In-Person Commencement

We are excited to announce approximately 3,300 graduates have registered to participate in 2021 in-person Commencement! Due to the overwhelming response and to ensure the safety of our graduates and guests, 20 Commencement ceremonies will be held over four days — Monday, May 10, Tuesday, May 11, Wednesday, May 12 and Thursday, May 13 – with an inclement weather plan for Friday, May 14 – Wednesday, May 19.
 
Ceremony selection
Graduates have been assigned a ceremony based on their college/school and major. Due to social distancing capacity, graduates will not be able to change their ceremony date and time. Graduates, please sign in at: go.rowan.edu/commencementparticipation to view your specific ceremony date, time, details and guest tickets. Graduates must RSVP to the assigned ceremony to be registered to attend, then download guest tickets. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to capacity restrictions, if you registered after the March 3rd deadline, you may have been assigned to a ceremony for your college that does not contain your major. Only levels (Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, etc.) will be read aloud at each ceremony. 

Ticketed event

Due to COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings, all commencement ceremonies will be ticketed. Graduates who submitted an RSVP will be issued four guest tickets to be seated in a pod, separated by six feet from the next pod of four guests. An email has been sent to all registered graduates with specific instructions on how to access and download/print their guest tickets.

 

*Students should not exchange tickets to help maintain physically distanced seating clusters. 

 

*Tickets are only valid for their listed ceremony; e.g. Monday ceremony at 9am tickets cannot be used for a Monday ceremony at 11am.

 

*Students may not register to attend to receive tickets on behalf of another student. 

 

*Children under the age of two who can sit on a parent's lap for the ceremony do not need a ticket.

 

*Tickets are free of charge and will be scanned at entry of the commencement ceremony site.

 

*Graduates (and participating platform guests) will not need a ticket for admittance to the ceremony at which they are registered for.

 

*Please note that no additional tickets will be available for the 2021 commencement ceremonies.

 

*All commencement ceremonies remain subject to applicable Executive Orders and public health restrictions. As such, Rowan reserves the right to modify commencement ceremonies as may be necessary and appropriate.  We will provide as much advance notice as practicable of any changes.

 

Graduates are encouraged to download and send their tickets to guests before the ceremony. Digital or printed tickets will be accepted at the entrance. As a reminder, Commencement is a ticketed event, and only guests with tickets will be permitted.

 

You may purchase in-person at Barnes & Noble beginning March 29.  Sizes will not be guaranteed after April 16.  Cooper Medical School, School of Osteopathic Medicine and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences should contact their schools directly regarding regalia rental.

 

Please arrive 45 minutes prior to your ceremony time. Graduates and guests will enter through the baseball field gate (closest to the Townhouse Parking Garage). Due to safety guidelines, if you arrive early, please wait in your vehicle and do not congregate at the entrance of the baseball field.

 

Guests will be invited to the University Green after staff clean and sanitize the seating. After guests have been seated, graduates will line up for the processional in a single-file line, six feet apart, by degree level. 

 

Complimentary parking is available on all floors of the Townhouse Parking Garage and Lots E, G and Z-1. Public Safety officers will guide you to open parking areas. Please consider carpooling to campus. 

 

Graduates and guests requiring accessible parking must submit a request for a permit to parking@rowan.edu. Lot P has been dedicated to accessible parking, but is only for vehicles with parking passes.

 

All ceremonies will take place under a tent with no sides, on the University Green, with social distancing protocol in effect. The ceremony length will be approximately one hour and will include a student processional, national anthem, remarks from the deans and the presentation of graduates (names will be read aloud and students will cross the stage, collect a diploma cover and have photos taken).

 

Following the ceremony, graduates and guests are invited to enjoy light refreshments along Summit Lane, between Laurel and Oak Hall. Complimentary water will be available to graduates and guests at the baseball field, University Green and Summit Lane.

 

GradImages photographers will capture moments on the baseball field, as well as when the graduates cross the stage at the University Green.

 

The Yearbook Club is proud to offer graduating seniors an opportunity to receive a free 2020-21 Rowan Image yearbook. 

 

Students who reserved a copy by the May 1 deadline will be able to pick up their yearbook at their in-person ceremony in the Celebration Zone at the end of each ceremony. There is a limited quantity, however. Any extra yearbooks will be distributed on a first come basis throughout commencement week. Please direct yearbook questions to theimage@rowan.edu.

 

Commencement ceremonies will be held rain or shine. In the case of thunder and lightning, we have reserved Friday, May 14 – Wednesday, May 19 to host postponed ceremonies on the University Green. 

 

• Following the guidelines by the Office of the Governor, graduates, guests, staff and volunteers MUST wear face masks or coverings, except where doing so will inhibit the individual’s health or where the individual is under the age of two.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be available for use at many locations throughout the outdoor spaces.
• All outdoor locations will adhere to proper social distancing of six feet apart. The University Green will be set up for graduates to be seated six feet apart and guests will be seated in a pod of four, six feet apart from guest pods of four, unless otherwise noted in the registration.

 

Be sure to check your email often.  We will share special announcements, social media contests and ways to get involved before Commencement Week.   

Again, we look forward to celebrating our graduates and their accomplishments, May 10-14, 2021.

Yours Truly, 
Commencement Planning Team