Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Summer 2025, fall 2025, and spring 2026 graduates are eligible to participate in the 2026 Commencement ceremony. Students should contact their respective schools to confirm that requirements to graduate have been met.

Students graduating in summer 2026 or fall 2026 are also welcome to participate in the 2026 Commencement ceremony, but their names won’t appear in the Commencement book until 2027.

Yes. Mid-year (December) graduates, past or upcoming summer graduates, and even previous graduates who were unable to attend their year's ceremony are all welcome at Commencement. Only summer 2025, fall 2025, and spring 2026 graduates have the option to have their names printed in the 2026 Commencement book.

Students graduating in summer 2026 or fall 2026 are welcome to participate in the May 2026 Commencement ceremony. Their names will be included in the 2027 Commencement book.

Yes. Previous graduates who were unable to attend their years’ ceremonies are all welcome at Commencement. All graduates must wear appropriate regalia to Walk the Hill and participate in the ceremony.

Students should contact their respective schools to confirm that the requirements to graduate have been met and to finalize details. All students who plan to graduate must complete an Application for Graduation. Follow the instructions on the Prepare page.

Short answer: No.

Students should ensure that they have applied for graduation through Enroll & Pay in consultation with their academic advisor. If your individual department is holding a recognition ceremony, you may need to register or RSVP with your academic unit for that event. Commencement for the entire university is open to all graduates, and registration is not required. 

The Commencement ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the procession down the Hill, followed by remarks and recognitions, conferral of degrees, then the recessional. The procession takes just over an hour, and the formal program inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is approximately 35 minutes long.

Graduates should assemble on Memorial Drive by 10 a.m. The ceremony should conclude by 12:30 p.m. Visit the About the Ceremony page for more information about the Commencement order of exercises.

The top 10% of undergraduates, as calculated by GPA, graduate with distinction. Roughly a third of those students graduate with the highest distinction. An average of 10 seniors also have their academic, volunteer, and leadership accomplishments recognized with a University Award.

Ask your advisor any graduation-related questions about distinction and honors. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) restricts parents or guardians from access to this information.

Contact the Office of the University Registrar.

Contact your advisor as soon as possible to file an application offline. You can still participate in the procession and attend the Commencement ceremony, but your name will not be listed in the Commencement book.

Graduates can Walk the Hill and attend the Commencement ceremony even if they didn’t fill out an AFG (for example, if they plan to complete their degree requirements the following summer or fall). However, if you will complete your degree requirements in the spring but miss the AFG deadline, your name will not appear in the Commencement book.

Contact your school or department. You will need to fill out another AFG when your new graduation date is determined.

Many academic units and student organizations hold recognition ceremonies in the month of May. Check the Events page for dates, times, and locations, or contact your department directly.

Find a complete list of school and department ceremonies at this page.

No, that will take place at your individual school or department ceremony.

Contact your school or department for details about their recognition ceremony.

Contact your school or department learn about any parameters around their recognition ceremony.

Participants must wear academic regalia at the KU Commencement ceremony, as well as any school, college, or departmental recognition events unless otherwise noted. Regalia include mortarboards, tams, gowns, tassels, and hoods. Optional commemorative crimson and blue tassels and Jayhawk zipper-pulls are also available.

Attend one of KU’s Grad Fairs to purchase regalia. Cap and gown portraits will also be available, and KU staff will be available to advise you on the required regalia for your specific graduation circumstances. Visit the Prepare page for more details about KU’s Grad Fairs and regalia.

Honor cords and medallions are distributed by individual schools or programs and are not for sale at the KU Bookstore. Ask your advisor any graduation-related questions about distinction and honors. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) restricts parents or guardians from access to this information.

Students on all KU campuses can have their diplomas mailed to them or pick up their diplomas in person. If you want your diploma mailed to you, you must complete the “Diploma Delivery Request” function within Enroll & Pay, ensure that the mailing address on file is up to date, and pay the related fee. Students are notified via email when their diploma has been mailed or when it is ready for pick-up from 1502 Iowa, generally around August 1.

Summer 2025, fall 2025, and spring 2026 graduates who completed their Application for Graduation by the deadline and did not check the Commencement Book Hold box will be listed in the 2026 Commencement book. 

Complimentary souvenir books, which contain the names of summer and fall graduates as well as spring degree candidates, are available to guests at entrances to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium while supplies last. Copies will be available for graduates to collect at the top of the Hill and near entrances to the stadium. Requests for printed books prepared with large print or Braille must be sent to commencement@ku.edu by mid-April. 

Yes. If you did not pick up a Commencement book at the ceremony, you can email commencement@ku.edu after the ceremony to request that one be mailed to you. (Our ability to send books depends on their availability after Commencement has concluded.)

If you are in the Lawrence area, you can also pick up a copy of the Commencement book at Watson Library, Anschutz Library, or the Jayhawk Welcome Center beginning the week after Commencement.

David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is under construction in preparation for the new Gateway District project. Only sections 18 through 26 on the east side (equal to 17,668 shoulder-to-shoulder bleacher seats) will be available for use during Commencement. There will also be some overflow seating on the field.

