“Know Before You Go” Commencement 2023

May 16, 2023

Commencement Weekend is almost here!

Please take some time to read through our Know Before You Go News Guide to ensure you are ready for upcoming celebrations.

Schedule of Events


  • Baccalaureate - Sunday, May 21, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Old Campus
    • This one-hour ceremony for Yale College features an address by President Peter Salovey, and remarks by Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis. All seniors and their guests are welcome. This ceremony is not ticketed.
  • Class Day - Sunday, May 21, 2023 – 2:00 p.m., Old Campus
    • Class Day, a Yale College tradition, includes the awarding of academic, artistic, and athletic prizes, the celebration of undergraduates, and an address by Elizabeth Alexander . Seniors wear academic gowns with headgear of choice. All Yale College seniors and their guest(s) are welcome. Other graduates, their guests, and members of the university community are also welcome. This ceremony is not ticketed.
  • Commencement - Monday, May 22, 2023 – 10:30 a.m., Old Campus
    • All university degrees are formally conferred during the Commencement ceremony on Old Campus. During the ceremony, the dean of Yale College and deans of the Graduate and professional schools formally present their approved candidates to the president. This ceremony is  ticketed. You can find  more information on the Commencement Ceremony here.
  • Diploma Ceremonies
    • Shortly after the Commencement ceremony, residential colleges, the Graduate School and the professional schools have ceremonies to celebrate their graduates and present diplomas. These events are not ticketed. For more information on these ceremonies, please reach out to your respective residential college or school.
  • Special Events and Concerts

University Commencement Ceremony


The University Commencement Ceremony is a ticketed event. Only ticketed guests can enter Old Campus. Graduates do not need a ticket to enter Old Campus. There will be Commencement ceremony live stream locations on campus for guests without tickets.

  • For Students:
  • For Guests:
    • On Monday morning, guests should go directly to Old Campus for the Commencement ceremony. Guests cannot enter Cross Campus where graduates assemble for the ceremony procession. For directions to Old Campus, use this interactive campus map.

Live Streaming

Guests without tickets can watch the ceremony live stream at viewing in  Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall, Room 114 (1 Prospect Street) and the Humanities Quadrangle, Room L02 (320 York Street).

All ceremonies are also streamed on the  Yale 2023 website.

Weather

All ceremonies will take place rain or shine. In case of severe weather and a ceremony is canceled, a notice will be posted to the Commencement website. We encourage guests to have rain ponchos and avoid umbrellas. Ponchos can offer complete protection from rain and are lightweight and easy to carry.

Bag Check and Prohibited Items

Bags 12” x 12” or larger in size are not permitted at major ceremonies, and Yale security staff cannot hold bags for guests. All bags are subject to search. Guests with luggage should enter Old Campus at College Street and Elm Street by Phelps Gate, where luggage can be checked until after the ceremonies. 

Items Prohibited on Old Campus:

  • Mylar balloons
  • Audible items (confetti poppers, and air horns)
  • Animals apart from service animals. Service animals must be identifiable (service vest and paperwork)
  • Monopods (selfie sticks), tripods, and any other large professional camera equipment to record video or audio.

Lost and Found

Security will have any items lost on Old Campus at Phelps Gate until 4:00 p.m. After 4:00 p.m. items will be moved to the security desk at the Law School. Please call 203-785-5555 if you have lost an item.

Reunification

If you are separated from your party, or if a member of your party goes missing, please go to the High Street Gate near the Reunification sign. Yale Police will be available to assist you.

Accessibility

Guests with accessibility needs and their accompanying family members may enter Old Campus via a specially marked gate on High Street near the Yale Post Office. There is a jumbo screen in front of this section that provides a clear picture of the ceremonies and ASL interpretation.

There are designated accessibility drop-off areas for Baccalaureate and Class Day (Sunday, May 21) and Commencement (Monday, May 22). Drop off for guests with mobility issues can be made at Elm and High Streets and High and Chapel Streets, the intersections closest to our area of reserved seating for guests with accessibility needs and their families.  No special sticker is needed, and ushers will be available to assist.

For more information on accessibility services for the Commencement Weekend, including accessibility parking, restrooms, and assistive listening devices visit the Commencement accessibility page.

Parking, Transportation, Shuttles

Parking lots and garages across campus are available to use on Commencement Weekend, from 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 19 to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23.

A full list of university lots can be found here.

Following the university cermeony on Monday, May 22, shuttle service will be available from Phelps Gate (College Street) to some residential colleges and school ceremonies. Each shuttle will have a color-coded feather flag placed by them to help guests find the bus that will transport them to the location they are looking for.

Please look for the appropriate colored flag for your shuttle.

Shuttle Color School
Green Line Divinity School
Yellow Line School of the Environment
Orange Line Medical School
Pink Line School of Architecture, School of Art, David Geffen School of Drama, Pierson College, Davenport College, Ezra Stiles College, Morse College, Timothy Dwight College, and Silliman College
Purple Line Pauli Murray College, Benjamin Franklin College, Jackson School of Global Affairs, and School of Management

Traffic Update:
Chapel Street between Church and Orange streets is closed to eastbound traffic. Eastbound traffic is rerouted to Elm Street while westbound traffic is not affected. This will potentially have impact on travel to and from campus on commencement weekend. Please consider the traffic impact in planning for timing, especially on commencement morning.

More information regarding parking, transportation, and getting around campus can be found here!