is available in lots M, R, N, and X during convocation—no permits are required for guests. Signage will be posted one to two weeks before the event, and every effort will be made to direct guests to parking areas as close as possible to the ceremony venue.
Accessibility Note: Parking is not available near the PAC. Guests with mobility concerns can be dropped off at the Student Life Centre expansion entrance via William Tutte Way off Ring Road. The nearest parking lot is over 200m away.
Electric Vehicle Charging: Charging stations for electric vehicles are available on campus.
Bag check
For the safety and comfort of all our guests, all bags are subject to search. On convocation ceremony days, all persons entering the Physical Activities Complex (PAC) facility will be subject to a bag search for prohibited items. Objects deemed prohibited by security will not be returned.
Prohibited items:
- Posters, banners, or items of clothing that contain hate speech or threats
- Signs or flags affixed to a post or pole
- Fireworks of any kind including, but not limited to, flares, smoke bombs, incendiary devices and pyrotechnics
- Alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs or harmful chemicals
- Aerosol cans or pressurized containers
- Professional camera equipment, including but not limited to, tripods, battery packs, large commercial video cameras
- Glass bottles or containers
- Noisemakers, including, but not limited to, megaphones, bullhorns, whistles and horns
- Laser pointers
- Remote controlled aircraft or unmanned aircraft systems (drones)
- Hover-boards
- Selfie sticks
- Beach balls or other inflatable items
- Animals (excluding service or support animals)
- Weapons of any kind including, but not limited to, knives, pepper spray, stun guns, concealed weapons and firearms
- Any other object deemed unsatisfactory by security, or the management of the University of Waterloo are strictly prohibited in the facility.
Washroom facilities
Prior to entering the ceremony venue, washrooms are available in M3 and Health EXP.
Washroom facilities are located on the second floor of the PAC. Accessible washrooms are located at the east entrance of PAC, room 2109A on the second floor and room 1906 on the first floor.
Exiting the main gymnasium
Participants will leave the main gymnasium down the centre aisle in the following order:
- Platform party (the chancellor, the president, and the faculty procession)
- Graduates (in the same order as they entered)
- General audience
We share the air
The University of Waterloo is a scent-free environment. Please also avoid the use of perfume, scented hairspray, cologne and other scented products. Scented products can aggravate health problems for some people, especially those with asthma, allergies and other medical conditions.
Ceremony seating
