STUDENTS
All cancellations for refund for Fall 2025 ceremonies must be received before October 20, 2025 at 11:59pm (PT). Refunds will not be accepted after.
Please contact Gaspard Customer Service:
1-800-683-4771 (Mon-Fri: 8:30am - 4:30pm CST)
customer_service@buildagrad.com

FACULTY
Vancouver - Faculty members should email the Bookstore at faculty.rentals@ubc.ca to request cancellations.

Unfortunately, no. All gowns can only be picked up 1 hour and 30 minutes prior to the ceremony you are attending. Gowns are boxed by ceremony number and are not unpacked until right before each ceremony, so we are not able to retrieve them advance.

Yes, all individuals participating in the graduation ceremonies at the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses are required to wear academic regalia. This includes graduating students, faculty, administration and invited guests who will be seated on stage as well as volunteers. Academic regalia includes a gown, hood and headwear appropriate to the degree being granted. The mortarboard hats for bachelors and masters students are optional, but a gown and hood must be worn by all students wishing to attend. Any attire (formal, business, traditional, or casual) may be worn underneath the gown, but footwear must always be worn.
For more information, please see the UBC Graduation website: UBC Academic Regalia Guidelines
If you have any questions, please contact UBC Ceremonies ceremonies.graduation@ubc.ca (Vancouver campus) or okanagan.ceremonies@ubc.ca (Okanagan campus)

If you are not bringing your own regalia, faculty regalia may be rented online in advance through our website by submitting a Faculty Gown Rental Form. Payment can be made either online using a personal credit card or UBC Pcard on our website, or billed to your departmental worktag account.

When do Faculty rentals open?
Faculty regalia for Fall 2025 Convocation ceremonies can be rented online via the Grad Gown Rentals page beginning Monday, October 6th, 2025.

The deadline to reserve faculty regalia online is Thursday, November 13, 2025 (11:59pm PT).

Faculty regalia for Spring 2026 Convocation ceremonies can be rented online in advance starting in mid-April. Check back soon for updates and detailed information about registration, dates, and event schedules.

Regalia can also be rented on-site on the day of your ceremony. Payment can be made using cash, credit, debit or your Worktag account. Faculty must convene at the Robing Room at least 30 minutes before the ceremony, so please plan to arrive a minimum of 45-60 minutes prior to your ceremony start time to ensure you leave adequate time to pick up your regalia.

Gown Options & Pricing
Black Gown & Faculty Hood (recommended) - $50
(Select this option if you have a PhD from another institution OR a Masters/Undergrad degree from UBC)

Black Gown only - $38
(Select this option if you have your own hood and only need a gown)

Hood only - $25
(Select this option if you have your own gown and only need a hood)

UBC PhD Outfit (PhD from UBC) - $50
(Please Note: You must have a UBC PhD degree to wear the UBC PhD cap and gown- a limited number of PhD outfits are available for faculty use)

Gowns can be purchased from our supplier Gaspard: www.gaspard.ca

Students: Please send us an email at gown.rentals@ubc.ca

Faculty: Please contact us at faculty.rentals@ubc.ca

Don't worry! You can also rent a gown and hood on the day of your ceremony for an additional fee. We have enough regalia of all sizes and colours to allow anyone who missed the deadline to attend. The cost for day-of rental is $105.00 and we accept cash, credit or debit (Visa, Mastercard, Visa Debit). Please arrive at the gown pick up area 1.5 hours before your ceremony start time to allow enough time to rent your gown on-site. There is no need to provide us with your information in advance once the online rental website has closed.

Vancouver Pickup Location: Brock Commons South – New Building, 6180 Walter Gage Rd

Okanagan Pickup Location: Administration Foyer (in front of Bookstore), 1138 Alumni Ave, Kelowna BC

Graduating this year? Student graduation regalia (gown, hood and mortarboards) can be reserved online in advance of your ceremony. Appropriate academic attire is required of all participants.

Regalia rentals for Fall 2025 ceremonies open on Monday, September 29, 2025.

Vancouver – www.buildagrad.ca/UBC
Fall 2025 Ceremonies: The online rental deadline for Vancouver students is Sunday, November 2nd, 2025 at 11:59 pm (PT).

Missed the deadline? Don't sweat it! You can still rent a gown on-site on the day of your ceremony for an additional charge. We have enough regalia of all sizes and colours to allow anyone who misses the advance registration deadline to attend. The cost for day-of rental is $75 and payment can be made by Cash, Credit or Debit (tax included, Visa, MasterCard and Visa Debit accepted). There is no need to provide us with your information in advance once the online rental website has closed.

