9:00-11:00 am
and
2:00-3:00 pm (approx.)
Immediately following SOM ceremony
"SOM Stories" – an opportunity to video-record memories about SOM. Open to graduates, faculty, staff, and families!

10:00 am-1:00 pm
Commencement Day Sale at the HUB (135 Prospect St)
10% off on all SOM Gear!

Pre-Commencement Check List

Check your Bursar Account & pay off any balance due
Check your bursar account on the SIS site http://www.yale.edu/sis/ between May 15 & 22 to see whether you have a balance due. Go to the Cashier’s Office (246 Church Street) no later than Tuesday, May 22, to pay off any outstanding balance.

Loan Exit Interview
If you borrowed a Stafford or Perkins Loan while at SOM you must complete an online Exit Interview by Thursday, May 24. Details to follow.

Diplomas
If you are not planning to attend Commencement, please email Shannan Warner by Wednesday, May 23, to let her know where your diploma should be mailed. Include your telephone number as well as the address. Diplomas will be mailed a few days after Commencement.

Special Needs-Services for Guests
We can provide special seating for the SOM ceremony, a ride to and from the Old Campus ceremony, and limited parking in the Mailroom lot. Contact OSA (tel: 203 432 6012) by Wednesday, May 16. Wheelchairs may be reserved thru Lauralee Field, Office of the Secretary, Yale University, at 203 432 2317.

Before you leave campus:
Clear out your locker (any items left behind will be discarded after July 1 without further notice).

Update your mailing address on the SIS site, http://www.yale.edu/sis/


COMMENCEMENT FAQ's

So many events, so many questions...

Are tickets required for either the University or SOM's Commencement ceremonies ?
No.

Should my parents and friends go to the University ceremony on Old Campus or just to the SOM ceremony? Must I participate in the University ceremony? What happens at each ceremony?
All students are encouraged to participate in both ceremonies – and most family and friends enjoy going to both as well. Guest seating at the University Ceremony is very limited. We broadcast this Cermony live in SOM classrooms for those who would rather not go to Old Campus.

The University ceremony includes graduating students from all schools at Yale with a lot of pomp and circumstance. Graduating students line up by school on Cross Campus with their Deans and faculty to process into Old Campus led by the Yale band, the University President, and honorees. After everyone gets into Old Campus, the ceremony is reasonably brief: undergraduate academic prizes are given out, degrees are conferred on the graduating students en masse, with the marshals for each school going up to the podium to receive symbolic diplomas from the President, and honorary degrees are conferred. These are always interesting and include famous names from the arts, literature, science, business, etc.

The SOM ceremony begins as soon as everyone gets back from Old Campus. The SOM student speaker gives his/her talk and each student receives his/her University diploma (in Latin). If your guests would rather stay at SOM during the Old Campus ceremony, the ceremony will be broadcast on the screens A51 and A53, as well as in the HOM.

Are the provisions for guests with special needs?
The Office of Student Affairs can arrange transportation between the Yale and SOM Commencements for guests who may have trouble walking. OSA can also arrange for wheelchairs and a variety of other needs. Please contact OSA (A37) by May 1st to make transportation or other arrangements.

To all International Students
The Office of Student Affairs will be happy to provide letters of invitation for family members who need visas in order to attend Commencement. Such letters can be helpful in the visa application process. To ask for those letters, please e-mail the Office of Student Affairs at som.osa@yale.edu with the name, birthdate, and place of residence for each person who is applying for a visa.