Undergraduate Degree Ceremony Instructions for Graduates

Academic regalia is required for participating graduates who sit in the graduate seating area. If you ordered regalia via the MIT Atlas app or atlas-apps.mit.edu, you may now pick it up in Lobby 13 (13-1143). If a representative is picking up your pre-reserved regalia, please provide them with your MIT ID.

Regalia may be picked up in Lobby 13 during the following times: 

• May 20–23: 12–5 pm 
• May 27: 9 am to 5 pm 
• May 28: 8 am to 7 pm 
• May 29–30: 9 am to 3 pm 

Participating graduates may obtain tickets to the OneMIT and Undergraduate Degree Ceremonies using the desktop or mobile version of the MIT Atlas app or atlas-apps.mit.edu. Once there, click on the Commencement tile and you will be presented with the option to claim up to four (4) guest tickets. Before using the MIT Atlas app to claim your tickets, make sure you have the latest version of the app installed on your desktop or mobile device. The MIT App Store has links to download or update the app from the Apple, Google, and Windows app stores. 

Other things to note: 

• Remember to forward electronic tickets to your guests. If your guest loses the email, you may always return to the MIT Atlas app to forward the same tickets again.  
• Tickets will be scanned on arrival. Attendees may present the electronic ticket or a printed PDF.

  • Please encourage your guests to print their tickets or add them to their mobile wallets before they arrive at Killian Court so there is no delay or connectivity issue when checking in. 

• Tickets are transferable: if you have an extra ticket, you may send it to a friend.  
• Tickets are required for attendees three (3) years of age and older. Babies and children ages two (2) years and younger do not need tickets.  
• If you are on the degree list and participating, you will get your tickets. Do not worry about tickets “selling out.”  
• General queries about tickets may be directed to commencement@mit.edu. Questions about the MIT Atlas app should be directed to atlas-app@mit.edu.  

Those who have extra tickets may transfer them to someone who needs them. Do not sell them. MIT policy is that no tickets for MIT Commencement ceremonies may be bought or sold under any circumstances. Individuals known to have accepted or given payment for Commencement tickets risk revocation of all electronic tickets assigned to them, whether or not those tickets remain in their possession, and may be subject to discipline. Degree candidates are required to attest during the ticketing process that they will not buy or sell MIT Commencement tickets.   

GradImages will photograph each graduate twice during the undergraduate and advanced degree ceremonies: once during the handshake/while they cross the stage and again as they return to their seat. PhDs will also be photographed receiving their doctoral hood in addition to the other two images. Visit the GradImages website to view and purchase custom photo products like prints, plaques, specialty gifts, and more. You may pre-register for your graduation pictures and receive 20% off on orders of $50 or more until the day before your individual ceremony. If you have any questions regarding photos, please contact GradImages Customer Service at (800) 261-2576, online, or email ecc.giservice@gradimages.net.  

All graduating students are eligible to receive a digital version of their diploma at no cost. Watch for an email from the Registrar’s Office inviting you to download the Blockcerts Wallet app on your mobile device and add MIT as an issuer. You must complete these steps before Thursday, May 29 to ensure that you receive your digital diploma for Commencement. 

Note: digital diplomas are not a replacement for MIT’s traditional paper diploma. Everyone will also receive a physical diploma. 

Please plan to arrive —with your regalia—at the assembly tent on Saxon Lawn by 8:30 am.

It is crucial that you arrive in time to get through the check-in process and be at your station no later than 8:45 am.

Your guests can enter Killian Court (layout below) from Memorial Drive (drop-off location: 222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA) beginning at 8:30 am. Note that metal detectors will be in place at the entrance to the court. 

At the Undergraduate Ceremony, you need only your MIT ID and regalia. You may carry your phone in your pocket. SMALL cross-body personal bags worn under regalia are also ok. A can of water will be under your chair in Killian Court. 

The following items are not permitted in Killian Court: glass containers of any type, backpacks, poles and sticks (including selfie sticks), noisemakers, balloons, and drones of any size. Remember to share and review all security information with your guests. 

• Report to your designated station (list follows below) 
• Check with the station aide to verify that your name appears on the posted station roster. 
• If you do not appear on the station list or do not know your station number, check the listing at the Registrar’s table or with one of the marshals. 

