Rutgers logo
Commencement
Rutgers logo
Commencement
Rutgers logo
Commencement
Rutgers logo
Commencement
Steps to Commencement graphic

Steps to Commencement

Congratulations Class of 2023

Rutgers University–New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Commencement will be held Sunday, May 14, 2023. 

  • Stay in communication with your school. 

    • Rutgers University­–New Brunswick Students: Log in to Degree Navigator, or other degree auditing tools, to ensure you are on track to complete your degree. If you notice any discrepancies, please contact your academic adviser immediately.
    • Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Schools Students: Contact your dean’s office directly for graduation requirements.

    Complete the Online Diploma Application and confirm your graduation date. 

    • Rutgers–New Brunswick Students: You must complete an Online Diploma Application with the Office of the Registrar. Confirm the name you would like displayed on your diploma and the correct permanent mailing address is on file so that you receive your diploma after graduation. Diploma's are mailed from the Office of the Registrar two to three months after Commencement.
    • Confirm that you are classified to complete your degree during the correct month and year.

    Mid-year degree recipients can attend the RU–NB & RBHS Commencement ceremony in May.

    Most students who expect to receive degrees in October 2022, January 2023, May 2023, or August 2023 are eligible to participate in the May 2023 school-based convocations and Commencement events. This may vary by school. Contact your school directly with questions.

  • Commencement parking hangtags are required for all New Brunswick and Piscataway campus lots on the day of Commencement. Permits issued by Rutgers DoT are not valid on Commencement Day. 

    • Registration will open on March 20, 2023, at 10 a.m., and will continue through April 17 at 10 a.m. Registered graduating students will receive two free parking hangtags —and remaining hangtags will be sold at a later date. Early registration is recommended.
    • Special Needs Parking will open in February and is available for guests and graduates with disabilities and those who are unable to walk ½ mile or more. Early registration is recommended.

  • All financial obligations to the university must be cleared before you can receive your diploma.

  • All students who plan to participate on the field at the stadium during the 257th Anniversary Commencement and in school-based Convocation ceremonies must wear academic regalia, consisting of cap, gown, and hood. Academic regalia is provided through Barnes & Noble at Rutgers.

    Rutgers–New Brunswick

    • Order by April 17 for ship to home. Allow 3 weeks for shipping.
    • Purchase in the store starting April 5, 2023.

    Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

    • Order online by April 17 for ship to home. Allow 3 weeks for shipping.

    Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

    • Order by April 17 for ship to home. Allow 3 weeks for shipping.

    Grad Fair will be held at Barnes & Noble on April 5 & 6 from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Join in the festivities, come for a complimentary professional headshot, and meet with representatives for purchasing class rings, diploma frames, personalized announcements and more!

    Honor society cords are distributed through the Dean's office of the school from which you are graduating. Information will be sent to students who are eligible for honor cords. Other recognition cords and stoles are available through specific departments or groups. 

    Please note: Academic regalia will NOT be sold at the stadium. Please plan ahead. 

  • No tickets are needed for Commencement! 

    • Download and share the Commencement Save the Date with family and friends.
    • Download and share the official Commencement Invitation.
    • Your school may provide digital or printed convocation announcements. Please visit the School Convocation page to link to your school's website.
    • Personalized announcements may be ordered through Herff Jones, Inc.

  • You've worked hard and it’s time to celebrate your accomplishment! 

    Film Your Shout Out! Say Thank You: Record a shout-out to the people that have supported you throughout your college career—it will appear on the stadium video board at Commencement! 

    Filming dates and times are as follows:

    Grad Fair: April 5 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
    106 Somerset Street (Next to Barnes & Noble), 4th Floor, New Brunswick

    Hot Dog Day: April 26 2-5 p.m.
    Graduate Student Lounge, College Avenue Student Center

    Rutgers Day: April 29 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
    Scott Hall on Voorhees Mall, College Avenue Campus

    Senior Portraits: Lors Photography is offering Senior Portrait Sessions at the College Avenue Student Center. Seniors were sent an email from Lors with details and links to book portrait sessions. If you did not receive an email, please email customerservices@lorsstudio.com or call 908-964-3040. *Please note: Graduates receive a free sitting only.

    Share Your Next Steps: Complete the survey from the Career Exploration and Success office about your post-graduation plans for your chance to be entered into a raffle to win your choice of Apple Air Pods or a $100 Amazon gift card!