To rent on the day of your ceremony, please arrive at the gown pick up area 1.5 hours before your ceremony start time.
Vancouver– Pick up is located in Brock Commons South (New Building), 6180 Walter Gage Rd
Okanagan– Pick up is located in the Campus Administration Foyer (in front of Bookstore), 1138 Alumni Ave

Gowns can also be rented on-site on the day of your ceremony. Please arrive a minimum of 45-60 minutes prior to the ceremony to ensure you leave adequate time to pick up your regalia from the Bookstore staff at the Robing Room. You can pay cash, credit, debit or with your Open Account Worktag (UBC Bookstore account).

On-site registration locations are: 

Vancouver – The Robing Room for faculty is located in the Royal Bank Cinema at the Chan Centre. Access via the Royal Bank Cinema entrance off of Crescent Road.

Okanagan – The UBC Okanagan Bookstore

For students receiving a bachelors or masters degree, your rental includes a black gown, a hood representing your faculty and unique degree, and a mortarboard style hat. At the end of your ceremony, your gown and hood must be returned. You may keep the mortarboard hat as a souvenir.

For doctoral students, your rental includes a doctoral gown, a doctoral hood, and a beefeater cap. The gown, hood, and cap must all be returned.

Faculty regalia for the Fall 2025 graduation ceremonies may be rented in advance online from Monday, October 5 through the Faculty Rental Form.

The deadline to rent regalia online is Thursday, November 13 at 11:59pm (PST) for faculty members.

After the online deadline has passed, regalia can also be rented on-site the day of the attending ceremony.

• Please arrive 45-60 minutes before the ceremony at the Robing Room.
• Acceptable payment methods include cash, credit card, debit card or Open Account Worktag (UBC Bookstore account) information.

Gowns must be returned to the gown drop off location no later than 1 hour after your ceremony concludes.

As the gowns are packed up and shipped back at the end of each day, it is unfortunately not possible to keep your gown longer, but the mortarboard hat is yours to keep!

Unreturned gowns and hoods will be charged at full replacement cost, so please be sure to return your gown after you have finished taking pictures with your friends and family.

All graduation schedules including current and future dates, as well as day-of timelines, can be found on the Graduation page for each campus: 

Vancouver: https://graduation.ubc.ca/schedule/

Okanagan: https://graduation.ok.ubc.ca/

Faculty must check in at the Robing Room at least 30 mins before the ceremony, so please plan to arrive 45-60 mins prior to your ceremony start time to ensure you leave adequate time to pick up your regalia from the Bookstore staff.

Vancouver – The Robing Room for faculty is the Royal Bank Cinema at the Chan Centre. Access via the Royal Bank Cinema entrance off of Crescent Road.
Okanagan – The Robing Room for faculty is the DVC Boardroom located in the Administration Building.

Gowns must be returned to the Faculty Robing Room no later than 1 hour after your ceremony concludes.

STUDENTS
Gowns must be picked up 1.5 hours prior to your ceremony start time. Please bring your gown order number and a piece of photo ID.
Vancouver – Pick up is located in Brock Commons South (New Building), 6180 Walter Gage Rd
Okanagan – Pick up is located in the Campus Administration Foyer (in front of Bookstore), 1138 Alumni Ave, Kelowna BC

FACULTY
Gowns should be picked up 45-60 minutes prior to your ceremony start time.
Vancouver – The Robing Room for faculty is the Royal Bank Cinema at the Chan Centre. Access via the Royal Bank Cinema entrance off of Crescent Road.
Okanagan – The Robing Room for faculty is the DVC Boardroom located in the Administration Building (regalia returned to same location after use)

STUDENTS
Gowns must be returned no later than 1 hour after your ceremony concludes.
Vancouver – Drop off is located at the UBC Bookstore (6200 University Blvd)
Okanagan – Drop off is located in the Courtyard, in front of the Library entrance (3287 University Way)

FACULTY
Gowns must be returned to the Faculty Robing Room no later than 1 hour after your ceremony concludes.
Vancouver – The Robing Room for faculty is the Royal Bank Cinema at the Chan Centre (Access via the Royal Bank Cinema entrance off of Crescent Road)
Okanagan – Drop off for faculty is the DVC Boardroom located in the Administration Building