Frequently Asked Questions

Commencement 2026 will take place the weekend of June 11–14, 2026. The main Commencement ceremony will be held in Stanford Stadium on Sunday, June 14, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Yes, graduates will be required to register for tickets for themselves and their guests to attend the Commencement and Baccalaureate ceremonies. 

Ticketing details, including how to request tickets, will be provided in the spring quarter. 

Please note that some department ceremonies or other Commencement-related events may also require RSVPs or tickets due to venue capacity limitations. For more information, please contact the relevant school or department.

There is no limit to the number of guest tickets that graduates can request for the main Commencement ceremony.

Please note that some department ceremonies or other Commencement-related events may also require RSVPs or tickets due to venue capacity limitations. For more information, please contact the relevant school or department.

Yes. Eligible graduates will receive information in the spring quarter on how to request a ticket for themselves, as well as for any guests they may wish to invite.

Commencement is Stanford’s main ceremony held in Stanford Stadium, bringing together all graduating seniors and advanced degree graduates with their families. The event includes: 

• The procession
• President’s address
• Keynote speaker
• Degree conferrals 

The ceremony from the processional start to the recessional of the stage members lasts approximately two hours. Graduates do not have their names called, walk across the stage, or receive diplomas at the main ceremony. This occurs at their individual school or department ceremonies. 

School and department ceremonies typically take place after the main Commencement ceremony on Sunday (except for Business, Law, and Medicine, which occur on Saturday afternoon)at various locations across the campus. Many ceremonies are preceded by lunch or followed by a reception, but this varies by school and department.

The ceremonies for the Graduate School of Business, School of Law, and School of Medicine occur at various times the afternoon of Saturday, June 13th. All other school and department events will take place on Sunday, June 14th, following the main ceremony in the stadium, at various locations across campus. Details for these events will be published on this website closer to the weekend and will also be communicated directly to the graduate by the individual school or department.

Yes, the main Commencement ceremony will be livestreamed on the Commencement website, as well as on the large screen inside Maples Pavilion. It will also be broadcast on Stanford’s radio station KZSU 90.1FM and kzsu.stanford.edu. A complete recording of the event will be available on the Stanford YouTube channel shortly after the event.

Yes. The main ceremony will be livestreamed inside Maples Pavilion. No tickets are required to enter and view the ceremony at Maples.

To ensure the safety and enjoyment of all attendees, Stanford University adheres to a clear bag policy for Commencement. Each attendee may bring:

• One clear bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12”, or
• One small clutch no larger than 4.5” x 6.5”.

Prohibited items include backpacks, large bags, and any opaque bags larger than the size of a small clutch. Diaper bags and medically necessary items are permitted but will be subject to inspection.For a full list of prohibited items and additional details about the clear bag policy, please visit our Clear Bag Policy page.

Baccalaureate at Stanford is a multi-faith celebratory gathering for graduating seniors, graduate students, and professional students, as well as their families and friends. The ceremony serves as a bookend to the Opening Convocation held four years earlier and is a time to acknowledge the spiritual contribution to the education of the whole person. 

Baccalaureate will be held in Frost Amphitheater on Saturday, June 13, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.

You are automatically eligible to participate in the main Commencement ceremony if you: 

• Conferred a degree in Summer 2025, Autumn 2025, or Winter 2026.
• Are expected to confer your degree in Spring 2026 or Summer 2026.
• Are a coterm student who began your undergraduate program in Autumn 2022. 

To check your eligibility, log into Axess and go to the "My Academics" drop-down menu, then select "Univ. Commencement Eligibility." This will show if you are Eligible or Not Eligible, based on your student record. If you are listed as eligible, no action is required. If you are listed as Ineligible but wish to participate, you must complete the Commencement Participation Request form. Eligible students should not complete this form. Instructions can be found on the Student Academic Services website. 

NOTE: This applies only to the main ceremony. For school or department ceremonies, please contact them directly for eligibility and participation details.

To graduate, you must have filed your graduation application by the required deadline (see the academic calendar for dates). Instructions for applying to graduate, as well as a graduation checklist, are available on the Student Services website. If you are planning on conferring more than one degree — for example, an undergraduate and graduate degree, a PhD and master's degree — a separate application to graduate must be submitted for each degree. Eligibility to participate in the university's Commencement ceremony is based on a student’s actual OR expected graduation term. Expected Graduation Terms are based on matriculation year (e.g. 4 years after matriculation for an undergraduate student). 

Note: Expected Graduation Terms are calculated differently for graduate students. Graduate students should plan to apply to graduate or request an exception if they want to participate.

Eligibility and participation processes for department ceremonies vary. Contact your department directly for details.

You can check your participation eligibility directly in Axess, and if you are ineligible can request an exception to participate. In your "My Academics" drop-down menu, locate the "Univ. Commencement Eligibility" link. You'll be directed to a page that will indicate Eligible or Not Eligible, based on your student record. If you are listed as eligible, no further action is necessary. If you are listed as Ineligible but would still like to participate, you will need to request an exception. Complete the linked Commencement Participation Request form to request an exception to participate. Students who are listed as eligible should not complete this form. Instructions can be found on the Student Academic Services website.

Most school and department ceremonies generally occur around the same time on Sunday afternoon following the main Commencement ceremony (except GSB, Law and Med which happen on Saturday). We recommend checking with both departments to confirm their planned schedule and see if it would be possible to coordinate attending both, however you may need to choose which to attend.

There are many events that occur during the weekend that will be added to the schedule as they are confirmed. Some events may be invitation only, such as Senior Dinner on the Quad. or some may require RSVP, such as certain community center events. There may also be other events, such as performances, screenings, award ceremonies and more that are hosted by various campus groups during the weekend. See the Stanford Events calendar for updates.

Many school and department diploma ceremonies will have professional photographers on hand to take photos of individual graduates as they are awarded their diplomas. We suggest contacting the school or department for more information and details.

The main ceremony will be photographed by University Communications for their social media channels and online news report and can be accessed through those channels.

We’re pleased to offer American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for the main Commencement ceremony. While live spoken-language translation is not available, guests can enable auto-translate captions on the YouTube livestream or are welcome to make personal arrangements, noting that tickets are required for entry. 

For students who are confirmed eligible to graduate in June 2026, if your family members are not United States citizens or permanent residents of the United States, they will need a temporary tourist visa. For more information regarding visa types and the application process, please visit the U.S. Department of State website.  Your family may also reach out to their nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for information related to their application process. 

There are no letters or documents required by the U.S. Department of State from Stanford University, its schools, or departments related to your family/visitor’s visa application process. For information about the official application process and documentation, visit the U.S. Department of State’s website. We have provided a brief summary page related to the B-2 visa process for general reference purposes.  If you have additional questions, please contact Stanford's Bechtel International Center.

The Commencement ceremony will be livestreamed at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time on June 14 and can be viewed by visiting Stanford’s official Commencement website.