Commencement Ceremonies

Two (2) University Commencement Ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2024 outdoors at Schoellkopf Field. All students will attend the ceremony of their conferring school/college or the school/college associated with their field of study.

1st Ceremony on Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

• Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
• College of Human Ecology
• Cornell Graduate School (Review list of Fields to attend)
• Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
• Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration
• Cornell Tech
• Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
• School of Industrial and Labor Relations

1st Ceremony Schedule for Graduates and Guests

• Stadium Gates Open – 8:00 a.m.
• Procession lines up on the Arts Quad by college/school – 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
• Procession to Stadium – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Commencement Ceremony – 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
• Exit Stadium – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

2nd Ceremony on Saturday – 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Engineering
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science
• Cornell Graduate School (Review list of Fields to attend)
• Cornell Law School

2nd Ceremony Schedule for Graduates and Guests

• Stadium Gates Open – 12:30 p.m.
• Procession lines up on the Arts Quad by college/school – 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Procession to Stadium – 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Commencement Ceremony – 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Exit Stadium – 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Graduation at Cornell is comprised of two components: the ceremonial Commencement exercises where all university graduate and undergraduate degrees are formally conferred en masse, plus separate recognition ceremonies or receptions within each college/school. Saturday’s University Commencement Ceremonies are distinct from various college events happening over the course of the weekend.

Over 8,000 candidates will earn degrees, including undergraduate and graduate degrees. Of those, a total of approximately 6,000 will participate in person this year, with 3,000 participating in each of the two ceremonies.

It takes approximately 45 minutes (9:15am-10:00am and 1:45pm-2:30pm) for students, faculty, administrators, and trustees to process into the stadium and be seated. An announcement and large banner will designate the arrival of each college at Schoellkopf Field. This is a fun & festive time – watch for your graduate on the Jumbotron or via livestream!

At these large university ceremonies, candidates do not cross the stage and names are not announced. Rather, each college’s degree candidates will rise when instructed, and degrees will be formally conferred en masse, by the university president. The ceremonies will end, at 11:00am and 3:30pm respectively, with the singing of the Alma Mater.

After each of the commencement ceremonies some graduates and guests will leave the stadium to go to the graduate’s college event, if planned for Saturday morning or afternoon. These events are happening at various locations across campus. Graduates exit the stadium at the north end of the field to walk to their next event and/or to meet up with their guests. Guests exit the stadium from the Crescent or from the south end of the field, then join their graduate at the next event or at a designated meeting point.

Make sure everyone in your party knows the graduate’s college/school and department if attending an event following the Commencement Ceremony.

The college events, whether held on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, are where guests like to take photos and celebrate with their graduate. Most events on campus are over by 1:00 pm on Sunday. Check with the appropriate event planner for the exact end time of a specific event.

1st Ceremony @ 10:00am

7:30am: Buses begin making loops around campus to transport guests from parking lots to Schoellkopf Field (Crescent side). 8:00am Entrances open. 8:00am – 8:30am: Arrive on campus to allow time to park (follow signs to parking), then ride a bus to the Crescent Lot at Schoellkopf Field. Guests with Accessibility Plans should follow specific instructions received with their Yellow Plan. Allow time for safety and security measures at stadium entrances. NOTE: If arriving by vehicle with graduates, graduates MUST be on the Arts Quad at 8:00am assembling for the procession. 9:00am: Guests should plan to be in seating areas by 9:00am, in time to watch the student procession arrive from the Arts Quad.

• General Seating and Accessible Blue Plan: Crescent bleachers.
• Accessible Yellow Plan: On the field in the south end zone.
• Indoor Livestream Viewing Locations: Statler Hall Auditorium and Lynah Rink.

9:15am – 10:00am: Procession arrives at Schoellkopf Field. Graduates are seated. 10:00am – 11:00am: 1st Commencement Ceremony at Schoellkopf Field.

