Commencement ceremonies require tickets, which must be reserved in advance. This helps ensure that all graduates are able to include loved ones in celebrating their accomplishments. Graduates receive information on registering for tickets over the graduating students email newsletter, generally in late March or early April.
Events requiring tickets
Wednesday, May 28 (Class Day):
- GSD Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address
- Each graduate receives up to two Guest Tickets
- Each graduate will receive a Graduate Credential for ceremony access and will not need a Guest Ticket of their own
- Please note that on Class Day graduates sit with their families in the audience, which is the reason ticket capacity at this event is more limited than at the Diploma Ceremony.
Thursday, May 29 (Commencement Day):
- Morning Exercises in Harvard Yard
- Each graduate receives up to two Guest Tickets
- Each graduate will receive a Graduate Credential for ceremony access and will not need a Guest Ticket of their own
- GSD Lunch
- Advance registration is required
- GSD Diploma Ceremony
- Each graduate receives up to three Guest Tickets
- Each graduate will receive a Graduate Credential for ceremony access and will not need a Guest Ticket of their own
Additional ticketing options
- Standby Tickets
- For GSD ceremonies only, we will have Standby Tickets available to help accommodate additional guests.
- Standby Ticket guests wait in a separate line until guests with Guest Tickets have entered.
- Standby Ticket guests are not guaranteed a seat or space under the tent, but are welcome to sit if chairs are still available.
- Standby Tickets are available only for the GSD Diploma Ceremony and for the GSD Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address.
- Wait List
- We maintain wait lists for Class Day and Commencement Day ceremonies held on the GSD campus, for the potential opportunity to upgrade a Standby Ticket to a full Guest Ticket. We cannot guarantee additional Guest Tickets becoming available.
- Please note that the University ceremony in Harvard Yard very rarely has wait list tickets available.
What is guaranteed with a ticket
- Harvard Yard University-wide ceremony on Thursday morning:
- A Guest Ticket guarantees entry to the Yard but does not guarantee a seat.
- Note that no guest seating or standing areas in Harvard Yard are under tents.
- GSD Class Day and Diploma ceremonies on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons:
- A standard Guest Ticket guarantees a seat under the tent, for guests arriving until the time Standby Ticket guests are allowed in.
- A Standby Ticket does not guarantee a seat or space under the tent.
Piper Auditorium webcast viewing
The GSD ceremonies on Class Day and Commencement, and the Harvard Yard ceremony on Commencement, are also live webcast and viewable from Piper Auditorium in Gund Hall. Guests should carry their ticket (whether a standard Guest Ticket or Standby Ticket) in Piper Auditorium, and guests may be asked to show their ticket. A ticket to that day’s GSD ceremony will also serve as a ticket in Piper.
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.
The GSD’s Class Day and Commencement ceremonies will be held in the Gund Hall back yard (Gund Garden).
- The ceremonies will take place outdoors, primarily on grassy terrain, under the cover of a tent.
- Ticketed guest seating is general admission, aside from seats in the section reserved for those with accessibility needs and their companions.
- The standard Guest Tickets guarantee a seat under the GSD tent, but Standby Tickets do not guarantee either a seat or space under the tent.
- Ceremony speakers will use microphones and speak from a podium.
- Live webcasts with captioning, including translations, will be available to view on personal devices.
- Restrooms are available inside Gund Hall prior to tent entry, and within the ticketed tent area in the form of portable bathrooms, including a wheelchair accessible unit.
Graduates will have the opportunity to request modified arrangements for guests who are elderly, disabled, attending with babies, or have other specific access needs to fully participate in the events. Guests who need modified arrangements should discuss their needs with their graduate. We recommend graduates request modified arrangements at the same time as they register for tickets for their guests.
The GSD’s Commencement team also coordinates any accessibility arrangements needed for our graduates or their guests at the Harvard Yard ceremony on the morning of May 29.
Some of the accessibility arrangement options for GSD events that can be made available with sufficient advance request can include:
- Reserved accessible seating for graduates or guests
- Accessible parking
- American Sign Language interpreters
- Assisted Listening Devices (ALDs)
- Modified format programs (such as large print or pdf)
- Sighted guide or escort to reserved accessible seating
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.
Hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in the Cambridge area will become fully booked well in advance of Commencement. Because there are many other colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area with their own graduation festivities at the same time of year, it can become challenging to locate places to stay as the date gets closer. We recommend making reservations for guest lodging as soon as possible. If possible, we advise making reservations that can be cancelled later on, when booking early.
Check not only hotels right in Harvard Square (which may already be booked or have high prices due to the high demand) but also surrounding locations. Guests may want to consider hotels that are located on the MBTA public transit system, which opens up areas of Boston and other nearby communities, such as Somerville, Medford, Arlington, and Watertown. Harvard is easily accessible on the MBTA red line subway and by several major bus routes. Public transportation options also include various taxicab and ride-share services.
The University Commencement office has created a list of some nearby hotels, which may be helpful in your planning.
