Graduation getting a diploma or
academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become
graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as graduands. The date of graduation is often called
graduation day. The graduation ceremony itself is also called
commencement,
convocation or
invocation. In the United States and
Canada, the term is additionally increasingly being used to refer to the advancement from a primary or secondary school level. When ceremonies are associated, they usually include a procession of the academic staff and candidates and a
valediction. At the college and university level the faculty will usually wear
academic dress at the formal ceremonies, as will the
trustees and degree candidates.
