Commencement FAQs

The commencement ceremony will take place at the Colorado Convention Center (700 14th St., Denver, CO 80202) and will be held in Exhibit Hall A. Graduates will line up before the ceremony in Exhibit Hall B.

To enter: Use Entrance F on the east side of the Colorado Convention Center building (near the "Big Blue Bear" statue).

The following items are prohibited:

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

Please contact the Commencement Office for more information.

Graduates should arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. at Exhibit Hall B in the Colorado Convention Center, which is reached by crossing through Exhibit Hall A (where the ceremony is held). We know this is early, but it takes some time to check in more than 1,000 graduates! 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.

Free parking is available in the Maple and Nutmeg lots on the Auraria Campus (it is approximately an 11-minute walk from these lots to the Colorado Convention Center). Click here to view the Auraria Campus Parking Map.

Rates for parking around the Colorado Convention Center area can be found on the convention center's website. Due to an expansion project at the Colorado Convention Center, the parking garage capacity is reduced. You can also find alternative parking in the many lots and garages around the Colorado Convention Center.

The following items are prohibited:

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

Students are permitted to participate in commencement only after completing all degree requirements and applying to graduate. Questions about this policy should be directed to student advisors. Summer graduates are invited to participate in the fall ceremony or the spring ceremony that follows their degree completion.

Exceptions to this policy are limited. For information about the process for requesting an exception, please contact your advisor.

Please note that graduate names are noted in the commencement program only in the semester for which you have been approved to graduate.

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, Dec. 6 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. or Thursday, Dec. 7 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. 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.

If you missed early cap and gown pick-up, you can pick up your regalia on Saturday, before the start of the ceremony. When you arrive at the Convention Center, the regalia table will be on the first floor. 

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

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

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.

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 have your regalia shipped 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 (ajfrieler@herffjones.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.

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

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.

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, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 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. 

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. 

The ceremony is estimated to last two and a half hours. In consideration of the audience and the significance of this event, all guests and graduates must remain seated for the entire ceremony. 

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 Schedule page for more information.

As a service to our graduates, professional photographers will take pictures of each graduate during the ceremony. Proofs of these photographs will be emailed within five 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 GradImages registration page.

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

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.

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 about whether they require accommodations to fully participate in the ceremony.

For those guests who require disability-related accommodations (i.e. hearing-impaired, use of a wheelchair), seats are issued on a first come, first served basis during the graduate registration process. Please visit the Accessibility Arrangements & Information page for more information.