• Overview
• University Commencement
• Overview
• About the Ceremony
• Ceremony Details
• President's Address
• Honorary Degrees, Teaching Awards & Alumni Medalists
• Tickets
• Maps
• Baccalaureate Service
• School Ceremonies and Events
• Webcasts
• Commencement Week Events Calendar
• Image Gallery

Admission

On Commencement morning, guests must have a ticket to the ceremony to enter the Morningside campus. Columbia University staff and faculty must show a Columbia ID to enter the campus. This includes participants in the academic process and degree candidates. Seats on campus are reserved for ticket holders. Staff and faculty who are not participating in the event are encouraged to enjoy the proceedings via our live webcast.

General admission gates are on West 114th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue See maps.

Gates open to ticket holders at 8:30 a.m.

Processions

The degree candidate procession will begin at 9:30 a.m. after the chapel bells ring. Degree candidates should begin assembling in the designated area for their schools (upper Morningside Campus) at approximately 9:00 a.m.

The academic procession will begin precisely at 10:30 a.m., denoting the formal start to the ceremony. Participants in the academic procession should assemble in the designated areas in Low Memorial Library no later than 10:00 a.m.

Ceremony conclusion

The ceremony will end shortly after noon.

What to expect

The University Commencement ceremony will be held rain or shine. We would advise you to bring sunscreen and a hat as well as an umbrella or raincoat, should there be inclement weather.

When possible, we encourage guests to bring their own water bottles in order to cut down on waste. As the University remains committed to global sustainability efforts, there will be clearly-marked recycling bins on the campus grounds during the Commencement ceremony; following the event, we would ask that guests deposit any unwanted plastic bottles or paper products (including programs), in these containers.  

After the ceremony

We recommend that graduates and their families choose a designated area to meet after the ceremony. With more than 30,000 people on campus, it can be very difficult to find someone -- even with a cell phone -- without planning ahead.