Who participates?

Answer: 

All degree candidates—undergraduates, as well as candidates from the Graduate School and the university’s professional schools—participate in the ceremony on Old Campus on Monday. The ceremony is outdoors, rain or shine, in order to accommodate the more than 15,000 friends and family members who wish to attend. A more intimate atmosphere—under cover if the weather is bad—exists in the separate diploma ceremonies for each residential college, the Graduate School, and the professional schools. These diploma ceremonies follow the Old Campus ceremony and typically start at noon.