FAQ

PLEASE NOTE:  Plans regarding safety and security for Hooding and Commencement have been revised.  Please refer to the particular event pages within this section for final details including any change in specifics such as the times when faculty need to report for assembly.

How do I register to participate in Commencement and/or the Hooding Ceremony?
We offer a webform through which you may order regalia, register to march, and request a guest ticket, but please note that as of May 21, online registration and ordering of regalia is closed. If you would like to march at Hooding and/or Commencement, please email Kimberly Nelson to see whether arrangements may be made. If you own all pieces of regalia and need simply to advise us of your plans to participate, please include that information in your message.

Where do I pick up and return my rented regalia?

Rental regalia will be available for pick-up in room 8-119 on Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6 from 10 am to 4 pm. On Friday, June 7, rental regalia will be available in the lobby of Kresge Auditorium at 8:30 am.

Please return rented regalia to room 8-119 either immediately after Commencement or by 4 pm on Monday, June 10. Drop-off hours on Monday are 10 am–4 pm.

Where is assembly for faculty on Commencement morning?
Faculty are asked to report to the assembly tent on Kresge Oval between 8:30 and 9:15 am on Friday, June 7 for robing and assembly. Continental breakfast will be available.

How long are the Commencement Exercises?
The Commencement Exercises, which officially begin as the Academic Procession enters Killian Court at 10 am, conclude at approximately 1:30 pm. The names of graduates are read in alternating order between undergraduates and graduates.

Do I need a ticket to participate in Commencement?
No. If you are marching in the Academic Procession, you will be seated on the stage so you do not need a ticket.

Can I greet a special graduating student at Commencement?
There is limited space for moving on stage during the ceremony, but our faculty marshals work to allow faculty to find a way to greet special students.

Can I leave the stage and return during Commencement?
Faculty are an important part of the greeting during Commencement and are therefore asked to remain on stage. However, if you need to leave, there are stairs off the back of the stage and the faculty marshals can help you leave and return to stage once the actual awarding of degrees begins. Please look for the staff behind the stage - they will provide a pass that will allow you to return to the stage.

What happens after Commencement?
Graduates, guests, and faculty are invited to the individual School and department receptions held across campus. Details are forthcoming through your departments.

Where do I go to assemble for the Hooding Ceremony?
Please report to the Johnson Athletics Center between 10:55 and 11:05 am on Thursday, June 6. Professor Paul Lagace, the Commencement faculty marshal, will assemble faculty in the line of march. The procession departs at 11:15 am.

How long is the Hooding Ceremony?
The Hooding Ceremony begins with the arrival of the procession at Rockwell Cage at 11:30 am and concludes at approximately 1:15 pm. A reception on Kresge Oval immediately follows.

Who invests the hoods of Doctoral candidates at the Hooding Ceremony?
Either the department head or the department's representative invests the hoods, along with the chancellor, host of the event.

Can I greet a special graduating student at Hooding?
There is insufficient space to allow movement on stage during the ceremony. However, it is a relatively informal and celebratory ceremony, and it is easy from one's seat on stage to speak to students in line waiting for their hoods, or as they leave stage after receiving their hoods.

Can I leave the stage and return during Hooding?
It is difficult to leave the stage during the Hooding Ceremony. Except in extreme circumstances, faculty are asked to remain in their seats through the 105-minute event.

Further questions? Please send a note to commencement@mit.edu.