Frequently Asked Questions

Commencement 2025 will take place the weekend of June 12–15, 2025. The main Commencement ceremony will be held in Stanford Stadium on Sunday, June 15, 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. 

Eligible graduates will receive an email with the link to register for tickets for themselves and their guests in late April.

Please note: Some department ceremonies or other Commencement-related events may also require RSVPs or tickets due to venue capacity limits. Please contact the specific school or department for details.

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

Please note: Some department ceremonies or other Commencement-related events may also require RSVPs or tickets and may have specific limits in place due to venue capacity. Please contact the specific school or department for details.

Yes. Eligible graduates will be sent information in early spring quarter for how to request a ticket for themselves, as well as 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 processional start to recession 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 generally happen after the main Commencement ceremony on Sunday (except for Business, Law, and Medicine, which occur on Saturday afternoon) and 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 14th. All other school and department events will occur on Sunday, June 15th following the main ceremony in the stadium at locations across campus. Details for these events will be published on this website in early May and will also be communicated directly from the individual school or department with the graduate.

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 14, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

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

• Conferred a degree in Summer 2024, Autumn 2024, or Winter 2025.
• Are expected to confer your degree in Spring 2025 or Summer 2025.
• Are a coterm student who began your undergraduate program in Autumn 2021. 

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 check directly with them 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, can be found 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.

International students who are eligible to graduate, may request a Confirmation of Commencement 2025 Letter. The letter will be addressed to the eligible graduate and provides Commencement event information that has been confirmed. The eligible student may email to request this confirmation letter at: commencement@stanford.edu.

If your parents are not United States citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., they will need a tourist visa. More information related to the tourist visa process can be found from the U.S. State Department website here.  For those not eligible under the visa waiver program, they may consider applying to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for a B-2 visa stamp.

The Commencement ceremony will be livestreamed at 9:30a.m. Pacific Time on June 15 and can be viewed by visiting Stanford’s official Commencement website.