Based on the number of graduates we expect to participate in the 2026 Commencement ceremony and the number of seats available at Memorial Stadium, we ask that each graduate limit the number of guests attending the ceremony to six individuals.

The event will also be livestreamed on the Commencement website for people to stream from their personal devices.

No. Tickets are not required for guests to attend Commencement. However, due to construction at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, a limited number of seats are available. We ask that each graduate limit the number of guests attending the ceremony to six individuals.

Graduates will begin lining up on Memorial Drive at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 17. The walk will begin at 10:30 a.m. Most participants will walk with fellow graduates from their program or school, following one of two parallel paths down the Hill. Visit the Attend page for more information about which path students will take through the campanile.

The procession will also be broadcast onto the videoboard inside Memorial Stadium for any guests who prefer to watch from the stands. Memorial Stadium will open to guests at 9 a.m.

No, pets are not allowed in buildings on KU’s Lawrence campus, including David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Service animals are permitted. For more information, see KU’s Animals in Buildings policy.

Memorial Stadium is a fully accessible facility with open limited-mobility and wheelchair seating that can be claimed by guests on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to ongoing construction at the stadium, accessible seating will be limited in the stands (sections 22, 24, and 26) and on the field, and only one elevator will be operational. Alternate viewing locations (at the Kansas Memorial Union and the Jayhawk Welcome Center, both of which meet all ADA requirements) will be available for guests who prefer not to enter the stadium. There will also be a livestream of the event that friends, family, and loved ones can watch from their personal devices.

A limited number of accessible restrooms will be available in the east concourse of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, as well as accessible port-a-potties nearby. Limited concessions will be for sale at the stadium.

Any guest with a state-issued hangtag or license plate can use one of KU's disability parking stalls, which are available on the east side of Memorial Stadium and across campus. To accommodate limited mobility guests without such permits, accessible drop-off areas are also available on the east side of Memorial Stadium. A complimentary shuttle service begins at 8 a.m. Sunday and ends at 2 p.m. (Visit our Attend page for more details about transportation and parking on Commencement day.) For wheelchair accessibility, request a paratransit vehicle from any bus driver.

A sign language interpreter will be present on the platform during the Commencement ceremony and visible on the stadium's video screen. The ceremony will also be broadcast live with captions at the Jayhawk Welcome Center, the Kansas Memorial Union, and on the Commencement website.

Yes. The ceremony will be livestreamed at the Jayhawk Welcome Center and the Kansas Memorial Union, which are air-conditioned, ADA compliant locations. Guests who do not wish to enter the stadium can watch the proceedings from one of these sites. There will also be a livestream of the event on the homepage of this Commencement website, which anyone can watch from their personal device.

The Commencement livestream will be live on the Commencement website homepage on Sunday, May 17. If guests do not see the livestream on the morning of the event, they may need to refresh the page. The livestream will also be broadcast at the Jayhawk Welcome Center and the Kansas Memorial Union.

Yes. From 1 p.m. on Friday to noon on Monday, parking is free in many lots and all garages. Any guest with a state-issued disability hang tag or license plate can use one of KU’s accessible parking stalls, which are available across campus. To accommodate limited-mobility guests without such permits, accessible drop-off areas will be available on the east side of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (1101 Mississippi St.) on Commencement day.

Alternately, a complimentary shuttle service covering campus lots and downtown Lawrence begins at 8 a.m. Sunday and ends at 2 p.m. Buses labeled “Commencement” will pick up guests at designated bus stops at 900 New Hampshire St., the intersection of 6th Street and New Hampshire Street, and the intersection of 8th Street and Vermont Street and take them to Memorial Stadium for the ceremony. For wheelchair accessibility, request a paratransit vehicle from any bus driver. Visit our Attend page for maps of bus routes and other transportation details.

On the Attend page, you’ll find two maps to help you find your way around. The Commencement Google Map shows bus stops and shuttle routes, construction areas to avoid around Lawrence, and the locations of certain campus amenities. The stadium map includes where and in what order graduates line up on Sunday, where to pick up your free Commencement book, information about road closures and drop-off locations, and where to find parking, restrooms, elevators, and more.

A limited number of accessible restrooms will be available in the east concourse of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, as well as accessible port-a-potties nearby. Additionally, Snow Hall, Strong Hall, and Bailey Hall will be open on the day of Commencement to give guests access to more nearby restrooms.

Yes, limited concessions will be for sale at the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Additionally, the Kansas Memorial Union will be open, where you can find a convenience store, coffee shop, cafeteria, and bookstore, as well as accessible restrooms.

Paramedics and an ambulance will be available at Memorial Stadium beginning at 9 a.m. The medical aid station is at the southeast corner of the stadium, in the inner concourse at Section 23. Fire and medical units will also be in the stands on the east side of the stadium.

As set by the Kansas Board of Regents, the Commencement date for 2027 graduates will be May 16, 2027. Commencement dates for future years are listed on the Registrar’s website.

The University of Kansas YouTube page contains videos of many past Commencement events, both full ceremonies and highlights. Once the 2026 ceremony has concluded, the event will be uploaded to the channel for future viewing.