Learn more about ceremonies and events

University Commencement will take place on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. For questions related to Class Day ceremonies, contact your individual school.

University Commencement

This time-honored tradition is a celebration of the graduates from Columbia’s nineteen schools, colleges, and affiliate institutions and consists of two ceremonies—morning and evening—on Commencement day. Degrees are symbolically conferred en masse upon candidates by the President of the University. 

School Ceremonies

Each of Columbia’s nineteen schools and institutions conduct their own ceremony to honor the accomplishments of their graduating class, where each graduate has the opportunity to be announced and walk across the stage. Sometimes called Class Day or Graduation Ceremony, these celebrations are typically smaller in size and more intimate than University Commencement.

BACCALAUREATE SERVICE

This annual multi-faith service celebrates the completion of each undergraduate's academic career.

Commissioning Ceremony

This historic ceremony celebrates Columbia University graduates as they matriculate from their Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs and become commissioned officers in the United States Military.

Columbia’s Multicultural and Affinity Graduation Celebrations

WHAT THEY MEAN AND WHY THEY ARE SPECIAL TO GRADUATES 

In addition to the university-wide Commencement ceremony and each school’s class day, our undergraduate students with campus partners organize Multicultural and Affinity Graduation Celebrations that allow them to celebrate the cultural intersections in their lives and honor the communities to which they belong. These celebrations are open to anyone in the Columbia community who would like to celebrate a particular culture or group.