Commencement 2025

A graduate with a diploma walks in front of other seated graduates

Commencement 2025 was held on Wednesday, May 28 (Class Day) and Thursday, May 29 (Commencement Ceremonies). We took pride in celebrating our graduating students along with family and friends. Please find information about our Commencement celebrations and helpful logistics below.

Related Links

Overview

Wednesday, May 28, Class Day:

Thursday, May 29, Commencement Day:

Information for Guests

Guest tickets

Tickets are required for commencement ceremonies and must be reserved in advance. This process helps ensure that all graduates can include loved ones in celebrating their achievements. Information about ticket registration is shared with graduating students via the email newsletter, typically in late March or early April.

Events requiring tickets

Wednesday, May 28 (Class Day):

Thursday, May 29 (Commencement Day):

Additional ticketing options

What is guaranteed with a ticket

Piper Auditorium webcast viewing

The GSD ceremonies on Class Day and Commencement, as well as the Harvard Yard ceremony on Commencement Day, will be live webcast and can be viewed from Piper Auditorium in Gund Hall. Guests should bring their ticket (either a standard Guest Ticket or a Standby Ticket) when attending the viewing in Piper Auditorium, as they may be asked to present it. A ticket for that day’s GSD ceremony will also serve as admission to Piper Auditorium.

Live webcasts and language options

Key events, including the GSD’s Diploma Ceremony, the GSD’s Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address, and the Harvard Yard university-wide ceremony, will also be available by live public webcast for anyone unable to attend in person.

The GSD’s webcasts will include live English captions. Simultaneous automated translated captions will be available on separate links in multiple languages. These can be viewed on cell phones by those attending in person, as well as being available for remote viewers of the livestreams. Languages typically include Chinese – Traditional, Chinese – Simplified, Hindi, Korean, and Spanish. With advanced notice, additional languages may be available on request.

Guest access to the Harvard wireless internet network can be accessed at the guest wifi information page.

Guest Policy and Guidelines

Policies for GSD ceremonies and events during Commencement Week:

Harvard University policies for Morning Exercises in Harvard Yard can be viewed on the University’s Important Guest Information page. Choose the tab labeled Yard Policies.

Accessibility

The GSD’s Class Day and Commencement ceremonies will take place in the Gund Hall backyard (Gund Garden).

Graduates may request modified arrangements for guests who are elderly, have disabilities, are attending with babies, or have other specific access needs to ensure full participation in the events. Guests with such needs should communicate them to their graduate, and we encourage graduates to request modified arrangements when registering for guest tickets.

The GSD Commencement team also coordinates accessibility arrangements for graduates or their guests attending the Harvard Yard ceremony on the morning of May 29.

With sufficient advance notice, the following accessibility options may be arranged for GSD events:

If you have any questions about accessibility or want to request specific arrangements, please reach out as early as possible so we can help ensure a smooth experience.

 

Service Animals

Whether you are a graduating student or a guest, service animals—as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—are allowed at Commencement ceremonies. Pet dogs and all other animals are prohibited from University and GSD Commencement ceremonies. 

Lodging options

Hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in the Cambridge area typically fill up well in advance of Commencement. With many other colleges and universities in Greater Boston holding their own graduation ceremonies around the same time, finding accommodations can become increasingly difficult as the date approaches. To ensure the best options for guest lodging, we strongly recommend making reservations as early as possible. If you book early, try to choose accommodations with flexible cancellation policies whenever possible.

In addition to checking hotels in Harvard Square—which may already have limited availability or higher prices due to high demand—we encourage you to explore nearby areas. Hotels located along the MBTA public transit system greatly expand your options, making it easy to access Harvard from various neighborhoods in Boston and surrounding communities such as Somerville, Medford, Arlington, and Watertown. Harvard is easily reached via the MBTA Red Line and several major bus routes, as well as taxicab and ride-share services.

The University Commencement Office has compiled a list of nearby hotels to assist with your planning.

Information for Graduates

Detailed schedule

The anticipated detailed schedule for Class Day and Commencement is below. Please note that these specifics are subject to potential change.

Please note that many of these events are restricted to ticketed or pre-registered guests. Information about ticketing is at the top of this page.

Wednesday, May 28, Class Day:

Thursday, May 29, Commencement Day:

Visa support letters for international guests

If your guest(s) require a visa support letter in order to travel to Cambridge to participate in Commencement, please use our visa support letter request form (HarvardKey login required). The GSD can provide an official letter to the US consulate in your guest’s home country, officially supporting the visa application.

You and your guests may want to review the Harvard International Office page on inviting guests to visit the US for additional information that may be helpful in preparing for the visa application. Your guests may also wish to check the relevant US consulate’s website and begin the process of requesting a visa appointment early, as some consulates have significant average wait times. If your guests are assigned an appointment that is too late for their Commencement travel timeline, they should keep that appointment in case any chance arises for them to move the appointment timing sooner.

Please note that a visa support letter from the GSD is not an official letter of invitation, and it does not guarantee a guest a ticket to attend any specific ceremonies or events. The GSD cannot provide formal graduation announcement letters or invitations.

Regalia

Harvard requires all graduates to wear official regalia (cap and gown) in order to participate in Commencement ceremonies.

Regalia Rental

Graduates may order rental regalia through the Harvard COOP and partner vendor Herff Jones. The firm deadline to order regalia for Harvard COOP pickup was Thursday, April 10. Graduates will be able to pick up their regalia from the Harvard Square Coop during regalia distribution in May.

If you are no longer graduating or attending Commencement this year, regalia order cancellations will receive a full refund up until the day before Commencement. Please order regalia if there is any chance at all that you will be participating in Commencement, and you can cancel the order later once you become certain you will not be attending.

For specific regalia rental questions please directly contact [email protected].

Regalia Accessories

Only regalia accessories provided by Harvard University such as pins, tassels, and cords are approved for use during Commencement Exercises. Graduates are not permitted to bring signs, flags, or other large items into Harvard Yard on Commencement Day. Please note that graduates wearing regalia accessories not issued by the University may be asked to remove them before participating in any official Commencement events.

Student Orations Competition

One of the oldest traditions of the Morning Exercises of Commencement is the Orations Competition in which three students chosen by a panel of judges deliver an address from memory. Each year, one of these three students is a representative of one of Harvard’s graduate and professional schools.

For 2025, an information session was held on March 3, with speech submission deadline of March 28. Graduating students interested in applying to deliver the graduate student address will find further information on the university Commencement website.

Public Health

Public Health

By registering to participate in Commencement, graduates and their guests agree to abide by all state, local, Harvard University, and Harvard GSD public health guidelines and protocols that may be in place at the time you come to campus, including those potentially related to COVID-19.

The University does not expect to implement any public health restrictions for Commencement 2025. Should any such policies become necessary, they will be communicated in advance to graduates.

Questions?

For further questions about Commencement, please contact [email protected].

Email GSD Commencement
Harvard University Commencement Site