Commencement 2023

Cornell gets ready for Commencement, Convocation

Cornell will hold two in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2024 and their guests on Saturday, May 25, at Schoellkopf Field. The ceremonies are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

President Martha E. Pollack – who is retiring June 30 – will give her final Commencement address at both ceremonies. The morning ceremony and the afternoon ceremony will both be livestreamed. The livestreams will include the procession of graduates, which begins one hour before each ceremony.

Cornell’s 156th graduating class comprises more than 8,000 students, including undergraduate and graduate students.

Graduating students will sit in chairs on the field, grouped by their degree-conferring college; guests will sit in the Schoellkopf Crescent. Graduates can invite up to eight guests to the stadium ceremony; tickets for guests are required.

Each college’s degree candidates will rise when instructed; Pollack will formally confer degrees en masse.

In addition to Commencement, graduates and guests are invited to attend smaller college, school and department ceremonies, to be held across campus.

The University Ph.D. Recognition Ceremony will be held Friday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m. in Barton Hall; the event will be livestreamed.

The ROTC Tri-Service Commissioning ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 24, at 9 a.m. in Statler Auditorium; the event will be livestreamed.

Commencement ceremonies will take place outdoors at Schoellkopf Field even in the event of rain. Attendees should be prepared to sit in hot sun or rain; umbrellas are allowed in the stadium. If the weather poses danger, the ceremonies will be canceled and will not be rescheduled. Updates on delays and cancellation will be available at Cornell’s website.

Senior Days are May 18-23. Events include Senior Convocation, with actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani as keynote speaker, on Thursday, May 23, from 1-2:30 p.m. in Barton Hall. More information is available on the Student and Campus Life website.

The schedule of ceremonies at Schoellkopf Field is as follows:

Saturday, May 25

Ceremony One – 10 a.m.

The stadium gates will open at 8 a.m.; the academic procession will start at 9 a.m.

Colleges and schools:

  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
  • College of Human Ecology
  • Cornell Graduate School (review list of fields to attend)
  • Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
  • Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration
  • Cornell Tech
  • Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
  • School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Ceremony Two – 2:30 p.m.

Stadium gates will open at 12:30 p.m.; the academic procession will start at 1:30.

Colleges and schools:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • College of Engineering
  • College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science
  • Cornell Graduate School (review list of fields to attend)
  • Cornell Law School

Transportation, parking and security

Campus parking is free from the morning of Friday, May 24, through 5 p.m. Monday, May 27. Central campus roads will be closed on Saturday, May 25, to ensure pedestrians’ safety. Guests are encouraged to park in the outlying large parking lots and ride the free shuttles to Schoellkopf Field for Commencement. Please review the parking and directions website for parking, buses and accessibility information.

The Cornell University Police will conduct bag-check security at Commencement ceremonies. Please review security measures for the weekend.

For more details, please check the Cornell Office of Commencement Events website.

 

Media Contact

Rebecca Valli