The School of Graduate Studies Hooding Recognition Ceremony & Reception for Ed.D., Ed.S. and Ph.D. graduates will be held on Friday, May 3 at 2 p.m. at Esbjornson Gymnasium.  During this ceremony, graduates will come to stage accompanied by their dissertation advisor or selected faculty member to be hooded.  Following the ceremony, graduates and guests are invited to a reception. Each graduate receives 4 guest tickets. 

The University Ceremony & Celebration will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 10 a.m. in Richard Wackar Stadium. 

The University Ceremony will be approximately 1 1/2 hours in length, and features President Houshmand’s address, the ceremonial conferral of degrees, messages from Commencement speakers, and exciting surprises. Following the ceremony, all graduates and guests are invited to a celebration with complimentary light bites, celebratory music, photo opportunities and a beer and wine garden (for a fee, ID required). Graduates, across all colleges, schools and degree levels are invited to participate.  The event is ticketed and each graduate will receive 6 guest tickets. 

In the case of extreme weather, the ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 3 p.m.

The celebration will follow the rescheduled ceremony.

Individual College Ceremonies will take place May 6-9, 2024, on the University Green at Bunce Hall.

At this event, each graduate will cross the stage, have their name read aloud, as well as, appear on the screens in the tent and on the live stream. 

In the case of extreme weather, each affected ceremony will occur in Esbjornson Gymnasium at the same date and time of the original ceremony.

College ceremonies will be approximately 1 1/2 hours from processional to recessional.

Registration is required for all commencement ceremonies.  Important to note: Applying to graduate DOES NOT register you to attend commencement.

How to register to participate in Commencement:

• Visit go.rowan.edu/commencementparticipation
• Log-in with RowanNetID to access the Marching Order graduate homepage, where you will see all ceremonies you are eligible to participate in.
• Complete the registration form for all ceremonies you wish to participate in. NOTE: Completing for one does not register you for all ceremonies.
• Be certain to select the number of guest tickets you would like to claim from the drop down in the ticket section of the registration form. 
• VERIFY ALL INFORMATION!
  •  Name, degree, phonetic spelling of name 
• After registration, select “access guest tickets” and email guests their tickets directly or download and print. 
• Don’t forget to share all your ceremony information with your friends & family. 

Sign-in to register and get your guest tickets to Commencement: go.rowan.edu/commencementparticipation

You will be prompted for your RowanNetID. Once logged in, you will be redirected to the Marching Order registration system.

• All ceremonies are ticketed events.
  
  
• Don’t delay! Tickets must be secured by April 5, 2024. After the deadline undeclared tickets (if any) will be available through a first come, first served distribution of tickets. More information is available here.

ALL Commencement Ceremonies are Ticketed Events

Every graduate who registers to participate at Commencement gains access to a specific allotment of guest tickets for each of their ceremonies. All tickets must be claimed by April 5, 2024. After this deadline, the Commencement Steering Committee will review space capacity and quantity of undeclared tickets to offer a first come, first served distribution of tickets. If there are tickets remaining for a ceremony, graduates (who registered by April 5, 2024) will receive an email notification on April 10, 2024 between 12pm and 1pm with information on how to secure additional tickets. Please note, the capacity at the University Green is greater than Esbjornson Gymnasium, so some tickets may only be valid for the University Green. 

The ticket quantity for each graduate is based on venue capacity and the total number of potential participants for each ceremony. While the number of tickets varies per ceremony, we do anticipate a first come, first served distribution for each ceremony. 

Commencement Tickets

Commencement is a time for celebration in honor of the achievements of each of our graduates.  In order to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to be formally recognized by their Rowan community, friends, and families, we require that graduates refrain from bringing additional parties with them as they walk across the stage to receive their diploma folder (i.e., no children, babies, or other loved ones; no pets). If you require the assistance of a personal attendant or service animal in walking across the stage, please email commencement@rowan.edu in advance of commencement.

Pets are prohibited on campus during commencement exercises.   Service Animals who are accompanied by their handlers are permitted at all times and places on campus except where such animals are prohibited due to health and safety restrictions in accordance with Rowan University’s Service and Emotional Support Animals Policy. 

https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Service+and+Emotional+Support+Animals+Policy

Graduates should refrain from carrying cell phones or other electronic devices across the stage.  The use of personal drones is likewise prohibited during commencement.  We look forward to celebrating with our graduates!

