COMMENCEMENT WEEK brings together thousands of people from across the country and the globe to celebrate the University’s newly minted graduates and a sense of shared community and mission. This year’s festivities include addresses by comedian, writer, and television host Conan O’Brien ’85 and President Alan M. Garber.
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Tuesday, May 26
Phi Beta Kappa Exercises, at 11 a.m., with orator Lawrence S. Bacow, former University president, and Meghan O’Rourke, nonfiction writer, poet, and editor of The Yale Review, whose books include The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness and The Long Goodbye. Sanders Theatre
Baccalaureate Ceremony for the College Class of 2026, at 1:15 p.m., followed by class photo, Harvard Yard, Old Yard
Harvard University Band and Choruses Concert, at 8 p.m., Tercentenary Theatre
Wednesday, May 27
ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with President Alan M. Garber and guest speaker retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Richard M. Clarke, former superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy. Open to invited guests and University ID holders only. Memorial Hall
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Convocation, at 11 a.m., with an address by Rochelle Walensky, M.P.H. ’01, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agganis Arena, Boston University, Boston
Harvard Medical School Master’s Convocation Ceremony, at 12:30 p.m., HMS Quad
College Class Day Exercises, at 2 p.m., with speaker to be announced, Harvard and Ivy Orations, and remarks by incoming Harvard Alumni Association president David Battat ’91, Tercentenary Theatre
Harvard Kennedy School Address to Graduates, at 3 p.m., with speaker Zanny Minton Beddoes, M.P.A. ’92, editor-in-chief of The Economist. Open to members of the HKS community and graduates’ guests only. JFK Memorial Park
Law School Class Day Ceremony, 2:30-4 p.m., with speaker to be announced, Holmes Field
Business School Class Day Ceremony, 2:30 p.m., with speaker to be announced, Baker Lawn
Graduate School of Education Convocation, 3:30 p.m., with speaker to be announced, Radcliffe Yard
Graduate School of Design Class Day, 3:30 p.m., with speaker to be announced, Gund Hall backyard tent
Divinity School Multireligious Commencement Service for the Class of 2026, 3:30 p.m., HDS campus green
Dudley Community Reception, 4 p.m., 53 Dunster Street
Faculty Deans’ Receptions, starting at 4:30 p.m. (times vary by location), undergraduate Houses
Senior Letterwinners’ Dinner, 5 p.m., Bright-Landry Hockey Center
Thursday, May 28
Commencement Day, gates open at 6:45 a.m., Harvard Yard
Academic Processions, begin at 7:45 a.m. (all guests should be seated by 8:30), Harvard Yard, various locations
The 375th Commencement Exercises, 9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., with speaker Conan O’Brien, Tercentenary Theatre
Luncheons and diploma-awarding ceremonies, at 12:15 p.m., undergraduate Houses and the graduate and professional schools, various locations
Harvard Extension School Class of 2026 Commencement Ceremony and Reception, at 2 p.m., Harvard Museum of Natural History courtyard
Harvard Medical and Dental Schools Class Day Ceremony, luncheon at noon, followed by ceremony and keynote address by Monica Bharel, clinical lead for global health, public health, and public sector health at Google Health, and vice chair of the University’s Board of Overseers, HMS Quad
Friday, May 29
Radcliffe Day
The day kicks off with a morning panel discussion, “Leading with Vision and Purpose,” followed by a ceremony and a keynote conversation between this year’s Radcliffe Medal honoree, Ruth J. Simmons, Ph.D. ’73, LL.D. ’02, the former president of Prairie View A&M University and Brown University, and former Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust. For more information, please visit https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/radcliffe-day-2026.
