Information for Families & Friends

All students and guests will be required to go through a magnetometer upon entrance in to the ceremony. All guests, students, faculty, and staff are required to abide by the commencement clear bag policy.  Visit the Clear Bag Policy, Safety, & Approved Items page for more details.

Visit the page linked above for a comprehensive list. The following items are prohibited items of note:

• Large bags of any kind
• 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
• Flags and banners
• Adhesive backed decals
• Audio/video recording equipment
• Flags worn as a stole
• Stickers
• Glitter or confetti
• Chewing gum 
• Pets of any kind. Qualified service animals are permitted.
• Smoking of any kind (including e-cigarettes)

Graduates should arrive no later than 7:30 a.m. at Exhibit Hall F in the Colorado Convention Center. Once you move through security, the Exhibit Hall is located on the second floor. 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.

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 F.

Please review the commencement Clear Bag Policy, Safety, and Approved Items page for additional details.

Please contact the Commencement Office for more information. 

Rates for parking around the Colorado Convention Center area can be found on the convention center's website. Due to multiple events taking place at the Colorado Convention Center, the parking garage capacity is limited.

Yes, the ceremony will be live streamed on the day of the event. The link will be posted on the commencement homepage one week prior to the ceremony.

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

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 [email protected] and must contain the following information: 

• Your name
• Your preferred pronoun
• Degree to be earned (spell it out)
• Semester attending commencement (month/year)
• Name and relationship of each guest to be invited
• City, country, and address of embassy/consulate where visa application interview will take place

An electronic letter will be sent to you within two weeks of your request. 

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). Fill in your contact information on the back of your name card to ensure you receive your photos.

If you would like to pre-register for photographs and receive a discount on photo purchases, please visit the 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 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.

For those guests who require disability-related accommodations (i.e. hearing-impaired, use of a wheelchair), graduates can reserve can reserve ceremony seating for their guests during the regalia registration process. Specific seats are issued on a first come, first served basis. Please visit the Accessibility Arrangements & Information page for more information about arrangements for graduates who need assistance.

Please visit the Accessibility Arrangements & Information page for more information about arrangements for graduates who need assistance. Students will be asked during the ceremony and regalia registration process about whether they require accommodations to fully participate in the ceremony.