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

Steps to Commencement

Class of 2025

Rutgers University–New Brunswick and Rutgers Health Commencement will be held Sunday, May 18, 2025 at SHI Stadium. 

Review the Day of Instructions for Graduates for detailed information.

  • 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 Health 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 & Rutgers Health Commencement ceremony in May.

    Most students who expect to receive degrees in October 2024, January 2025, May 2025, or August 2025 are eligible to participate in the May 2025 school-based convocations and Commencement events. This may vary by school. Contact your school directly with questions.

  • 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 259th 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. Link will be provided in February.

    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. 

  • 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.

  • NEW FOR 2025

    ***Tickets will be required, and new security procedures will be implemented.***

    • Download and share the Commencement Save the Date with family and friends. 
    • Your school may provide digital or printed convocation announcements. Please visit the School Convocation page to link to your school's website.
    • Rutgers-NB graduates who wish to invite a member of their family to come to the United States on a B-2 visitor visa are encouraged to request a Commencement Invite Request Form from the Rutgers registrar's office. 
    • Personalized announcements may be ordered through Herff Jones, Inc.

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

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

    • Dates to be announced.

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

    Photography Opportunities: On Commencement day, as you head to the assembly area, ProPics will be on-site at the Red Lion Bell, offering free casual photos. Your photos will be sent directly to your phone, so you can share your special moments instantly!

    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!

    • Learn more about SHI Stadium, where Commencement will be held
    • Visit the Accessibility page where graduates and guests with disabilities or those requiring other accommodations for Commencement will find information on special-needs parking, seating, alternative viewing options and more
    • Post your Commencement photos on social media with AR stickers from our Show Your Scarlet Pride page and use our official hashtag #RU2025

Day of – Apparel, Parking, and More.

  • Dress for the weather. Choose clothing with pockets (to place your belongings), wear comfortable shoes / low heels (there is a lot of walking required), use sunscreen (avoid sunburn), and bring sunglasses if needed.
  • Place your parking hangtags in your vehicle and remind your guests to do the same.
  • No outside food is allowed at the Stadium, some concessions will be open. Water will be provided in the assembly area.
  • The SHI Stadium Bag Policy will be strictly enforced.
Students at Commencement 2023

Day of – Timing

Times may vary for 2025.

7 a.m.:

  • Shuttle buses start running.

8 a.m.:

  • Stadium gates open. Allow at extra time to park and get to SHI Stadium.

9 a.m.:  

  • All graduates should plan to be inside the stadium. Upon arrival, leave your guests to find seats and then head to the south end, to the assembly area. Volunteers in red T-shirts can provide direction.
  • Have your photo taken as you ring the Red Lion Bell to signify departure from Rutgers and visit with the Cannon Crew!
  • Take the stairs from the south concourse down to the assembly area. An elevator is available for mobility-challenged students.
  • When you arrive in the assembly area, bottles of water and restrooms are available.
  • You will be directed to stand with your school (if graduating from more than one school, choose your preference.) In your school corral, receive your school's spirit maker.
  • As you wait, enjoy the shout out videos!

10 a.m.:

  • Ceremony begins with processional.
  • Graduates should walk in an orderly, single file line to follow their school to the assigned seating area. Commencement Marshals will direct you to your seat on the field, grouped by academic units. If you want to sit with friends, ensure they are in front or behind you during the procession.
  • Smile, you're on camera!
  • Be seated until asked to rise for The National Anthem. For safety, do not stand on seats or block aisles.
  • During the ceremony, after the student speaker's address, chancellors will read out schools names and degrees offered. Graduates, here is your chance to show your school pride! Stand and waive spirit maker as your school is called and remain standing throughout degree conferral.
  • When the president confers degrees, it's time to move your tassel! The cannon will fire to signal this special moment at Rutgers.

12:00 p.m.:

  • Ceremony concludes.
  • Depart to the nearest set of stairs to meet your family outside the stadium.
  • Congratulations Rutgers Grad! You made it! 
Procession
Students at Commencement 2023
Procession

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.

Commencement Parking Information

Curbside drop-off is strictly prohibited at SHI Stadium. Please plan accordingly. 

Commencement hangtags are not needed for academic convocations and receptions held on other days.

Parking & Transportation
cars next to a parking sign