Live Stream

All ceremonies will be live-streamed on YouTube. Links for ceremony live streams will be posted on the commencement website in the days before the start of the ceremonies.

School of Graduate Studies Hooding Recognition Ceremony & Reception - Graduates and guests may arrive 1 hours prior to the start of the ceremony.

University Ceremony and Celebration - Graduates and guests may arrive 1 ½ hours prior to the start of the ceremony.

Requesting an accessible parking pass
Graduates and guests requiring accessible parking must submit a request for a permit to parking@rowan.edu. Requests can be made from March 25 – April 19, 2024.  For the University Commencement Ceremony, parking Lot C is dedicated for accessible parking and Lot P has been dedicated for all ceremonies on the University Green. These parking lots are permit only. Space in each lot is limited.  Passes will be sent out the week of April 22, 2024. 

Accessible seating is for the ticketed guest needing accessible seating and one ticketed companion. No special ticketing is required.

Complimentary refreshments
After the University Commencement Ceremony, all are invited to the celebration on North Campus Drive.  The event will feature light fare, snacks, photo opportunities, music and more.  A beverage garden is available at a fee, with ID.

Following each college ceremony, graduates and guests are invited to enjoy a complimentary snack and water along Summit Lane. Complimentary water will be available to graduates and guests at the baseball field, University Green and Summit Lane.

Rowan University has customized regalia for all graduates.  Caps and gowns are exclusively available for purchase at the Glassboro Barnes & Noble beginning March 18, 2024, at the in-person Commencement Fair. 

Caps & Gowns - Pricing & Information

Yes. Graduates who receive academic honors or stoles from an organization on campus may wear them on top of their regalia.

Undergraduate academic honor chords can be purchased at Barnes and Noble.

For cords or stoles outside of undergraduate honor chords, please contact the program or organization directly for instructions on how to obtain these.

Custom doctoral regalia can be ordered through Barnes and Noble. The cost for custom regalia is $1,279.00, and the deadline to order is March 8, 2024.

Contact Valerie Wojcik, Barnes & Noble @ Rowan University to order - (856) 881-5954

There is no fee associated with commencement.  Students are required to purchase their regalia.

The graduation application fee is approved by the Board of Trustees. The fee is a one-time charge
and covers the processing of the application(s), the cost of the degree audit(s) and evaluation(s), the production and mailing of the diploma by an outside service, and diploma covers distributed at commencement. Questions regarding graduation applications/fees can be sent to graduation@rowan.edu.

Yearbook Reservation

The Image Yearbook club is proud to offer graduating seniors the opportunity to receive a free 2024 Rowan yearbook after the University Commencement ceremony on May 4. Students who reserve a copy by May 1 may pick up their yearbook during the Commencement Celebration along North Campus Drive. For students not attending the University Commencement ceremony, yearbooks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis throughout Commencement Week (May 6-10) at the Chamberlain Student Center Information Desk from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For questions, please email theimage@rowan.edu.

Flower Sales

Rowan University has partnered with The Commencement Group to offer flowers and gifts for the graduates.  Click here to browse the offerings or pre-purchase and pick up onsite at the baseball field. Graduates and guests will also have the opportunity to purchase at the ceremony.

Graduation is the successful completion of all major/minor/concentration requirements AND the awarding of a degree. Students can graduate four times a year -- May, August,December and January. Students must complete the online Graduation Application in order to be reviewed. Students apply online through Self Service Banner, under the Student Menu, by clicking on the "Apply to Graduate" link. If there are any issues while filling out the application, please e-mail Graduation@rowan.edu. Graduation application deadlines and instructions are available on the Office of the Registrar's website.

Commencement is the voluntary celebration that occurs once a year (typically in May). Participation in the Commencement ceremony is not required and does not guarantee the awarding of a degree.

Students receiving solely a certification without an undergraduate degree DO NOT participate in Commencement.

Each year, graduating students participate in the Senior Class Gift, a Rowan University tradition. This year, the Class of 2024 has a goal of 224 graduating donors. Any students graduating in 2024 are welcome to participate!

If you make a gift of $20.24 or more between now and May, you’ll receive a white and gold spirit cord to wear at commencement!

For more information, visit giving.rowan.edu/ClassGift24.

Questions?

Contact Kaylee Collins, Director of Annual Giving

(856) 256-5415

collinske@rowan.edu