Commencement Day Instructions

Note:  Commencement Day instructions are subject to change.  Updated instructions will be provided to graduates upon arrival. 

Family and guests should plan their arrival time so they may be seated by 1:15 p.m. The graduate processional begins at 1:30 p.m. and marks the beginning of the Commencement Ceremony.

Graduate Report Time

Graduates should report beginning at 11:30am (no later than 12:00 p.m.) to the Alabama Theatre for instructions and line-up for the ceremony.

Ambassadors will be available to direct you to the check-in location. Please have your cap, gown, and hood on when you arrive. Your tassel will be to the right. Valuables and personal items should be left with a friend or family member and not left unattended. The room will not be secured during the ceremony.

Student marshals will meet graduates at the assembly locations and direct your movement throughout the ceremony concluding with the recessional. Graduates will follow their student marshal to the appropriate seating on the auditorium floor. You should remain standing until all graduates have processed to their seat and the Platform Party has reached its place on the stage.

A formal academic processional that includes all graduates and members of the faculty mark the start of the Commencement Ceremony.

Late Arrival Degree Graduates

Graduates arriving after the start of the ceremony should report to the rear of the auditorium. College office staff will be available to assist you with seating. Graduates will be seated in the next available seat which may not be with their degree.