Commencement FAQ

• When is UMMC’s Commencement?
  10 a.m. on May 26, 2023 at the Mississippi Coliseum.
  
  Directions to Coliseum
• What time do graduates need to be there?
  Graduating students should be lined up in regalia at their designated space by 9:30 a.m.
• I am a part-time faculty member. Do I have to attend?
  Part-time faculty are not required to participate in Commencement, but are welcome. Contact your school dean or department chair in the School of Medicine.
• Can I wear my honor cords?
  Honors cords denoting honors received while a student at UMMC may be worn at Commencement. No honor cords, medals or stoles denoting honors, awards or memberships received outside UMMC should be worn. Contact your school for more information on honors.
• How do I get my cap and gown?
  Regalia information is captured when students apply for graduation in Workday. Students may contact Lauren Nichols at lnichols3@umc.edu for more information. Participating faculty must rent regalia or wear their own regalia. Faculty may contact their dean or department chair in the School of Medicine for more information. Rented regalia should be picked up in the Norman C. Nelson Student Union on Thursday, May 25 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. If you cannot pick up your own regalia, please have someone pick it up for you. Regalia should be returned to the Bookstore personnel in the Trade Mart immediately following the ceremony. Graduates cannot pick up diplomas until regalia is returned.
• How long does the Commencement ceremony last?
  The ceremony typically lasts until shortly after 12 p.m.
• Do we get to keep our hood after graduation?
  No. The hood is considered part of the rented regalia that must be returned. Students get to keep the complimentary mortar board or tam. Hoods may be purchased through the UMMC Bookstore. Contact Alyssa Feller at afeller@umc.edu for more information.
• I would like to purchase the regalia that I am renting. Is that possible?
  No. The rented regalia must be returned. Any regalia not returned will be charged a late fee, plus the cost of the regalia. Regalia can be purchased through the UMMC Bookstore. Contact Alyssa Feller at afeller@umc.edu for more information.
• Are tickets required for guests?
  No tickets are necessary for guests to attend, and there is no restriction on the number of guests who can attend.
• When should guests arrive?
  Guests should arrive between 8-9 a.m. Absolutely no balloons or party items are allowed inside the Coliseum.
• Is there accessible parking?
  Yes, accessible parking slots are available in front of the building on the north side.
• How can I get my child's photo in our hometown newspaper?
  The Office of Enrollment Management provides to the Office of Communications and Marketing an electronic spreadsheet listing all graduates, their degrees conferred and their cities of residence. The Office of Communications and Marketing disseminates that spreadsheet, and a link to photographs of students who chose to have them taken prior to Commencement, to media via a news release on Commencement day. Graduates or their families wanting announcements in their local media outlet should contact the chosen news organization directly.
• Will there be a photographer at Commencement, and how do I get photos?
  A commercial photographer will be taking photos of each graduate as they receive their diploma and/or hood. A free color proof will be mailed approximately two weeks after graduation to the graduate's address on file. This address can be updated by the student in Workday.
  
  Additionally, from 7-9 a.m. ONLY, the photographer will be set up on the second floor concourse from the north entrance, to take studio prints of graduates (which can include family or friends). No reservations will be accepted. This is first-come, first-serve only. All photos will end promptly at 9 a.m.