Students

Grad Fest gives all graduating students the opportunity to get everything you will need for graduation, including cap & gown, Tulane Ring, graduation announcements, diploma frame, and more. For more information visit the Grad Fest website. 

Wave Goodbye is an annual party for graduates that is modeled after New Orleans' many springtime festivals. All graduates and their guests are invited to mingle on Gibson Quad on the uptown campus on Friday, May 17, 6-8 p.m. This year's event features local music and a variety of New Orleans food in small plates. Wine and beer will be available for purchase (cash only). Graduates are allotted seven tickets each, one of which the graduate will need to use to enter the party. Children 10 years and younger do not need tickets. Tickets are issued to graduating students via the Gibson Online student portal in the weeks before the event. Tickets must be printed before the start time of the event. 

Arrival

The Unified Ceremony starts promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 18. Students should arrive at the Superdome no later than 8 a.m. Everyone entering the Superdome will be subject to bag checks so please plan accordingly.

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate Students should enter through Gate G (West Stadium Drive) and take the escalator up one flight to the CLUB level of the Superdome, where you will look for the room number that corresponds to your school to find your robing room. A team of Tulane staff members (“line leaders”) will prepare you to line up for the procession and the descent to the Superdome floor—please follow their directions. Line leaders will escort you from your robing room to the seating area for the Unified Commencement Ceremony.

After the ceremony, you may go backstage and either 1) report to your lineup area for the School of Liberal Arts undergraduate ceremony or 2) leave the building to attend your school's graduation ceremony.

Graduate and Professional Students

Graduate and professional students should enter through Gate C (Champions Square) and take the escalator up one flight to the CLUB level of the Superdome, where you will look for the room number that corresponds to your school to find your robing room. A team of Tulane staff members (“line leaders”) will prepare you to line up for the procession and the descent to the Superdome floor—please follow their directions. Line leaders will escort you from your robing room to the seating area for the Unified Commencement Ceremony. Also, please do not bring small children with you to the robing rooms, as they will not be able to accompany you to the floor seating area and there is no one available to watch them for you.

After the ceremony, you may go backstage and either report to your lineup area for the School of Social Work ceremony or leave the building to attend your school's graduation ceremony.

Attire

Students must wear regalia in order to participate in the procession and walk across the stage at commencement. Navigating the Superdome on commencement day will include lots of walking for graduates. Many students have difficulty navigating the steep tunnels graduates are escorted through in high heels, so plan footwear appropriately. 

Shuttles and Parking

If you plan to depart from the uptown campus, free shuttle buses will run from the Reily Center to the Superdome starting at 7 a.m. Graduates should plan accordingly to arrive at the Superdome for 8 a.m. 

Parking will be available at the Superdome for $15 (cash only). 

Security and Bag Checks

For security, bag checks and metal detectors will be located at every entrance at commencement. Students should account for time to get through security screenings when planning arrival times. There is no secure place for students to put bags during the procession. Handbags should be kept to minimal size that can be concealed under robes.

Personal Belongings

There is no secure location to store personal items on commencement day. Please make arrangements to keep personal belongings with your guests; otherwise you will need to carry those items with you throughout the day. There will be a Lost and Found at the Guest Relations Center at Gate A, Plaza level.

In addition to the Unified Commencement Ceremony, graduates are invited to the ceremony of the school awarding their degree. It is at these graduation ceremonies that your name is called and you walk across the stage. These ceremonies are at various times and locations during commencement weekend. Visit the Schedule page for more details about these ceremonies.

Students must wear regalia in order to participate in the procession and walk across the stage at commencement. Regalia will be available to purchase or order at uptown and downtown Grad Fest. If you are unable to attend Grad Fest, contact SM569@bncollege.com or call (504) 865-5913 to place your order.

Please note that any regalia orders placed after Friday, April 13, 2018 will incur a $30.00 late fee.

With the exception of Doctor of Medicine students, all graduates will receive their diplomas via FedEx delivery three to four weeks after commencement. The diploma will be mailed to the diploma mailing address provided by the student on the application for degree. This address can be updated via Gibson Online at the “Update Diploma Address” link found under the Student tab. Doctor of Medicine students will receive their diplomas at the School of Medicine graduation ceremony.

If you have chosen to withhold your directory information from disclosure by selecting the confidentiality box in your Gibson account, you will not appear in the newspaper listings of graduates or any other external report on Tulane Commencement. This confidentiality flag can be updated through Gibson Online.