Commencement FAQ's

The Spring 2023 commencement ceremony will be held at the Denver Coliseum (4600 Humboldt St., Denver, CO 80216). There will be a morning and afternoon ceremony (see list of schools/colleges in question below).

The spring commencement ceremony location changed due to significant rain.

Morning Ceremony

Doors open at 8 a.m.; graduates must check in at 8:30 a.m. Please allow time for travel and to find parking.

9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

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

Afternoon Ceremony

Doors open at 1 p.m; graduates must check in at 1:30 p.m. Please allow time for travel and to find parking.

2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

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

Graduates should arrive at the Denver Coliseum at least an hour before their ceremony time. Bags are discouraged as they will be subject to search and may delay your entry. Allow time to go through metal detectors. Follow signs to find your school or college’s location. If you arrive late, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be part of the procession.

Each ceremony, morning and afternoon, 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 ceremony.

Parking at the Denver Coliseum lot and its overflow lot at the National Western Complex will be free for all attendees. Parking spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parking Directions

There is no rehearsal for the ceremony. Once you have checked in with your school/college you will receive instruction from the faculty marshals. Visit the Ceremony Details page for more information.

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, adhesive backed decals and chewing gum
• Audio/video recording equipment
• Pets of any kind. Qualified service animals permitted
• Smoking of any kind (including e-cigarettes)

No, guests do not need tickets for the ceremony, and there is currently no limit on the number of guests you can bring. Please note that seating is first-come, first-served.

No, you do not have to attend. Commencement is an optional activity to celebrate the completion of your degree. A fee is charged to those students who do opt to participate to help offset the costs of producing the ceremony.

Students who select the on-campus pick up option during registration will pick up their rental items at St. Cajetan's on the Auraria Campus on either Wednesday, May 3rd between 10am-7pm or Thursday, May 4th between 10am-5pm. Early pick up is not available.

During registration, graduates have the option to pay to ship their gowns to their homes in order to receive them before the on-campus pick up date.

Once orders are placed, graduates cannot change their delivery preference to home-shipping or on campus pick up. 

If you missed early cap & gown pick-up, you can pick up your regalia on Saturday before the start of your (regalia will be available for pick-up at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony and at 1 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony). When you arrive at the Coliseum, follow signs to graduate check-in or ask a volunteer for assistance.

​Yes! We encourage students to express their creativity. Be sure to use #CUDenverGrad so we can see what you create!​

Graduates do not receive their diplomas at the ceremony. All diplomas are mailed to graduates approximately two months after the end of the semester. Diploma addresses can be updated via the student portal.

To ensure that all students are wearing the proper regalia and that it is consistent with the university's quality standards, all graduates are required to rent caps and gowns through Herff Jones, our official vendor.  All CU Denver Graduates wear regalia featuring CU colors.

Yes, if you need someone else to pick up your regalia on your behalf, please email them a copy of your registration confirmation and they can show that to the regalia provider at pick-up.

​To obtain honor cords to be worn with your gown, contact an advisor with your school or college prior to the commencement ceremony. Honor cords are only presented to undergraduate students.

Cancellations received by the close of cap and gown registration will receive a full refund. After this date the commencement fees cannot be refunded.  If you chose to ship your regalia to you, it can be returned for a refund in the return envelope.  You will only receive a full refund if the gown was unopened.

​Contact Alex Frieler at Herff Jones at frieleraj@uniquerecognition.com​ to inquire about buying regalia. 

Graduates can purchase souvenir tassels, class rings, announcements, and more through the registration website without registering to participate in the ceremony. Instructions for receiving your items will be provided.

Indi​vidual student organizations and departments coordinate orders and distribution of participation and recognition cords. Please contact your organization or the affiliated department to inquire about cords/stoles.

New cord or stole programs must be approved by the Commencement Office. Please submit your request to the Commencement Office at commencement@ucdenver.edu​.  All requests for new cords and stoles must be approved before ordering.

Diploma covers are available for pick up year round by visiting the front desk at Lynx Central or emailing commencement@ucdenver.edu. 

Diploma covers will not be mailed to graduates. 

CU Denver partners with Herff Jones to provide graduation products (announcements, rings, frames, etc.) with the approved commencement dates, designs, and branding. However, you may elect to purchase announcements or memorabilia from any provider. Students are required to use Herff Jones for their cap and gown rental.

As a service to our graduates, professional photographers will be taking pictures of each graduate during the ceremony. Proofs of these photographs will be emailed within 5 business days of the ceremony and will include a coupon for a free 5x7 print (no purchase necessary).

If you would like to pre-register for photographs and receive a discount on photo purchases, please visit www.gradimages.com/Preregistration.

Please note, in order to maintain the graduate safety and the ceremony timing, professional photographers who are not part of the Grad Images team will not be allowed in the graduate seating or on the stage. Families are encouraged to utilize the Grad Images team and not hire separate photographers.

Yes, you can still participate and your name will be read, but you will be charged late fees. You will need to go to cap and gown pick-up (Wednesday, May 3, 10 am to 7pm or Thursday, May 4, 10am to 5pm in St. Cajetan's on the Auraria Campus) to rent your cap and gown and pay the commencement fees. Please note that all on-site payments will include a $50 late fee in addition to standard commencement fees. The on-site fees are listed on the commencement homepage.

Please visit the Disability-Related Access page for more information about arrangements in place for graduates who need assistance. You will be asked during the registration process whether you require accommodations to fully participate in the ceremony.

As a courtesy, the Commencement Office will draft a letter of invitation to friends and family abroad to include in a visa application packet. Requests should be sent to commencement@ucdenver.edu and must contain the following information:

• Your name
• Your preferred pronoun
• Degree to be earned
• Semester attending commencement
• Name and relationship of each guest to be invited
• City and country of embassy/consulate where visa application interview will take place

An electronic letter will be sent to you within one week of your request.

For safety and consideration for the significance of the ceremony, graduates with children are not allowed to bring their child to the stage with them.

Yes, the ceremony is available to watch on YouTube. The link will be posted on the Commencement homepage prior to the ceremony.

No, tickets are not issued for commencement. Seating is available on a first-come, first served basis. The ceremony is also livestreamed and recorded.

For those guests who require disability-related accommodations (i.e. hearing-impaired, in a wheelchair), seats are issued on a first-come, first served basis during the graduate registration process. Please visit the Disability-Related Access page for more information.