December Commencement 2026

Date, time and place

December commencement is Saturday, December 19, 2026, the day after finals end, in Ironclad Fieldhouse. As in December 2025, there are two ceremonies, each about an hour and forty-five minutes long.

Master’s graduates cross the stage in their college’s ceremony and are hooded on stage. There is no separate December hooding. About 720 candidates have applied for December degrees.

Chancellor Dr. Elaine Vandehey confers degrees at both ceremonies. The address is given by Provost Dr. Bjorn Halvorsen, less than two weeks before he hands the office to his successor. He has promised to keep it under ten minutes and has been told it will be timed.

Tickets and guests

No tickets are needed. Guest seating is general admission, with about 3,200 seats per ceremony. Fieldhouse seating has never filled for a December ceremony, so there is no limit on guests per graduate. Seats saved with coats are fair game 15 minutes before the start. An overflow viewing room in the Forge Recreation Center gym opens if the arena fills, and the doors close to new arrivals once the processional starts.

Guests should bring a coat they are willing to hold, because there is no coat check. Bags are allowed. Balloons and air horns are not, and the second rule has not always been obeyed.

For graduates: regalia and the day

• Regalia: cap, gown and tassel are included in the graduation application fee for bachelor’s candidates. The order deadline is Saturday, November 7, and master’s hoods are ordered the same way. Pick up at the campus store from December 14 to 18, during finals week, with your Porter Card. See commencement regalia.
• Honors cords and stoles come from the sponsoring office or society, not the store. The First-Generation Student Center gives out its gold cords on December 17.
• Your name: fill in your phonetic name card in MyPorter by December 4. Readers rehearse from it, and it is read the way you write it.
• Not on the list? If you have not applied to graduate, the graduation application page explains your options. If you contact the Registrar by November 13, your name can still be added to the printed program.
• Diplomas are mailed after final grades post and degree audits clear, usually within eight weeks. The cover you receive on stage is empty.

Livestream, parking and accessibility

Livestream: both ceremonies stream free with no login required, and they are archived within 24 hours and searchable by graduate name. See commencement livestream.

Parking: all campus lots are free on December 19, and no permit is needed. The Porter Loop runs a ceremony route every 8 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., from the perimeter lots straight to the fieldhouse doors. Accessible parking is in Lot F next to the fieldhouse. See accessible parking.

Accessibility: accessible seating with companion seats, wheelchair loans, assistive listening, ASL interpretation and live captioning on the arena screens are all available. Request interpretation or a reserved accessible section by Friday, December 4. Graduates who need a ramp-only route across the stage should say so on their name card.

Weather: ceremonies go ahead in snow unless campus is closed. In that case they move to Sunday, December 20, at the same times, and the decision is posted on campus status by 6 a.m.