Information for Faculty

The spring 2024 commencement ceremonies will be held at the Denver Coliseum (4600 Humboldt St., Denver, CO 80216). There will be a morning (9:30 a.m.) and afternoon (2:30 p.m.) ceremony.

See "Which ceremony should I attend?" below, where you can find a list of which schools/colleges are participating in each ceremony.

Morning Ceremony at 9:30 a.m.

Doors open at 8 a.m. Please allow time for travel and to find parking.

This ceremony will include the following schools and colleges:

• College of Arts & Media
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• School of Education & Human Development
• School of Public Affairs

Afternoon Ceremony at 2:30 p.m.

Doors open at 1 p.m. Please allow time for travel and to find parking.

This ceremony will include the following schools and colleges:

• Business School
• College of Architecture and Planning
• College of Engineering, Design and Computing

Graduates should arrive at the Denver Coliseum at least one hour before their ceremony. Make sure to allow time to go through metal detectors. Please note that entry will be split between two locations (one for families and one for graduates). Follow signs to graduate check-in. If you arrive late, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be part of the procession.

Come dressed in your regalia. Undergraduates wear tassels on the right side of the cap until instructed during the ceremony to move the tassel to the left side. Master's degree candidates wear hoods. Doctoral candidates drape hoods over their left arms until they are hooded during the ceremony. 

What ceremony should I attend?

 

Parking at the Denver Coliseum lot and its overflow lot at the National Western Complex will be free for all attendees. 

Please use RTD’s website to plan a route to the Denver Coliseum. Significant disruption to service may impact travel or wait times. 

Bags are discouraged as they will be subject to search and may delay your entry.

For your safety and the safety of others, guests and their possessions must go through a metal detector to enter the facility. Intoxicated patrons may be denied admittance to the venue. Coliseum Management reserves the final decision on items which may be brought into the venue. For more information about the Denver Coliseum’s policies, click here.  

*Appropriate changes may be made to this list in accordance to the event being held at the facility*  

The following items are prohibited:

• Outside food and/or beverages
• Glass bottles
• Weapons (e.g. toys, guns, knives, chains, studded jewelry) or objects that may be considered a weapon
• Drugs and/or alcohol
• Laser pointers or noise makers
• Helium balloons, stickers, and adhesive-backed decals
• Audio/video recording equipment
• Pets of any kind. Qualified service animals permitted
• Smoking of any kind (including e-cigarettes). 

  

Regalia rental fees are covered by the commencement budget. Please register for the ceremony by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 29 to confirm your attendance, even if regalia rental is not needed.

Please note: Register by Friday, April 26 to guarantee your hood is in your alma mater colors. Orders received after this date may receive a CU hood instead of your alma mater colors.

And any rented regalia will be available in the faculty breakfast/robing area at the Denver Coliseum prior to the ceremony you selected to attend.

Each ceremony, morning (9:30 a.m.) and afternoon (2:30 p.m.), is estimated to last two hours. In consideration of the audience and the significance of this event, all guests and graduates must remain seated for the entire event and cannot depart early. 

There is no rehearsal for the ceremonies. Once you check in with your school or college, you will get instruction from the faculty marshals. Visit the Ceremonies Details page for more information.

Yes, the ceremonies are available to watch on YouTube. The link will be posted on the commencement homepage prior to the ceremonies.

Please visit the Accessibility Arrangements & Information page for more information about arrangements for graduates who need assistance. Students will be asked during the registration process whether they require accommodations to fully participate in the ceremonies. The deadline for ADA registration is 30 days prior to the ceremony.

Service animals (not emotional support animals) are permitted at the ceremony. Graduates must pre-communicate during registration for planning purposes.

A sign language interpreter will be present in this section during the ceremony. Sign language interpreters can be arranged, as needed, for graduates and should be requested during the registration process. 

All spoken information during the ceremony will be captioned and made available to follow along in real time from a personal, mobile device. To access this service and follow along during the ceremony, open the browser on your mobile device to the CU Denver GradCap website. 

Wheelchairs and scooters are not available for rent at the Denver Coliseum.