Advice and Tips

Convocation is your graduation ceremony for your college (example: College of Arts & Sciences or the Biden School). During convocation, you will have your name called, walk across the stage, and normally receive a certificate of some sort from your college with your name on it.

Commencement is the graduation ceremony for the whole graduating class. This takes place outside on the football field on South Campus and is led by the President of the University. During commencement, your name is not called and you do not walk across the stage, but it is your chance to celebrate graduation with your friends from different colleges and hear an inspirational speech from the commencement speaker. In the past, commencement speakers have been President Joe Biden and NASA astronaut Mae Jemison!

Commencement is always the Saturday of the graduation week, after all convocations have taken place. Convocations take place over the course of multiple days, during different times and at different locations. If you have majors or minors in different colleges, or are a part of special groups like ROTC or the Honors College, you will have multiple convocations that may be across several days. 

Tickets for graduation normally open in April. You will receive an email with the specific date and time for registration. Tickets are free, but there are caps for the maximum number of tickets you can order for commencement and each convocation. Be sure to read the graduation schedule carefully to figure out how many tickets you have for each event. 

Sometimes there will be extra tickets available, but not always. Each ceremony is livestreamed so all loved ones can tune in to watch you achieve this milestone!

There are a number of hotels around the Newark area where loved ones can stay during graduation week. There is also an Amtrak, SEPTA and NJ Transit stop right on South Campus for those who are not staying for multiple days. Other methods of transportation like Flix Buses or Greyhound Buses have stops on South Campus and in Wilmington as well. 

Hotels fill up quickly, especially those that are closer to campus, so when possible, make reservations early to avoid further distances to travel. Prices are often inflated for all lodging during graduation week, but those further from campus tend to cost less than those right on campus. 

You will order your graduation regalia (cap, gown, tassel for your cap, college hood) from the UD Bookstore. Regalia packages normally cost around $100 for undergraduates and increase with each degree beyond a bachelor's. The Office of Sustainability and the Clothing Coop will sometimes have donated gowns from previous grads, but you may still have to purchase the remaining pieces individually. SDI also raffles off free regalia packages for undergraduates each year at events. For the exact dates to order your regalia and details about how to wear it, check the Commencement website or your email in the spring semester. 

You can also order additional regalia like stoles and cords. Stoles and cords often reflect things students take pride in: their identities, their involvement on campus or accolades they’ve been awarded. Every year SDI gives out free Adelante, APIDA, First-Gen and LGBTQ+ stoles to graduating students. Check out the Community & Belonging newsletter in the spring for more information.

There are many options to pursue after graduation. The UD Career Center can help you design your path for career and post-graduate success and remains available to you after you graduate as you consider entering the job market. There are also several events in May meant to provide you with the opportunity to explore the different paths you can take post-grad, so watch your email!