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Winter Conferring

Winter Conferring 2026

Dates: Wednesday 18th to Tuesday 24th November 2026

Location: Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na MacLéinn, University of Galway.

Winter 2026 Conferring Schedule : Provisional Winter 2026 Conferring Schedule (by College)

Eligible Graduands

(Eligible graduands refers to students who have passed exams on the official exams release date of relevant course and have cleared fees by deadline)

    • Postgraduate
      • Postgraduate Taught courses; All Colleges
      • PhD, MD, Masters Research 
    • Undergraduate
      • Undergraduate, School of Nursing & Midwifery

 

Before your Conferring Day

Schedule

Winter 2026 Conferring Schedule (Provisional) Winter 2026 Conferring Schedule (by College)

Information Email

In November, all eligible graduands will receive an information email regarding the Winter Conferring.

If you do not receive an email, please:

  • Confirm that you are eligible for conferring (i.e. you have passed all required exams and paid all fees by the relevant deadlines).

  • Check your junk or spam folder.

  • Ensure your student email account is active and able to receive messages.

  • If you’re having trouble accessing your University email account, please refer to MFA - University of Galway.

If you have not received an email in relation to the upcoming ceremony and have concerns, please contact; conferring@universityofgalway.ie or phone +353 91494402. 

Fees Deadline

Please refer to the fees office website for deadlines to be eligible to attend the Winter Conferring Student fees - University of Galway 
All fees related queries should be directed to the fees office at:  fees@universityofgalway.ie
 

Postgraduate Research Deadline 

Postgraduate Research deadline is Tuesday 6th October 2026
All steps of the thesis submission process must be completed by this date.
Please see process for submitting thesis on Examinations page for information 

Parchment Name Check

The name on your parchment is the name you supplied the university with when applying for your course and is the name that will appear on your degree parchment.
Please ensure your name is correct for the issue of parchments (this includes accents, apostrophes, etc.). Please check your Registration Statement and/or Transcript of Results to confirm.
Name change requests must be directed to the Student Registry Helpdesk.
Deadline for name changes to be included in the Winter 2026 conferring is Tuesday 6th October 2026

Robing

All students to be conferred must wear the correct Academic Robes as directed by the National University of Ireland: Academic Dress of the National University of Ireland - National University of Ireland.
The official robemakers for University of Galway are Phelan Conan Ltd.
All graduates must pre-book robes with the official robe-makers, Phelan Conan Limited  
For further information in relation to Robe Hire (including Robe Collection and Return) for the Winter 2026 Conferring, please click here.
 

Photographers

Lafayette Photographers have been appointed as the official University photographers.
Pre-book your conferring photography online at www.lafayette.ie to activate your private gallery and to view price.
Please contact Lafayette directly for photography related queries.

PhD and MD Deferrals

Deferral of Conferring: MD and PhD graduands only may request to defer their graduation once to the next session only. 
Email conferring@universityofgalway.ie with your request to defer by Tuesday 6th October 2026

Refreshments

  • We encourage everyone to bring their own water bottles to help reduce waste.
    Water cooler dispensers are available in the foyer of Áras na Mac Léinn (outside Bailey Allen Hall) and also in the Human Biology Building. 
    No hot drinks or food are permitted in the Conferring Hall.

 

On your Conferring Day

Parking

  • The Conferring ceremony takes place in the Bailey Allen Hall which is situated on the ground floor of Áras na MacLéinn, South Campus, marked as number 8 on the campus map.
  • Please be aware that traffic in Galway can be extremely busy, so we urge those travelling by car to give themselves plenty of time. Please allow extra time for your arrival to account for any possible delays.
  • Parking is heavily restricted on the main campus and clamping is in operation.
  • Link to Interactive Campus Map
  • Guests are encouraged to use one of the nearby carparks. For more information and links to carpark locations, please visit our website Location, Parking & Campus - University of Galway
  • Limited free parking is available for graduands and guests at the Park and Ride Carpark, marked as number 42 on the campus map.
  • The Park and Ride Carpark is located on North Campus at the University of Galway. The address is as follows : University of Galway Park & Ride, Upper Newcastle, 7WRH+4J, Galway. The Park & Ride carpark Google location is as follows : 7WRH+4J - Google Maps
 

Robe Collection and Return

Robe Collection
Robe collection is from the Seminar Rooms GO10/GO11, in the Hardiman Research Buildings (inside the foyer of the James Hardiman Library) (Link from google maps).

