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Events

The Language We Use to Celebrate Our Graduates

  • Commencement* is the-all Northwestern ceremony where the graduating class is commemorated as a whole. During the ceremony, student, faculty and guest speakers will address graduates and their families. No one crosses the stage at this ceremony and no names are read. All faculty and students wear regalia to participate. Commencement is held once a year in June, and all PhD, Graduate, and Undergraduate students who earn their degree during the academic year or who are participating in their school convocation during the June ceremonies are invited to order tickets.
  • Convocations* at Northwestern are hosted by individual schools. Students cross the stage and hear their names read at these ceremonies. School-wide convocations are ticketed events.

    Some Master’s programs do not participate in a school-wide ceremony and hold their own departmental ceremonies instead, including the School of Communication Master’s programs and the TGS/Feinberg Master’s programs. Many of these ceremonies do not require tickets. These ceremonies are not coordinated through the Graduation office and you will receive specific information from your program with ceremony details.
  • Celebrations are events surrounding Commencement and Convocations that seek to recognize aspects of our graduates’ identities and Northwestern experience.

View the 2025 Commencement schedule

View the 2025 Convocation schedule

*Ticketed event. Students will need to reserve a separate set of tickets for each ticketed event they plan to attend.