2nd Commencement Ceremony @ 2:30pm

12:30pm: Buses continue making loops around campus to transport guests from parking lots to Schoellkopf Field (Crescent side). 12:30pm Entrances open for the 2nd ceremony. 12:30pm – 1pm: Arrive on campus to allow time to park (follow signs to parking), then ride a bus to the Crescent Lot at Schoellkopf Field. Guests with Accessibility Plans should follow specific instructions received with their Yellow Plan. Allow time for safety and security measures at stadium entrances. NOTE: If arriving by vehicle with graduates, graduates MUST be on the Arts Quad at 12:30pm assembling for the procession. 1:30pm: Guests should plan to be in seating areas by 1:30pm, to watch the student procession arrive from Arts Quad.

• General Seating and Accessible Blue Plan: Crescent bleachers.
• Accessible Yellow Plan: On the field in the south end zone.
• Indoor Livestream Viewing Locations: Statler Hall Auditorium and Lynah Rink.

1:45pm -2:30pm: Procession arrives at Schoellkopf Field. Graduates are seated. 2:30pm-3:30pm: 2nd Commencement Ceremony at Schoellkopf Field.

Students wear cap & gown to this event.
Guests may dress per their personal comfort level (business-casual is common) and comfortable walking shoes.  The stadium does not have a roof, so please be prepared for hot, cold, and wet weather by bringing sunblock, hat, umbrella, and jacket, as deemed necessary for the conditions.

Per Cornell tradition, the university president will deliver the Commencement address at each of the two (2) Commencement ceremonies and confer degrees.

Both Commencement Ceremonies will be livestreamed starting at 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, May 25, 2024.  Watch the livestream broadcast of each of the two in-person events or view the recorded broadcast at a later time. The links will be posted a few days before the events.

On Saturday, all central campus roads, including those surrounding Schoellkopf Field, will be closed 6:30am-5:00pm for the safety of pedestrians.  Please review parking and directions for parking, buses, and accessibility information.

General Seating at Schoellkopf is in the Crescent which is bleacher-style with stairs and no back support. From the Crescent Lot, guests walk to the concourse underneath the Crescent, then walk through an entryway (portal) that leads into the Crescent bleachers inside the stadium. These entryways are 2/3 of the way up in the Crescent, not near the ground or field level. Guests walk up or down from the portals to find open seating. Earlier arrival is recommended for large groups hoping to find seating together. Accessibility: Two types of Accessibility Plans are available upon request and are valid on Saturday. Click here for more information about Accessibility Planning. Strollers: The Crescent is all bleacher seating, which is not conducive to large strollers. There is a place to park a stroller outside the Crescent, at your own risk. Smaller umbrella style strollers are fine since they can be folded and stored on a lap.

Pets: Pets are prohibited from university-controlled buildings, except for these animals that are specifically exempted by this policy. Graduates: sit in chairs on the field, grouped by their degree-conferring college. Parking: Review our Parking & Directions page for information about daily parking, buses, road closures, and maps.

To enroll your cell phone to receive emergency notifications, text “CornellVisitor” to 226787. The safety and security of everyone on campus is of great importance to Cornell University, so please review security measures for Commencement Weekend. Cornell reserves the right to search persons and property. Bags will be searched. Those without bags will enter faster. No alcohol, glass bottles, or pets allowed at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell reserves the right to search persons and property. No pets allowed, unless a service animal at Schoellkopf Field. Review pet policy.

All graduates are to register themselves and the number of guests attending their conferring college ceremony at either 10 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. We strongly encourage 4 guests per graduate. More information in mid-Spring 2024.

Tickets are not needed for the University Ceremonies at the stadium. However, we strongly encourage 4 guests per graduate. In lieu of tickets, we ask each graduate to register by mid-May to participate in their conferring college’s ceremony at either the 10:00 am or 2:30pm University Commencement ceremony. Graduates must register self and number of guests by completing a form to be posted in mid-spring 2024.

In good and fair weather, the Commencement ceremonies will take place at Schoellkopf Field, as planned.  The stadium does not have a roof, so prepare for all weather conditions, including rain showers or several hours in the sun. Umbrellas are allowed in the stadium. If potentially dangerous weather, torrential downpour, high winds, lightning, or any other condition is deemed too unsafe to hold the ceremonies at the stadium, we will enact our Severe Weather Plan and events may be canceled and not rescheduled. Please review the Severe Weather Plan for Commencement Ceremonies.