• When you hear the announcement, “Graduates, line up at your stations”, report back to your station and remain there. 
• Line up alphabetically at your station, according to the station list. 
• Station aides will verify that you are in the appropriate order at the final attendance check. 
• Graduates not in place by the attendance check will still process but will not be with their department. 

• The procession will be comprised of 4 parallel columns. 
• Do not leave your station until you are instructed by a station aide or marshal. 
• Follow the head in front of you and stay in a straight line. 
• While en route, please stay to the center of the aisles and do not reach over the rope line to shake hands or greet spectators. The security of this line is critical to ensuring that all graduates receive their correct diplomas on stage. 
• There will be one checkpoint along the procession route. When you reach the checkpoint, state your last name clearly. 

• When you arrive on stage, you will see a red line. Do not move beyond the red line until your name is read. 
• Be alert to the position of your tassel so it does not obscure your face in photographs. 
• If someone else’s name is read, please tell the Registrar’s representative your name and then move forward after you hear your name. 
• Proceed across the stage and accept your diploma from your dean. Note: diploma distribution does not include a handshake; please accept your diploma with both hands.  
• If you have difficulty with accepting your diploma, please advise Dean Elizabeth Young (ecy@mit.edu or 617-253-6786). 
• Please stay in your seat throughout the ceremony except for diploma distribution or to use the restroom facilities for graduates, which are at the Vassar St. side of the ceremony tent. 

The order of the ceremony is attached to each ticket and the full ceremony program is available on the Commencement website.

Immediately following the Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, all graduates and guests are invited to the Johnson Athletics Center and Kresge Oval for cold beverages and boxed lunches.

• The Undergraduate Ceremony will take place outdoors rain or shine, so graduates and guests should dress for the weather. A rainy day can be cold and uncomfortable: in the event of inclement weather, we recommend that guests remain indoors and watch the webcast.  
• If it is raining on the day of the Undergraduate Ceremony, we recommend keeping your regalia wrapped and dry until you arrive at the Saxon Lawn assembly tent. Ponchos will be available at the entrance tent: you should wear one under your regalia. This is easier to accomplish if your regalia is clean and dry to start. 
• Only graduates and designated faculty and staff will be allowed into the robing and assembly area in the Saxon Lawn assembly tent. Parents and significant others may not enter the assembly area. 
• Put your cell phone on silent or vibrate mode. Do not talk on phones while marching into the ceremony. 
• Please direct your attention to the stage—and not to your phone—during the ceremony. 
• Bachelor of Science degree recipients wear the tassel on the right side, and upon receipt of the diploma, move the tassel to the left side. As you move your tassel, make sure it is away from your face so it does not interfere with the photo that will be taken as you exit the stage. 
• Out of respect for all graduates and their guests, please return to your assigned seating area after you have received your diploma and remain seated until the end of the ceremony. 
• Do not bring your children or other family members to the stage. They will be stopped and not allowed to cross with you. There is no exception to no children on stage. 
• The ceremony will end at approximately 12 pm. After the stage assembly recesses, graduates may join their guests in the audience. 
• Take time to discuss plans and expectations for the day with your families ahead of time. You may want to review the campus map with them, pointing out event location(s). Review arrival information for guests to ensure that they know what security measures and restrictions to expect.  

Upon arrival at the assembly tent on Saxon Lawn, please report to your assembly station as listed. If you will require special assistance for the procession or crossing the stage, contact Dean Elizabeth Young (ecy@mit.edu or 617-253-6786). 

How to find your station number 

Graduates receiving one degree from one course will find the station numbers self-explanatory. Here are the exceptions: 

• SB with a double major: report to the station for the course in which you are registered for your primary major. 
• More than one degree: If you are receiving both SB and SM or MEng, report to the station of the primary undergraduate course. 

You may also use the station search online tool offered by the Registrar’s Office. 

