It is the policy of Conestoga to recognize and honour selected exceptional individuals who have achieved distinguished reputations at the local, provincial, national, or international level in their professional and/or personal lives, or who have made significant and important contributions to the College and/or the communities we serve, through the bestowing of honorary credentials.

This policy applies to all candidates being considered for, receiving, or who have received an honorary credential from Conestoga College.  

Conestoga College maintains a glossary of terms specific to the institution. The ones in use for this document are defined below.

1. Individuals being considered for an Honorary Degree must:
1. have made a significant achievement for the public good at the Ontario, national or international level and/or 
2. have achieved noted academic eminence or accomplishments in a particular field of study or applied education and/or 
3. have enhanced or promoted the institution’s image and reputation in Ontario or elsewhere. 
2. Posthumous Honorary Degrees/credentials will be considered. 
3. If a candidate passes away after accepting an invitation, but prior to convocation, the honorary degree/credential will be awarded to an individual designated by the recipient’s family or other legal representative. 
4. The following individuals are not eligible to be considered for an Honorary Degree:
1. Active employees, members of the Board of Governors of Conestoga, and students shall not be eligible.
2. Normally, an active politician should not be recommended for an Honorary Degree/credential. However, there may be exceptional circumstances based on the individual’s accomplishments, length of service, or contributions that are particularly relevant to Conestoga where this provision may be waived.
5. To award an honorary credential, the College must have consent to grant one or more of these credentials at the same level as the proposed honorary credential (i.e., to award honorary doctorates, the institution must also be able to confer doctorates). 
6. The nomenclature of the honorary credential and its testamur must reflect the nomenclature of the related earned credential with the term “Honorary” or some derivation thereof added (e.g., “honoris causa” “ad honorem”). 
7. The College may only award one Honorary Degree per academic year for each of the (related) degree programs for which it has consent to offer.  
8. When the College awards an Honorary Degree, the recipient may also serve as Convocation Speaker for the given Convocation ceremony when the Honorary Degree is awarded.
1. The college may not charge any fees or payment from the proposed recipient of an Honorary Degree award. 
2. Individuals may only receive an Honorary Degree from Conestoga once in their lifetime. 
3. Individuals who have already received Honorary Degrees from other institutions will still be considered for an Honorary Degree from the College. 
9. The college maintains the right to determine whether or not to award honorary degrees in any particular academic year.
10. The College reserves the right to rescind an Honorary Degree as decribed in the Honorary Degree Procedure.
11. Exceptions to the policy may be considered on a case-by-case basis and only at the direction of the President.