Ceremony Conduct Agreement
Commencement is intended to be a festive occasion celebrating the accomplishments of our students. However, it is also ceremonial. Graduates are expected to abide by the following guidelines:
- Graduates should remain in their seats during the entire ceremony.
- Restrooms will be closed for the walk to the stage.
- Wandering around the floor of the stadium and visiting with guests in the stands is prohibited.
- Students are asked to make judicious use of phones and not use them during the formal speaking portions of the ceremony. 聽Further information about what items are permitted at Husky Stadium is available on the .
- It is particularly important that students respect their fellow students and the faculty, administrators and guests who have come to witness and participate in the conferring of their degrees. For this reason, graduates who are walking (those with purple tickets) are expected to return to their seats after they walk and remain there until all students have walked and the members of the stage party have exited the stage.聽 Please plan post-ceremony activities accordingly.聽 Those who are not walking (gold tickets) will be directed to exit points and photography following the conferral of degrees.
Start Early
Start your day early, as traffic to Husky Stadium will be heavy. Students are expected to be in their seats by 1:25 p.m. If arriving after that time you will be held at the entrance to the field until the procession of faculty and university leadership is completed. Consider the extra time it will take to park the car, get to the Outdoor Practice Field, and find your seat on the field in the stadium.聽 (Faculty marshals will be there to greet you and help you get seated.)聽 We recommend using the for less stressful travel.
Check in at 12:00 p.m.
All graduates will enter on the Outdoor Practice Field ().
- Present both your ticket and your Husky card or state-issued photo ID. Hold on to your ticket! Our faculty marshals will want to see it once you enter the stadium field.
- Be prepared to open your gowns for visual inspection. No backpacks allowed. Do not bring bags, purses, etc., as there is no secure location to store them and they are not allowed on the field.
- Upon entering, you will receive
- A small card with the order of events and a link to the full Commencement program.
- A bottle of water.
- You will then pass through our photographers and continue to the stadium field, where faculty marshals will ask to see your ticket and direct you to your seating section – doctoral, master’s or bachelor’s.聽 All graduates not in their seats by 1:25 p.m. will be held until the opening procession of faculty and university leadership has concluded.
Commencement Apparel
All gowns are fastened in the front. Mortarboards should be adjusted to remain level on your head and your tassel should hang on the left side at all times. Honor cords are worn around the neck and should hang evenly. If you have a problem or question regarding your apparel, please contact the Office of Ceremonies at (206) 543-2592. Oak Hall will have booths on the Outdoor Practice Field on Commencement Day, to address any last minute needs or confusions about how to wear your apparel.
Names in the Commencement Program
Only those students who received degrees Summer 2025, Autumn 2025, Winter 2026, and the candidates of Spring 2026 are named in this year鈥檚 Commencement program. If you are receiving a degree during Summer Quarter 2026, your name will be listed in the 2027 Commencement program.
The Walk
Following the conferral of degrees on all candidates, graduates will be directed to the stage by the marshals to receive their diploma covers.聽 Doctoral candidates will walk first, followed by master’s, then bachelor’s. Smile for the cameras. Accept your diploma cover with both hands – no hand shaking. Your image will appear on the HuskyTron. Photos will be taken as you walk up the ramp to the stage, when you accept your diploma cover, and as you walk off the stage.
Doctoral degree candidates
Doctoral degree candidates should be ready to enter the field east of the stadium at noon.聽 Upon entering they must meet with the doctoral reading marshals, who will be found by the doctoral banners.聽 The reading marshals will hand each candidate a doctoral reading card with their name on it and go over the name pronunciation. Doctoral candidates must do this before they head to the stadium field and get seated.聽 After degrees are conferred, doctoral graduates will proceed to the stage in two lines under the direction of the faculty marshals.聽 Each candidate will take their reading card with them and hand it to the reading marshal just before they ascend to the stage. Reading marshals will read their name and their degree specialization. After walking, doctoral candidates will return to their seats under the direction of the marshals.
Master’s and bachelor’s聽 degree candidates
Masters and bachelor’s degree graduates聽will follow the doctoral candidates under the direction of the marshals, with two lines going the the stage on the north and two on the south.聽 Please be patient and wait for direction from the marshals.聽 With over 7,000 graduates, it takes time to walk everyone. After walking, all graduates return to their seats until the ceremony concludes.