Robe Return

Robes must be returned to the Seminar Rooms GO10/GO11, The Hardiman Research Building (adjacent to James Hardiman Library). 
Robe collection and return are from the same location. 

All robes are to be returned as soon as possible after the conclusion of your ceremony to G010 / G011 Hardiman Building,

Please do not leave robes outside the robing rooms outside of the return times.
Please click here for robing collection times.
 

Invitations

Admission to the conferring ceremony is strictly by invitation only and invitations must be presented at the entrance to the ceremony in the Bailey Allen Hall. 
Graduands will receive their invitations when collecting robes in the Seminar Rooms GO10/GO11 in the Hardiman Research Building from Phelan Conan Ltd.  
Each graduand will receive 1 graduand and 2 guest invitations.
 

Live Streaming of Conferring Ceremony

There will be a live streaming link available to share with family and friends who cannot attend on the day.
The live streaming link will be available on the day of the conferring.

 

Conferring Venue

The conferring ceremonies take place in the Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na MacLéinn, University of Galway.
For more information, please refer to campus map (No. 6 on the map).
Once you are robed and have collected your invitations, please make your way to the Bailey Allen Hall.
Graduands (wearing academic robes) and guests must be seated 30 minutes before the ceremony begins. 

Seating for Graduands & Guests

  • During the ceremony, you will be seated with your class in alphabetical order. 
  • Please note latecomers will not be seated with their class.
  • It is important that you do not move from your allocated seat position even if there appears to be an empty seat next to you.
  • Please note that there are specific seat numbers for graduands and they are seated separately from their 2 guests. 
  • There are no assigned seats for guests. Guest seating is located to the right and far left of the hall.
  • The seating lists are displayed outside the Bailey Allen Hall and outside seminar rooms GO10/GO11 (robe collection)
  • In the interest of safety, prams/buggies are not permitted in the conferring hall.
  • Each ceremony usually takes approximately 1.5 hours and as such is not a suitable event for children under 5.

Refreshments

  • At the end of the conferring ceremony, graduates will be invited to join the Academic Procession exiting the hall.
  • We encourage everyone to bring their own water bottles to help reduce waste.
    Water cooler dispensers are available in the foyer of Áras na Mac Léinn (outside Bailey Allen Hall) and also in the Human Biology Building. 
    No hot drinks or food are permitted in the Conferring Hall. 

Special Requests

We are happy to accommodate any graduand or guest with special needs or requirements.
Please email conferring@universityofgalway.ie with your request.

After your Conferring Ceremony

Robe Return

Robes must be returned to the Seminar Rooms GO10/GO11, The Hardiman Research Building (adjacent to James Hardiman Library). 
Robe collection and return are from the same location. 
Robe return times are not yet available.
Please do not leave robes outside the robing rooms outside of the return times.
 

In Absentia

If a graduand is unable to attend their conferring ceremony, they will be conferred 'In Absentia' and their parchment will be posted to their home address (as listed on our system) within approx. 4 weeks of each respective ceremony.
Please ensure your home address is up to date. 
Address details can be updated by clicking on the following link for the Student Registry Helpdesk: http://www.universityofgalway.ie//student-registry-helpdesk/our-services/name-address/
An international phone number is required where parchments are sent to an international address. 
Deadline for address changes is Tuesday 10th November 2026.
 

Degree Parchment

Degree Parchments are issued in Latin.
For graduates wishing to obtain an English copy of their degree parchment, please contact the National University of Ireland (NUI) directly via their website: Graduate Services - National University of Ireland

Diploma Supplements

Diploma Supplements will be available for Graduates through Parchment Digitary minimum 8 weeks after conferring.

Parchment Digitary Services is a trusted, secure cloud platform that helps University students from around the world to access and share their verified academic documents online.  Verified documents can be stored, accessed, and shared with employers, other education providers, governments and third parties, 24/7, from anywhere in the world. This allows for an efficient and effective way to view and share your documents, providing a platform where you are in control of who views your documents and how. 

Graduates will receive an email from Parchment Digitary Services (noreply@digitary.net) alerting them that they have a new document from Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway. 

For further information visit ; Academic Documents - University of Galway

 

Alumni

Join the Alumni community here.

Seanad Register - University of Galway

Register for the Seanad Éireann Higher Education Constituency.

As a graduate of University of Galway, you may be eligible to vote in the new Seanad Éireann Higher Education constituency.

Irish citizens who hold a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a designated institution and are over 18 years of age can apply online to be added to the Register of Electors at www.SeanadVoter.ie.