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. Orders placed after Monday, April 15, 2019 will incur a $30.00 late fee. Regalia pricing can be viewed here. 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 music from Flow Tribe 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. 

Please note, Wave Goodbye is an outdoor, casual event that occurs rain or shine. In the event of severe weather, Wave Goodbye may be canceled and would not be rescheduled. 

 

Arrival

University Commencement 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 Dome will be subject to bag checks so please plan accordingly.

Students arriving via shuttle, car service or taxi should proceed on foot up the ramp at Poydras St., to the Plaza level entrances. Students parking on site should proceed up the stairs from the parking garage to the exterior Plaza level entrances. Students with physical challenges or who need assistance getting to and from the seating area should contact tugrads@tulane.edu to make accommodations to enter at the Gate A ground-level entrance. 

Full details about what to do and where to go are below, but we have also created a brief information sheet that you and your guests can print and bring with you.

UNDERGRADUATES

Where to go. Enter through Gate G (West Stadium Drive) and take the escalator up one flight to the CLUB level. Please look for the room number that corresponds with your school.

Follow the leader. A team of Tulane staff members (“line leaders”) will prepare you for 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 University Commencement Ceremony.

After the University Ceremony.  If you are attending the School of Liberal Arts Ceremony, do not exit the building, as you will need to go through security again upon re-entry. All other students and guests should proceed directly to individual school ceremonies or have a plan of where to meet at the Superdome. Students will be on the ground level, and either proceed up the escalators at Gate A to exit at the Plaza-level gates or exit directly from the ground-level Gate A entrance to go to the shuttle or car-pick up areas. Guests will exit the Superdome at the Plaza level at Gates A, B, C and D, where there is ample room on the exterior concourse to meet up with students.

 

GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS

Where to go. Enter Gate C (facing Champions Square) and take the escalator up one flight to the CLUB level. Please look for the room number that corresponds with your school.

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 we are unable to watch them for you.

Follow the leader: A team of Tulane staff members ("line leaders") will prepare you for the descent to the Superdome floor—please follow their directions. Line leaders will escort you from your robing room to the staging area. Once the procession starts, line leaders will escort you to your designated seating area.

After the University Ceremony: Graduate and Professional-level students and their guests should proceed directly to individual school ceremonies or have a plan of where to meet at the Superdome. Students will be on the ground level, and either proceed up the escalators at Gate A to exit at the Plaza-level gates or exit directly from the ground-level Gate A entrance to go to the shuttle or car-pick up areas. Guests will exit the Superdome at the Plaza level at Gates A, B, C and D, where there is ample room on the exterior concourse to meet up with students.

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. 

All graduates shall be permitted to wear only those stoles or honor cords earned through University Honors, or recognized organizations officially sanctioned by the University, or by U.S. Military Veterans who attain the prescribed academic achievement to earn Veteran’s cords. Personal stoles or cords are not permitted. Tulane encourages students’ personal expressions of creativity in the decoration of mortar boards (robe decorating is not permitted), while reserving neck-worn stoles and cords only for officially recognized honors. Questions about cords and stoles can be directed to tugrad@tulane.edu.

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. Students who plan on taking the shuttles from campus to the Superdome should also note that no alcohol will be allowed on board. 

Parking will be available at the Superdome for $20 (cash only). 

Lyft users can use the code "Wavegoodbye" for $2 off of any ride going to or from campus (limit of 2 per user).

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.

In order to maintain order and safety, the Superdome will be strictly enforcing its policy of no outside food or drink, including alcoholic beverages. To that end, there will be metal detectors at each entrance and security personnel will be conducting bag checks. TUPD will be present in the robing rooms and throughout the ceremony. Any food or drink brought into the building will be confiscated and discarded, however there will be a selection of food and beverages available to students in the robing rooms. If a student is visibly intoxicated they will not be allowed to participate in commencement activities; parents/relatives in the audience will be called to transport them home. 

Prohibited items include: oversized packages, coolers, luggage, alcohol, outside food & beverages, helium balloons, banners, artificial noise makers (IE: air horns, clappers, etc.), cans, bottles, glass, laser pens or laser products of any types, sticks or poles, fireworks, weapons and contraband of any type, animals and pets (except those assisting an ADA patrons), glitter, stickers are prohibited on Superdome property.

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 University 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.

Please note, students who are receiving degrees from two different schools can choose to participate in either or both ceremonies if scheduling allows. Additionally those students receiving two degrees can purchase either or both tassels. 

Students must wear regalia at all ceremonies 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.

Any regalia orders placed after Friday, April 13, 2018 will incur a $30.00 late fee.

Also note, students who are receiving degrees from two different schools can choose to participate in either or both ceremonies if scheduling allows. Additionally those students receiving two degrees can purchase either or both tassels. 

Former and current students of The School of Professional Advancement with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater should contact sopa@tulane.edu to receive your Military Graduation Honor Cord; all other honorably discharged U.S. Veteran students or Active Duty service members should contact Belinda Ramie at bramie@tulane.edu, veterans@tulane.edu or call 504 865-5231.

With the exception of Doctor of Medicine students, all graduates will receive their diplomas via USPS 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.