Parking

Limited free parking is available for guests and graduands at University Square Car Park (the entrance is on Berkeley Street off Grattan Street) from two and a half hours before your ceremony. Graduands and guests will need to take a parking ticket from the machine at the gate to enter the car park. Guests will be able to exit the car park without having to pay if they present a guest ticket to the attendant on duty. Graduands will be able to exit the car park without having to pay if they present their allocated seat ticket. Guests and Graduands should therefore ensure they retain their tickets once they have entered Wilson Hall.

Free parking for disabled guests is available anywhere on the Parkville campus except in reserved spaces. They should enter through Gate 10 (Grattan Street). There are disabled car parking spaces at the top of Monash Road (next to the steps leading up to the Wilson Hall).

Disabled Access
A ramp is located next to the steps off Monash Road that leads to Wilson Hall and MacFarland Court. There is also a ramp between the Chemistry and Old Geology buildings further up Monash Road.

Student Union Information Centre

If you are lost or need more information about where to go, see the friendly staff at the Student Union Information Centre on the ground floor of Union House, and is open on conferring days.

Your academic dress, seat allocation and guest tickets

You’ll be able to pick up your academic dress, seat allocation and your three guest tickets two and a half hours before your ceremony on the second floor of the Union Building. Bring along with you some photo ID (such as your student card) and a $50 cash deposit, which you’ll need to collect your regalia. Please note that we cannot give any change on the day.

Heading over to Wilson Hall

After picking up your gown and tickets, you'll need to be at Wilson Hall for your ceremony no later than 30 minutes before your ceremony. If you are a PhD graduand, you'll need to be in the Old Law Quadrangle an hour before your ceremony begins.

If you have not reported to Wilson Hall 30 minutes before the starting time of the ceremony, you will be declared as `not present' and your degree will not be conferred at the ceremony. As you will be presented to the Chancellor in the order set out in the conferring program, it is important that you sit in your allocated seat. An usher will direct you from your seat to the stage.

Please note that if you arrive any later than 20 minutes before your graduation commences you will not be permitted to graduate.

During the Ceremony

Bachelor Degree Candidates
When your name is called out, you should:

1. Walk towards the Chancellor and stop in the box in front of him
2. Nod and shake hands with the Chancellor
3. Receive your testamur(s); and
4. On your way to exiting the stage, acknowledge the Dean by nodding

Masters
Canditates should doff their trenchers (hats) instead of bowing to the Chancellor and Dean.

PhD and Doctoral candidates
Step one pace forward, nod and doff your bonnet and face the Chancellor while your citation is read out. At the conclusion of the citation, proceed to the Chancellor and shake hands before he presents you with your testamur. Doff your bonnet to the Dean and return to your seat.

After the ceremony

Returning your academic dress
After the ceremony, you'll need to return your academic dress on time to the Grad Shop staff on the second floor of Union House again to get your deposit back. Your academic dress is due back two and a half hours after the start of your ceremony -- for example, if you are graduating at 3:30pm, your academic dress would be due back at 6:00pm. Failure to return academic dress after the ceremony will result in forfeit of your deposit. Non return of regalia incurs a $300 fine (Australian and international creditors will be notified).

Refreshments
Light refreshments are served to graduates and their guests after the ceremony.