Family members and Guests

A Solemn Act is the most formal and ceremonial part of an academic celebration, such as a Conferral Ceremony or the anniversary festivities of a student organisation. During this ceremony, the programme typically includes an academic procession with flags and standards, speeches, musical performances, and the conferral of academic honours and distinctions. At some academic celebrations, official greetings and gifts are also presented by participating organisations, although this does not form part of the Conferral Ceremony at Åbo Akademi University.

When attending a Solemn Act, such as a Conferral Ceremony at Åbo Akademi University, it is important to observe academic customs and etiquette.

Dress Code

The dress code is generally strict, especially for graduands, while guests may have greater flexibility depending on the event instructions. Academic decorations and orders are worn according to established conventions. Members of the audience who have previously earned and been conferred a doctoral degree may wear their doctoral hats in accordance with the guidelines outlined below.

Punctuality

The ceremony is highly formal, and late arrival is considered inappropriate. Doors are often closed once the ceremony has begun, and late entry may not be permitted.

Silence and Respect

All participants rise when the academic procession, flags, standards, and University leadership enter and leave the hall. When Jubilee Doctors are conferred, all participants also rise, usually following a signal from the conferrer.

Absolute silence is observed during speeches and formal addresses. Mobile phones must be switched off completely throughout the ceremony.

Following the Solemn Act, the celebrations typically continue in a more festive setting. In the case of the Conferral Ceremony, the festivities culminate in the Conferral Banquet held later in the evening.

Doctoral Hats Among Guests and Members of the Audience

According to academic tradition, guests who already possess a doctoral hat carry it on their left arm during the opening part of the ceremony.

When the conferrer for their own faculty or discipline puts on their doctoral hat to begin the conferral, previously conferred doctors in the audience also put on their hats.

Quick Guide to Wearing the Doctoral Hat

Entering the venue
The doctoral hat is carried on the left arm and not worn on the head.

Putting on the hat
The hat is put on at the same moment that the conferrer of your own faculty or discipline puts on their hat.

During the ceremony
The hat is worn for the remainder of the ceremony.

Exception
During the singing of the Finnish national anthem, Maamme Laulu (Vårt land), men remove their hats while standing.

At the Conferral Banquet
The doctoral hat is not worn during the banquet. It is brought to the venue and left outside the dining hall in accordance with established tradition.

Conferral Ceremony and Conferral Service

Dress Code for Invitees, Family Members and Guests

• Dark suit, or a knee-length dress (not necessarily black), skirt suit, or trouser suit; no hat (except for those entitled to wear a doctoral hat)
• Decorations and orders worn in their original form
• Doctors attending the Conferral Ceremony as guests, and who are not part of the Academic Procession, may bring their doctoral hat into the ceremonial hall. The hat is carried on the left arm and is put on at the same time as the conferrer for the relevant field puts on their hat to confer new doctors.

Doctoral Hats Among Guests and Members of the Audience

According to academic tradition, guests who already possess a doctoral hat carry it on their left arm. When the conferrer for their respective field puts on their hat to begin the conferral of new doctors, previously conferred doctors in the audience also put on their hats.

Guidelines for Wearing the Doctoral Hat During the Ceremony

Entering the venue
The hat is carried on the left arm and not worn on the head.

Putting on the hat
The hat is put on at exactly the same moment that the conferrer for your own field puts on their hat.

During the ceremony
The hat is worn for the remainder of the ceremony.

Exception
When the Finnish national anthem, Maamme (Our Land), is sung during the ceremony, men remove their hats while standing.

Entering Turku Cathedral
All participants remove their doctoral hats upon entering the Cathedral.

Conferral Banquet

Dress Code for All Participants

• White tie with white waistcoat, white bow tie, and white pocket square for those not wearing decorations; patent leather shoes may be worn
• Or full evening dress (floor-length gown, preferably not black)
• National costume or traditional folk costume in formal dress version
• Military, official, or ceremonial uniform worn in accordance with applicable regulations
• Decorations and orders worn in their original form

Doctoral swords are not brought to the banquet.

