Our intent is to hold the University Commencement Ceremony, where degrees are conferred, as scheduled on Saturday, May 22 in a virtual format. Additionally, in-person, school-based ceremonies are scheduled in Yulman Stadium in the days immediately preceding Commencement – May 19-21, 2021. Attendance at these in-person ceremonies will be limited to graduating students and no more than two guests per graduate. Please know that this plan can and may change, but we hope and expect to host an event that will allow you to come together as a class and celebrate the culmination of your Tulane education and experience together.
This hybrid format will give graduates the opportunity to walk across the stage at socially distanced, in-person ceremonies, while also celebrating their incredible accomplishments during the following weekend’s virtual ceremony, in smaller settings at home with family. In-person events will require following protocols for hygiene, masking and distancing and other changes and accommodations to maintain the health and safety of our community. Additional guidance on arrival times, ticketing and other details will be updated on this website as details are confirmed.
All undergraduate, graduate, and professional students receiving their Tulane degree in May are eligible to apply to be the student speaker for the Unified Commencement Ceremony. To apply and be considered for the Class of 2021 student address, the following steps are required:
If you have any additional questions, please email the committee at tugrad@tulane.edu.
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 on ordering visit the Grad Fest website.
Due to current restrictions in the city of New Orleans, large-scale festivals like Wave Goodbye are not currently permitted.
The Unified Commencement Ceremony honors the graduating students from all of the university's schools and colleges. It features the pomp and circumstance expected of a traditional commencement celebration with a New Orleans twist. At this virtual ceremony, expect to see keynote addresses, conferral of degrees and special musical guests.
The Unified Commencement Ceremony, where degrees are conferred, will be livestreamed on commencement.tulane.edu on Saturday, May 22 at 2 p.m. CDT.
Students must wear regalia at all in-person ceremonies in order to participate and walk across the stage at commencement. Regalia will be available to purchase online.
Also note, 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 a 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.
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.
With the exception of Doctor of Medicine students, diploma distribution will not change and all graduates will receive their diplomas delivery four to six weeks after degree conferral. 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.
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.
