Commencement: Seating Tickets and What to Wear

Seating Tickets
A maximum of eight (8) tickets are available to each graduating student. Graduating students may request tickets by completing and returning to the Division of Student Life, the the “Reply Card" that was enclosed in the packet mailed to all degree candidates in late March. The deadline to return the card is Monday, April 14.

Only January degree candidates may ask to receive seating tickets through the mail. Write your address on the “Reply Card” found in your Commencement packet and return it to the Division of Student Life in the Cowell Building no later than Monday, April 14. During the last week of April, seating tickets will be mailed to students with cleared accounts.

Tickets are required only for guests sitting in the reserved seating area. Tickets are not required for graduating students participating in the ceremony or for lawn seating behind the reserved seating area.

There will be NO tickets available on the day of the ceremony and no one will be admitted to the seating area without a ticket. A ticket does not guarantee a seat.

If you have extra tickets, please consider giving them to students who have larger families. You can arrange this via email to your classmates before rehearsal or meet with students immediately after rehearsal on May 16, to give your extra tickets away to students or pick up extra tickets from students who have extra.

All guests must be seated prior to the processioinal and no one is allowed to enter the seating area during the processional. Seating is considered "open" after the processional and invocation, if seats are available.

If tickets are lost, your guests will not be able to enter the reserved seating area until after the ceremony begins and seating is not guaranteed.

In order for you and your guests to have the most enjoyable experience possible, please coordinate the distribution of your seating tickets with your guests well before the ceremony day and please tell your guests to be seated by 9:45 am! Seating tickets cannot be left for guests at the front gate house.

Important: Commencement seating tickets will not be released until all Student Account bills are paid.

Note: No smoking is allowed in the seating or stage area. No pets are allowed at the ceremony or the reception. Cell phones must be turned off during the ceremony.

Deadline: Pick up seating tickets from the Division of Student Life after you return your Reply Card. No tickets will be available after 4:30 pm, Friday, May 16.

For Guests with Disabilities
If your guests, require special seating due to a disability, please contact Emily Tallman, etallman@mills.edu, 510.430.3230, prior to picking up your seating tickets. In some cases, pre-approved special seating tickets for your disabled guests will be available. Guests in wheelchairs must also have a seating ticket. Any special seating requests will require a “disability seating” ticket, that you will pick up as part of your 8 tickets from the Division of Student Life.

Note: Deadline for ordering disability tickets is Thursday, May 1 but you can pick them up as late as the May 16 deadline.

What to Wear
The Commencement ceremony will be held outside on Toyon Meadow, rain or shine. Advise guests to bring brimmed hats, sunglasses, umbrellas, sunscreen, and bottled water to Commencement for their several hours in the sun. If it looks like rain, they should bring appropriate rain gear.

Academic regalia are required for all students who participate in the Commencement ceremony. Students may not march without academic regalia. Purchase regalia well before Commencent day, from the Mills College Bookstore.