Planning your visit to Emory's Commencement
Commencement 2013 is on Monday, May 13.
This site will be updated with 2013 details once they are available. We encourage you to browse and use the 2012 information contained in this site for planning as a general reference as most of the details and sequence of events will remain the same.
More than 15,000 graduates, family members, and friends journey to the Emory University campus each year for a series of Commencement events celebrating and honoring the graduating class. We hope that the information presented below along with our Frequently Asked Questions section will help you as you plan your visit. The main Emory website also contains a helpful visitor's guide for general campus information.
Do you have your Quick Guide?
Download your school-specific Quick Guide now for maps, schedules, tips, dining guide, bookstore coupon, and more!
Looking for information about regalia (cap & gown), graduation requirements, class rings, announcements, portrait photography, or other degree-candidate preparation information? That information is located in the "Student Instructions" section.
All information presented below is subject to change. Visit this page frequently as you plan and, if you use Twitter, definitely "follow us" to be kept informed of any major changes.
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Click here to jump to the Disability Access and Seating information. |
Tickets
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Event Name |
Tickets or registration needed? |
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Class Day |
No tickets, open only to the bachelor-level degree candidates. |
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Baccalaureate Service |
No tickets, no guest limit (seating first-come, first-served with covered overflow seating with video feed outside) |
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President's Open House |
No tickets, no guest limit |
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Main Commencement Ceremony [details] |
No tickets required, no guest limit under normal or light rain schedules. Event canceled if "severe weather plan" activated. Learn more about the inclement weather schedule. |
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Emory College of Arts & Sciences |
No tickets required, no guest limit under normal or light rain schedules. Event moved inside and tickets (two guest per graduate, max) are required if "severe weather plan" activated. Learn more about the inclement weather schedule. |
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Laney Graduate School |
No tickets required, no guest limit under normal or light rain schedules. Event moved inside and tickets are required (PhD ceremony only) if "severe weather plan" activated. Learn more about the inclement weather schedule. |
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Other Diploma Ceremonies |
No tickets required, no guest limit under normal, light rain, or severe weather schedule. Event locations and start times may change under inclement weather plans, but tickets are not required for any of these ceremonies at any time. |
| School of Medicine Medical Imaging Program Physical Therapy Program |
Tickets are required and are distributed to the degree candidates in early May. |
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School and department receptions |
Open only to the graduates and their guests from the respective programs. Registration may be required or requested. See the comprehensive event schedule for specific-event details. |
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Alumni Association |
Registration may be required or requested. See the comprehensive event schedule for specific-event details. |
Parking
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Parking on campus for Commencement events is free in designated Emory parking decks only. Do not park in reserved, carpool, service-vehicle, or disabled accessible (unless displaying proper permit) spaces. We also strongly recommend that you not park on the residential streets surrounding the campus, or in business lots.
On Commencement day, banners hang from each of the parking decks to help you remember where you parked. Note the color of each deck banner in the chart below.
Parking areas |
Recommended for |
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Clairmont "Starvine" Deck (Clairmont campus)
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Any Commencement-day ceremony or event and those who wish to avoid Monday morning congestion on Clifton Road. Frequent shuttle service to all parts of the central campus. |
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Michael Street Deck |
Those attending either the School of Public Health or the School of Medicine diploma ceremonies. Also recommended for Physical Therapy and Medical Imaging diploma ceremonies. Walk across the pedestrian bridge or ride shuttles to the central part of campus. This deck is also the preferred choice for Sunday's President's Open House. Shuttles will run on Sunday to and from Lullwater House during the tour hours. |
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Lowergate South Deck |
Law School and Laney Graduate School diploma ceremonies. |
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Fishburne Parking Deck |
Sunday morning's Baccalaureate Service. This deck is not recommended for Commencement morning parking. It is not serviced by shuttles, is located on a steep hill, and does not have elevators to assist guests with mobility impairments. Also, major portions of the deck are reserved for the on-stage Commencement ceremony participants, reducing the number of available spaces. |
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Peavine Parking Decks |
Those attending diploma ceremonies for Emory College of Arts & Sciences, or for Nursing, Business, or Theology schools. This is the largest on-campus parking deck with easy walking access to Woodruff Physical Education Center (Business School ceremony site), McDonough Field (Nursing School ceremony site), and the Candler School of Theology events. Guests with mobility impairments or who have difficulty walking should ride the shuttles to the Quadrangle for the main ceremony, as there is an up-hill walk to the center of campus. |
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Peavine Surface Lot |
Adjacent to the Peavine Parking decks. See above. |
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Oxford Road Deck |
This new deck is reserved for guests with disabilities. There are accessible spaces in every parking deck, but this entire deck is reserved on Commencement morning to assist with all guests needing accessible parking. |
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DO NOT PARK IN THESE AREAS |
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Out of respect for the businesses operating around Emory, and residents in the adjacent neighborhoods, please do not park in any of these areas: the SunTrust Bank lot on North Decautur Road, all Emory Village business parking lots (especially the CVS lot), and neighborhood streets. We also ask that you avoid the Emory Clinic and Lowergate North parking decks as they are not free and are needed for patients visiting the medical facilities. On campus, please do not park in any spaces marked no-parking, 24 Hour Reserved, carpool, or Service Vehicles Only. |
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A passenger drop-off area is located on Dowman Drive near the Administration Building, closest to the accessible seating area of the Quadrangle.
