Bilkent University Graduation Ceremony will be held in eight sessions to be conducted on 21 – 22 – 23 – 24 June 2021, Monday through Thursday. The session schedules are as follows:
21 June 2021, Monday, 11:00: CS – MBG – MSN
21 June 2021, Monday, 17:30: IE – CHEM – PHYS – MATH
22 June 2021, Tuesday, 11:00: LAW – PHIL – HART – AMER – CI – CITE – TEFL
22 June 2021, Tuesday, 17:30: EE – ME
23 June 2021, Wednesday, 11:00: ARCH – IAED – COMD – GRA – LAUD – FA
23 June 2021, Wednesday, 17:30: MAN – TRIN – ELIT – MUS – THEA – BF
24 June 2021, Thursday, 11:00: ECON – IR – EEPS – HIST – EDEB
24 June 2021, Thursday, 17:30: POLS – PSYC – CTIS – THM – NSC
All graduates who intend to attend the Graduation Ceremony are required to log in to SRS to
- indicate their cap and gown size,
- generate a “ceremony entry pass” for themselves and all their guests
no later than 16 June 2021, Wednesday, 17:30 hours. Please do not miss this deadline.
The cap and gown size selection in SRS has guidelines for choosing the correct size for yourself. At this stage, you will also have to provide a deposit fee of 180 ₺ for the cap and gown, payable via credit card. On the day of the ceremony, you will find your cap and gown placed on your assigned seat in Odeon, with a label that bears your name. After the ceremony, graduates may return their caps and gowns at stands outside of Odeon or have the option of returning them to the campus at a later date.
In order to generate a “ceremony entry pass” for yourself and your guests, you will have to provide the name, national ID (TC) number (or YU number or passport number for foreign nationals), and HES code (obtained from the Ministry of Health) for each guest. When the required information is completed in SRS, the system will produce a one-page entry pass with Odeon seat numbers and entry gate designations, both for you and your guests. To facilitate easy passage at the gates, please ensure that you have printed an adequate number of copies for yourself and your guests. You and your guests will use separate entrances, therefore you need at least two copies of the entrance pass. Code scanners to be used at Odeon cannot scan codes displayed on a phone screen; please do not plan on displaying your entrance pass on your phone screen and make sure you bring a printout instead. Graduating students should also bring their student ID card.
Please note that those without an entry pass, people assessed as “risky” based on the Ministry of Health HES code inquiry, and children younger than 12 years will not be allowed to enter the campus.
Graduates are expected to be at Odeon grounds 90 minutes before the scheduled starting time of the ceremony. This is 9:30 hours for morning sessions and 16:00 for afternoon sessions. Guest may arrive together with the graduating student or separately if they wish, but no later than 30 minutes before the scheduled starting time of the ceremony. Please park in the correct parking lot according to your entrance gate (A or B) as indicated on your entrance pass.
As they enter Odeon grounds from the parking lot, graduating students and their guests will be admitted from different entrances and will not be able to meet up again until after the ceremony ends. Please make your plans accordingly.
Before the ceremony, all graduating students, Bilkent University staff, and others on duty will be tested for the Covid-19 virus using an on-site rapid diagnostic test which gives results in under two minutes with over 95% confidence (much more reliable than a PCR test). Graduates who test positive will not be able to attend the ceremony, unfortunately. Guests will not be tested.
Upon arrival at Odeon grounds, graduates should use their own designated entrance and follow the signs to the testing area for their Covid-19 test. Guests may either wait for a few minutes in the parking lot or use the guests entrance and wait right outside Odeon near the steps. Guests will not be able to proceed to Odeon before their graduating student is tested and found to be negative. Please ask your guests not to try to get into Odeon before you give them the go-ahead by phone.
You should not eat, drink, or smoke, at least 15 minutes before the test. At the testing area, please present your student ID and/or entrance pass when asked. You will have to remove your mask temporarily and provide a sample from inside your mouth. Please wait for your test result and follow the directions provided by the staff. You may be asked to place a sticker on your chest to show that you have been tested. Those with negative test results should proceed directly to Odeon through either A or B gates and find their assigned seat as indicated on their entrance pass.
In the case of a positive test result, the graduate and their guests will be escorted out of campus and advised to report to a health institution immediately. Bilkent test results will not be reported to the Ministry of Health database.
As soon as a graduating student has a negative test result, their guests will be able to enter Odeon via the A1 and B1 gates as indicated on their entrance passes. At this point you may phone your guests and let them know that they may proceed to Odeon. Guests must sit at their assigned seats and remain seated there throughout the ceremony.
Before, during, and after the ceremony, all participants will be required to adhere to necessary social distancing rules, wear masks, and ensure that their mouths and noses are covered at all times. Graduating students may remove their masks temporarily to pose for a photograph after they receive their diplomas.
Smoking is strictly prohibited inside and outside Odeon, including the parking lots.
Odeon will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each ceremony. To speed up the cleaning process and help avoid hygiene problems, all participants are expected to refrain from throwing confetti and similar materials.
These strict measures have been deemed necessary for the health and safety of everyone attending the ceremony. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Graduation ceremonies will be broadcasted live on our YouTube for those who cannot participate in person.
https://www.youtube.com/user/bilkentuniversitesi/live
Deadline for registering via SRS: 16 June 2021, Wednesday, 17:30 hours.