Doctoral hats should be brought to the venue but are not worn in the banquet hall. They should be left on the

The Conferral Ceremony is one of the most tradition-rich academic ceremonies. It is the occasion on which a university formally confers doctoral degrees upon its new doctors. During the ceremony, the promovendi receive the symbols (insignia) of their new academic dignity. These typically include the doctoral hat, doctoral sword, and diploma.

The Conferral Ceremony usually lasts approximately two and a half hours, depending on the number of graduands being conferred.

Children are welcome to attend. Guests are kindly asked to notify the organisers in advance if children will be attending, so that seating can be arranged near an exit should the programme become too long for younger attendees.

The 2027 Conferral Ceremony will be held at Logomo (Tåggatan 9, FI-20100 Turku). Logomo is fully accessible and can be reached on foot, by bus, or by taxi. The use of private cars is not recommended, as the number of guests greatly exceeds the available parking capacity.

The programme for the 2027 Conferral Ceremony will be published here in April 2027.

If you would like to learn more about the conferral tradition and the structure of the festivities, please visit the page About the Conferral Ceremony.

Please note: No Conferral Service will be held in connection with the 2027 Conferral Ceremony, as Turku Cathedral will be closed for restoration works. The Conferral Service will resume with the 2029 Conferral Ceremony.

In connection with the Conferral Ceremony, a service is traditionally held in accordance with a custom dating back to the era of the Royal Academy of Turku. Today, the service is ecumenical and is normally held in Turku Cathedral.

The Conferral Service at Åbo Akademi University is a solemn ecclesiastical ceremony that forms part of the conferral festivities and highlights the spiritual dimension of the academic celebration. The service brings together graduands, conferrers, and other guests and participants for a moment of reflection, gratitude, and ceremonial fellowship.

The service combines academic tradition with Christian liturgy through prayers, hymns, music, and a sermon. Its themes often revolve around knowledge, responsibility, and humanity’s search for truth, providing an opportunity to reflect on the role of scholarship and science within a broader existential context. For many participants, the Conferral Service constitutes a meaningful and atmospheric part of the conferral celebrations and an important element of their traditional framework.

The ecumenical Conferral Service lasts approximately 45 minutes.

Upon entering the Cathedral, all participants remove their doctoral hats.

All guests are welcome to attend the Conferral Service. Guests enter the Cathedral after the academic procession and are seated in the middle and rear sections of the nave, while the graduands and members of the Academic Procession occupy the front rows.

The Conferral Banquet marks the conclusion of the conferral festivities. It is a formal dinner featuring speeches, entertainment, and dancing. All newly conferred doctors are invited to attend the banquet together with an accompanying guest. The banquet is also attended by the University’s professors, staff, and other invited guests.

Participation in the banquet is by invitation only. All promovendi receive an invitation and may choose whether to attend at their own expense. The invitation includes one avec (accompanying guest).

The 2027 Conferral Banquet will be held at Logomo. Bus transportation will be arranged from selected hotels in central Turku to the banquet venue and back after the festivities. Further information about the transportation arrangements will be published here in April 2027.

Promotionsbanketten avslutar promotionsfestigheterna. En middag med tal, program och dans. Alla nypromoverade bjuds in till promotionsbankett med avec. Till promotionsbanketten inbjuds akademins professorer, anställda samt övriga gäster.

I banketten deltar endast inbjudna gäster. Alla promovendi får en inbjudan och kan valfritt delta på egen bekostnad. Inbjudan inkluderar avec.

Promotionsbanketten 2027 hålls i Logomo. Busstransporter ordnas från centrala hotell i Åbo till banketten samt tillbaka efter festligheterna. Närmare information om transporterna publiceras här i april 2027.

During the autumn of 2026, this page will be updated with information about hotels in central Turku and the hotel room allocations reserved for participants in Åbo Akademi University’s Conferral Ceremony.

Each participant is responsible for arranging and paying for their own accommodation. To facilitate planning, a number of hotel rooms have been reserved for participants in the Conferral Ceremony. Information on participating hotels, booking procedures, and reservation codes will be published here once available.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Conferral Team at promotion@abo.fi.