General Ticket Information
Ticket ordering for the June, 2026, ceremonies will open in late February, 2026.
- Only eligible students can order tickets. Log-in instructions for the NU Graduation ticket website are sent to eligible students via email. If you have not received instructions when the ticketing website opens in late February, please send an email to the Graduation Office (graduation@northwestern.edu) noting your school name.
- Graduates are invited to 2 ceremonies: the all-University Commencement ceremony and your school convocation (or departmental ceremony for some graduate programs). If you are a dual degree student, you may be invited to an additional ceremony.
- Your school convocation is where you will cross the stage and hear your name read; no one crosses the stage at Commencement and there is no individual graduate recognition at that ceremony. You need separate tickets for these ceremonies because they are two separate events.
- If you are a graduate student whose program has a departmental ceremony instead of participating in a school-wide ceremony (e.g., School of Communication Master’s programs and the TGS/Feinberg Master’s programs), your department will communicate arrangements with you directly.
- For additional general information please see the Graduation Basics page
Who needs Tickets?
- Graduates DO NOT need a ticket for themselves, only tickets for their guests.
- All guests must have an e-ticket displayed on a device or a hard copy printed ticket when entering graduation venues.
- Children 3 and under who will sit in a caregiver’s lap do not need tickets; if children are going to occupy a seat they need a ticket.
How many tickets can I order?
One ordering period
- If you are a graduate of Bienen, Family Institute, McCormick (Undergraduate OR Graduate/PhD ceremonies), Medill, School of Communication, School of Education & Social Policy, School of Professional Studies, and The Graduate School, you will be able to claim up to 8 guest tickets during the ordering period.
Ticketing in rounds
- If you are a graduate of Weinberg or Kellogg, your ticketing will be done in two rounds. Ticketing in rounds allows graduates to order part of their allotment in Round 1, and if needed, the rest of the allotment in Round 2. Graduates can only order the number of tickets allowed in that round and cannot retroactively order tickets from previous rounds. Ticketing is done in rounds for these ceremonies because venue capacity is limited.
- We are currently anticipating that graduates will be able to order up to 6 tickets for Weinberg and Kellogg ceremonies as long as they log in and order the tickets during the posted rounds. This number may be revised as the number of graduates solidifies.
- Complete instructions and dates for the ticketing in rounds will be available closer to the launch of tickets in late February, 2026.
Commencement at the United Center
- Commencement ticketing will be done in two rounds. Ticketing in rounds allows graduates to order part of their allotment in Round 1, and if needed, the rest of the allotment in Round 2. Graduates can only order the number of tickets allowed in that round and cannot retroactively order tickets from previous rounds. Ticketing is done in rounds for Commencement because capacity at the United Center is limited.
- We are currently anticipating that graduates will be able to order up to 6 tickets for Commencement as long as they log in and order the tickets during the posted rounds.
- Complete instructions and dates for the ticketing in rounds will be available closer to the launch of tickets in late February, 2026.
Waitlist Tickets for All Ceremonies
You may request additional tickets through the Waitlist Tickets feature. The pool of waitlist tickets is made up of tickets not claimed during the initial ordering period(s) or returned by graduates whose guests can no longer attend. Waitlist tickets are directly tied to capacity, and it is not guaranteed that you will receive your requested waitlist tickets. When calculating how many people you can invite to graduation, you should not assume that you will receive waitlist tickets.
If you do receive notification that you have been awarded waitlist tickets, you have 72 hours to log into your ticket account and complete your cart to accept the tickets. Tickets not claimed within 72 hours will be returned to the waitlist pool to be distributed to another graduate.
Selling Tickets
Selling graduation tickets is strictly prohibited. If we find out that you are selling tickets for a profit, all tickets in your order will be revoked.
Accessibility Accommodations
Requesting seating for a guest who uses a wheelchair/mobility scooter
All tickets to all ceremonies are general admission. When ordering tickets, the system will prompt you to enter how many guests in your party require accessible seating for a guest who uses a wheelchair or a mobility scooter. Please note: every wheelchair space has one companion seat included. Because these spaces are limited and in high demand, we are not able to seat entire parties together in accessible areas.
If you need other accessibility accommodations, please see our Accessibility page for instructions.
Questions?
Please contact the Graduation Office if you have additional questions.