School of Architecture and Planning  

S.B. Courses 4, 4-B, 11, 11-6 → Station 1 

School of Engineering 

S.B. Courses 1-ENG & 1-12 → Station 9 
S.B. Course 2 → Station 9 
S.B. Course 2A (A-M) → Station 10 
S.B. Courses 2-A (N-Z) & 2OE → Station 11 
S.B. Courses 3, 3A, 3C → Station 13 
S.B. Courses 6-1, 6-2 (A-CA) → Station 13 
S.B. Course 6-2 (CB-Q) → Station 14  
S.B. Courses 6-2 (R-Z) & 6-3 (A-B) → Station 15 
S.B. Course 6-3 (C-G) → Station 16 
S.B. Course 6-3 (H-LE) → Station 17 
S.B. Course 6-3 (LF-P) → Station 18 
S.B. Course 6-3 (Q-WA) → Station 19 
S.B. Course 6-3 (WB-Z) → Station 20 
S.B. Course 6-4 (A-N) → Station 21 
S.B. Course 6-4 (O-Z) → Station 22 
S.B. Courses 6-7 & 6-14 → Station 23 
S.B. Courses 10, 10B & 10C → Station 11 
S.B. Course 10-ENG → Station 12 
S.B. Courses 16 & 16-ENG → Station 12 
S.B. Courses 20, 22 & 22-ENG → Station 24 

School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences  

S.B. Courses 14-1, 14-2, 17, 21A, 21G, 21H, 21L, 21M, 21T, 21W, 21, 21E, 21S, 24-1, 24-2, CMS, STS → Station 1 

Sloan School of Management  

S.B. Courses 15-1, 15-2, 15-3 → Station 2 

School of Science 

S.B. Courses 5, 5-7 & 7 → Station 3  
S.B. Courses 8 & 9 → Station 4 
S.B. Course 6-9 → Station 5 
S.B. Courses 12 & 18 (A-J) → Station 6 
S.B. Course 18 (K-Z) → Station 7 
S.B. Course 18C → Station 8 

Graduation is a special event, one that is personal to each family present. Please know that our primary concern is the comfort, health, and happiness of our graduates and their guests. 

There will be metal detectors in place at Killian Court (see ceremony schedule) and a number of items are prohibited; please discuss these measures with your party so everyone knows what to expect. Attendees are advised to pack lightly for the day because all items taken into all ceremony venues are subject to search—the less they are carrying, the more quickly the party will be able to proceed through security. 
 
The following items are PERMITTED in ceremony venues: 

• Snacks and beverages in plastic or paper/cardboard packaging. Plastic bottles, juice boxes, and disposable coffee cups are all ok. Water is available free of charge inside Killian Court. 
• Cameras 
• Phones 
• Diaper bags and related items (formula, juice boxes, wipes, creams, diapers, toys, etc.) 
• Purses or similar, personal small bags, including tote bags and briefcases. Personal bags of this nature should be no larger than 16x16x6 inches (or approximately 40x40x15 centimeters) 
• Reading material, whether printed or electronic (iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc.) 
• Laptops and tablets 
• Keys 
• Personal medical supplies 
• Umbrellas (NOTE: umbrellas may not be open during ceremonies) 

The following items are PROHIBITED in ceremony venues: 

• Bags with wheels 
• Bags whose size exceeds 16x16x6 inches (or approximately 40x40x15 centimeters) 
• Wrapped gifts 
• Glass bottles and containers 
• Firearms, knives (including pocketknives), and other weapons 
• Scissors, box cutters, and other sharp objects 
• Mace, pepper spray, or similar substances 
• Drones 
• Large objects 
• Balloons 
• Noisemakers, megaphones, and amplification systems 
• Poles or sticks (including selfie sticks)  

Please note that prohibited items will be confiscated and not returned. 

Obstructing others’ views is not permitted. While a guest may choose to carry a “congrats!” sign or similar, these items may NOT be out/open/blocking others during the ceremony. Staff will be quick to preserve sight lines for grads, family, and friends. 

Attendees may carry an umbrella to outdoor ceremonies, but open umbrellas are not permitted while seated. 

Guests are asked to consider the appearance of some objects, such as key ring tools/accessories, and leave anything that could be perceived as dangerous at home or in the hotel room. Service animals are welcome at Commencement ceremonies, but no other pets of any size will be permitted inside ceremony venues. 

Guests are advised to carry government-issued ID (such as driver’s licenses, state ID cards, or passports).