University Commencement
Columbia University Commencement of the 270th academic year, will take place on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 on Morningside Campus.
University Commencement will now include two ceremonies, morning and evening, to accommodate our growing student body and community. This new schedule will ensure a smooth guest and graduate experience both leading up to and on commencement day.
All eligible May, and June 2024 degree candidates, and February 2024 and October 2023 graduates, from all schools and colleges affiliated with Columbia University, as well as family and friends, are encouraged to join in on the celebration. An archived video of the ceremony and digital program will be available for viewing shortly after the live webcast.
For questions related to school ceremonies, where each graduate has the opportunity to be announced and walk across the stage, please visit the School Ceremonies page for further details.
See the University Commencement schedule and participating schools below:
Wednesday, May 15
9:00–10:30 a.m.
Morning Ceremony
Wednesday, May 15
6:30–8:00 p.m.
Evening Ceremony
Use these links below for helpful resources and your guide to commencement
University Commencement dates back to 1758 and has been held outdoors on the Morningside campus since 1926.
It is a centuries-old tradition in which degrees are symbolically conferred en masse to graduating students from nineteen schools, colleges, and affiliate institutions. During this ceremony, remarkable members of the Columbia community and special guests are also recognized through the bestowal of medals, awards, and honorary degrees.
While each school holds an individual graduation ceremony, the University President is the only person who can confer the actual degrees. As part of the ceremony, each dean steps forward to request that the President confer degrees on the school's candidates; a tradition that has become a memorable part of the ceremony. After the University President has symbolically conferred all degrees, cheers, applause, and celebration ensue as the class officially graduates.
The sequence of degree conferrals is meticulously structured—reflecting historical precedence, the size of the school, and the distribution of advanced and terminal degree programs. Thus, undergraduate schools lead the procession, followed by schools with master's degree programs, and culminating with those offering the highest number of terminal degrees.
With thousands of degree candidates, participants, and guests in attendance, the ceremony is an unforgettable, grand-scale celebration that appropriately marks the academic achievements of the University graduates. No degree candidate officially graduates until the University Commencement ceremony concludes.
Commencement History & Regalia
University Commencement has been a Columbia tradition since 1758, when the first ceremony was held at St. George's Chapel on Beekman Street. Learn more about the history of the ceremony and some of the traditions still observed today. Click here to learn more.
Honorary Degree Recipients
Columbia University will confer honorary degrees and recognize the alum who will receive its University Medal for Excellence at its annual Commencement exercises on May 15, 2024. This recognition is given to individuals who exemplify the ideals of the University through their significant scholarly, artistic, or societal achievements or contributions.
Teaching Awards
Presidential Awards for Outstanding Teaching are given to faculty and graduate student instructors who have significantly influenced the intellectual development of Columbia students. For more information about this award, visit Office of the Provost.
2024 award recipients to be announced.
Mentoring Awards
Faculty Mentoring Awards, inspired by the incredible mentoring legacy of Columbia Business School Professor Katherine W. Phillips, are given to senior faculty who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the professional development of their junior colleagues. For more information about this award, visit Office of the Provost.
2024 award recipients to be announced.
Service Awards
Faculty Service Awards recognize full-time faculty whose extraordinary and creative voluntary service has contributed significantly to the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. For more information about this award, visit Office of the Provost.
2024 award recipients to be announced.
Alumni Medalist Awards
Columbia Alumni Medalists are recognized for building Columbia's community - whether regionally, online, in specific Schools, or in cross-campus initiatives. Recipients are honored at University Commencement and at the Alumni Medalists Gala during Columbia Alumni Leaders Weekend. For more information about this award, visit the Columbia Alumni Association.
2024 award recipients to be announced.