A special notice regarding Harvard Commencement procedures

Guidelines from the Commencement Office

Morning Exercises

To accommodate the increasing number of people wishing to attend Harvard’s Commencement Exercises, the following guidelines are provided to facilitate admission into Tercentenary Theatre on Commencement Morning:

• Degree candidates will receive a limited number of tickets to Commencement. Their parents and guests must have tickets, which must be shown at the gates in order to enter Tercentenary Theatre. Seating capacity is limited; there is standing room on the Widener steps and at the rear and sides of the Theatre. For details, visit the Commencement office website (https://commencement.harvard.edu).

Note: A ticket allows admission, but does not guarantee a seat. Seats are on a first-come basis and can not be reserved. The sale of Commencement tickets is prohibited.

• A very limited supply of tickets is available to alumni and alumnae on a first-come, first-served basis through the Harvard Alumni Association (https://alumni.harvard.edu/annualmeeting). Alumni/ae and guests may view the Morning Exercises over large-screen televisions in the Science Center and at most of the undergraduate Houses and graduate and professional schools. These locations provide ample seating, and tickets are not required.

• College Alumni/ae attending their twenty-fifth, thirty-fifth, and fiftieth reunions will receive tickets at their reunions.

Afternoon Program

The Harvard Alumni Association’s Annual Meeting, which includes remarks by its president, Overseer and HAA election results, the presentation of the Harvard Medals, and remarks by President Drew Gilpin Faust and the Commencement Speaker, convenes in Tercentenary Theatre on Commencement afternoon. For tickets (which are required, but free) visit the HAA website or call 617-496-7001.

~The Commencement Office

Related topics

You might also like

Graduates John Lithgow, Bill Rauch, and Bess Wohl took home prizes on Sunday night.

Singer Elisa Smith’s whiskey-soaked voice and subversive feminism is part of the genre’s urban shift.

In her memoir All That's Unseen, Emilee Hackney explores religion, friendship, and home.

Most popular

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

The former economics concentrator brings his talent for crunching numbers to netminding.

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

Explore More From Current Issue

Racing driver gives a thumbs up from inside a car, wearing a helmet and safety gear.

Harvard graduate and NASCAR racer Patrick Staropoli on pedals, attention, and fearlessness.

A blue refrigerator covered with animal pictures, notes, and drawings, surrounded by greenery.

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

Vibrant urban scene at dusk featuring a mural on a building and illuminated structures.

The Goel Center in Allston will open for performances in the fall of 2026.