Parking is available for free in all lots surrounding Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the day.
Graduates and faculty should enter through Gate 14, located off Fee Lane, and park in the Blue Lot.
Accessible parking for graduates or guests with ADA hangtags or license plates is available in Gate 2 off of 17th Street and in Gate 13 off Fee Lane.
Guest seating will be located on the west side of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Graduate seating is arranged by school and occupies the floor and some of the stands in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Faculty marshals will lead you in the procession, then direct you to designated seating by school. Upon entering your row, please sit in the next available chair. At the beginning of the ceremony, all graduates and faculty will rise and remain standing through the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
At the end of Commencement, please remain in your seat. Faculty marshals will direct all graduates to exit by row.
Tickets are not issued for Commencement, and graduates can bring as many guests as they wish. Guest seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis in sections not reserved for graduates. Ushers will be stationed throughout the building to direct guests to the best possible seats.
Accessible seating is available for guests in wheelchairs and with limited mobility. See the accessibility accommodations page for more information.
Graduates will meet at Wilkinson Hall no later than 10 a.m. Graduates will follow posted signage, first stopping to complete an information card for GradImages, the Commencement photographers. GradImages provides graduation portraits taken free of charge for graduates and their families for purchase. Print or digital photographs will be available for order after the ceremony.
Graduates will be directed to have photos taken and then follow posted signage to find their school's designated lineup space. Plenty of event staff will be on hand for assistance. Graduates should stand with their school and wait for further instructions. Faculty participating in doctoral degree hooding should meet their degree candidates in line and will be seated with them during the ceremony.
The procession begins around 10:30 a.m. A graduate selected by the faculty in each school’s lineup space will carry their school banner and lead their school’s section of the line. Graduates will be split into two single-file lines, each following their faculty marshals into Simon Skodjt Assembly Hall. After all graduates are seated, the platform party (those sitting on stage) will enter and be seated before the ceremony begins.
Graduates should wear comfortable dress shoes as there will be periods of standing and walking extended distances.
Faculty details can be viewed here.
Full of pageantry and traditions, Commencement is the grand culmination of your college journey—and it is an experience you’ll remember and cherish! The ceremony includes remarks from President Whitten and Chancellor Reingold, a student speaker, induction into the Indiana University Alumni Association, and the conferral of degrees.
During the conferral of degrees, candidates for all undergraduate and master’s degrees are recognized together by their school deans. Because of the large number of graduates, individual names (other than Ph.D. and doctorate candidates) are not announced.
Candidates for Ph.D.’s and doctorate degrees will be introduced individually and hooded on the stage.
Remember, all graduates participating in Commencement will receive an Indiana University diploma cover at the ceremony. Your diploma will be mailed to your home address at a later date.
Graduates who complete all requirements by their programs’ stated deadlines will have their names printed in the Commencement program. Programs will be provided at the ceremony or you can download a program.
If you are not sure if you met your program’s deadline, please contact the recorder’s office in your school.
If your name has changed since you became an IU student, please follow these steps on how to change it.
Graduates will be part of a recession out of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and should coordinate a meeting place on the grounds with family and friends.
Graduates must return their apparel in the mailer provided by Herff Jones. Failure to return apparel may result in a fine, so do not skip this important step. Caps, tassels, cords, and stoles of gratitude (for undergraduate degrees) do not need to be returned; keep them as mementos of this exciting day!
Request a missing shipping label here.