  • Detailed information for attending the 257th Anniversary Commencement will be available in the Spring of 2023.

Purchase Regalia Today!

All students who plan to participate on the field at the stadium during the 257th Anniversary Commencement and in school-based Convocation ceremonies must wear academic regalia, consisting of cap, gown, and hood. Academic regalia is provided through Barnes & Noble at Rutgers.

Order online by April 17 for ship to home. Allow 3 weeks for shipping.

Purchase Today
Dancing grad sparkle red background

Shout Out Filming

Shout Out's are a fun way to say thank you to the people that have supported you throughout your college career—it will appear on the stadium video board at Commencement!

Join us:

Grad Fair

  • April 5 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
  • 106 Somerset Street, Next to Barnes & Noble, 4th Floor, New Brunswick

Hot Dog Day

  • April 26 2-5 p.m.
  • Graduate Student Lounge, College Avenue Student Center

Rutgers Day

  • April 29 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Scott Hall on Voorhees Mall, College Avenue Campus
What is a Shout Out?
Scarlet Knight Filming Shout Out

Grad Fair

Grad Fair will take place, April 5 and 6, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Barnes & Noble at Rutgers. Caps and gowns will be available for purchase. Visit with representative and see a selection of class rings, personalized announcements, diploma frames, and much more. 

Stop by 106 Somerset Street, right next to Barnes & Noble, and head to the 4th floor anytime 12 p.m.-4p.m., to record your Shout Out! It will be featured on the video board in the stadium at Commencement!

Barnes and Noble bookstore

Commencement vs. Convocation: What's the Difference

Commencement vs Convocation what's the difference, image of President Holloway in regalia, stars and diploma

Commencement vs. Convocation: What's the Difference

Rutgers Commencement Traditions

Ring the Red Lion Bell

The Red Lion Bell was gifted to Rutgers in 2011. It is named after the former tavern, the Sign of the Red Lion, where Rutgers held its first classes in the 1770s.

The gift triggered a new tradition at Rutgers. Students ring the bell at the beginning of their studies during New Student Convocation and at the end of their journeys at Commencement. 

Graduates are encouraged to ring the bell to signify their graduation before descending the stairs to the marshaling area.

Breaking Pipes

The breaking of clay pipes over the Class of 1877 Cannon in front of Old Queens symbolizes the breaking of ties with the college, and leaving behind the good times of one's undergraduate years.

The Rutgers University Mace

The university mace, an ornamental staff symbolizing the authority of the president, is borne before the president in academic processions by the secretary of the university. The design of the Rutgers mace incorporates signs of the institution’s traditions and status as New Jersey’s state university. The head of the mace bears the university’s coat of arms and its seal worked in colored enamel and gold on silver, all surmounted by a facsimile of the crown of Queen Charlotte, for whom the university was originally named “Queen’s.” The long shaft is made of stained wood and silver on which are engraved intertwining ivy leaves, symbolizing learning; red oak leaves, representing New Jersey’s state tree; and violets, the state flower.

The mace was a gift to the university from the Raritan Valley Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Management and the New Brunswick-Raritan Valley Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of Rutgers’ bicentennial commemoration in 1966. The mace was designed by J. Russell Price, director of design for the Gorham Manufacturing Company, and crafted by the Gorham silversmithing department.

On the Banks of the Old Raritan

In 1873, the Rutgers Glee Club commissioned Howard Fuller to write a formal alma mater that would inspire students and alumni. Fuller modified the song 30 years later. The Glee Club added verses in following decades as the university expanded and revised the piece in 2013 to reflect the composition of the modern student body. Whichever version you choose to sing, the song still stirs the hearts of loyal sons and daughters more than 140 years later.

Decorate Your Motarboard

Don't forget to decorate your mortarboard! The mortarboard is generally believed by scholars to have developed from the biretta, a similar-looking hat worn by Roman Catholic clergy. Today graduates personalize their graduation caps.

Think of your graduation cap as a blank canvas, where you can express yourself proudly. It’s the perfect place for an inspirational message, cute illustration, or photo scrapbook.

The Class of 1902 Memorial Gateway 

Students are warned to avoid walking beneath the gate before commencement over a superstition that one who does so will not graduate on time.

Before the move of Commencement to SHI Stadium, graduating students walked in academic procession though Old Queens down Will's Way as the Old Queens Bell rang out and under the Class of 1902 Memorial Gateway on Hamilton Street leading to the ceremonies  held on Voorhees Mall.