Emory does not have parking facilities for RVs, buses, or over-sized vehicles.
Shuttles
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Free shuttle service is available from all parking areas to the main campus Quadrangle and to event venues. Look for the "Cliff" shuttle stops and view the special Commencement-day shuttle service map when it is available. Guests who cannot walk easily should travel from the Quadrangle to diploma ceremonies using Emory shuttles.
All shuttles are equipped to carry wheelchairs.
Interested in using public transportation to get to the Emory area? The Transportation and Parking Services Office offers this guide.
Most event sites are within reasonable walking distance of designated parking areas, so we invite you to explore our beautiful campus on foot when possible. However, the terrain has some hills, so remember to wear comfortable shoes and plan ahead.
Emory's Transportation Services office can be reached at 404-727-1829 or at shuttles@emory.edu. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.Maps and Quadrangle Tips
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Campus maps, Quadrangle seating maps, and student line-up maps are available on the maps page as they are finalized. These maps will show the location of retail sales (coffee, water, food, etc.), satellite bookstore locations, the Coca-Cola distribution area, restrooms, first-aid, information booths, and the photo area. Guest Relations volunteers (look for the Emory straw hats) are positioned throughout the Quadrangle to assist guests.
Commencement (Printed) Program
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Copies of the printed Commencement program are available at each of the entrances of the Quadrangle. Copies are placed on the seats of each of the candidates for degrees. Please do not take an extra copy for the graduating student. An electronic PDF version of the program will be available for download here on or after Commencement Day. Previous year's programs are posted in the history and archives section.
It is very important that students release any privacy holds on their records if they wish to be listed in the printed program.
Disability Access and Seating
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The Commencement experience involves events both inside and outside, on grass and pavement, in temporary/permanent event venues across campus. Emory is committed to removing barriers, whenever possible, so that all graduates and guests can enjoy the Commencement exercises.
The 2012 Disability Access and Seating Service Request Form is CLOSED. No ticket requests received after 5/7/2012 can be fulfilled. If you require special seating, and you do not have a ticket, go to either of the marked Special Seating sections for possible accommodation as space permits.
THE DISABILITY SEATING TICKET REQUEST PERIOD HAS ENDED
The special seating area is not for guests with hearing impairments. If you need to sit closer to a speaker, you'll find them positioned around the perimeter of the Quadrangle. The special seating area is, however, designed to allow easy movement and seating for guests with mobility impairments. It is not the closest viewing area to the stage, but it is immediately adjacent to the sidewalk closest to the drop-off area on Dowman Drive which makes it very convenient for guests who can not walk long distances. There are extra volunteers in the area to assist with arranging wheelchairs. Only one companion can be accommodated in this limited seating area per each guest requiring assistance.
For guests on the Quadrangle, a live text-captioning service is available to all with internet-capable mobile devices.
We work with the Office of Disability Services to identify students who need assistance at Commencement. Even if you are registered with their office, we ask you to fill out the form yourself so that we can ensure that proper arrangements are made.
Please note: Emory does not provide wheelchairs to rent or borrow. A list of area wheelchair rental vendors is posted below. For those arriving with their own wheelchairs, know that all parking decks except Fishburne Deck (no elevators) are fully wheelchair accessible. Also, all shuttles can accommodate wheelchairs, but the shuttles cannot reach the Fishburne Parking deck to assist wheelchair users or guests with special mobility needs.
In addition to marked disabled accessible parking spaces in other lots and decks, the Oxford Road Parking Deck is reserved for those requiring accessible parking.
The temperature on Commencement Day can vary greatly from chilly morning air, to blazing mid-afternoon sun, depending on the weather. Please be sure to bring sunscreen and water if heat is expected, and bring umbrellas if the forecast is for rain. The mornings can be very cold and windy. Consider a lap blanket if you are arriving pre-sunrise.
Take care to assess whether elderly guests in your party are able to remain comfortable throughout the day with significant travel distances and outside events.
Wheelchair Rental Resources
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Emory does not provide wheelchair rental services. The following vendors are provided as a service to Commencement guests to assist you with locating a wheelchair rental company. Emory is not responsible for rental arrangements, products, or practices.
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Enterprise Medical Services |
Optimum Medical Equipment |
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Alpha Medical Equipment & Supplies, Inc |
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Hotels and Area Restaurants
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Looking for help in finding area hotels and restaurants? We've compiled a pair of guides to help you in your serach. View the annually updated listing of area restaurants and area hotels.
Looking for an alternative to hotels? Want to avoid Commencement morning traffic? Stay on-campus in a dorm. The Office of Residence Life & Housing is offering Commencement housing for family members and guests of Emory University graduates this year.
Included in your stay:- parking in the nearby Peavine Parking Deck for the duration of your stay;
- 2 passes to the Sunday Commencement Brunch;
- 2 continental breakfasts on Monday and Tuesday morning; and,
- 2 passes to the Woodruff Physical Education Center.
Two and three-night packages are available. Learn more about this unique experience at http://www.emory.edu/HOUSING/commencement.html
Inclement Weather Plans
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In the event of inclement weather (either light rain/drizzle, or more severe weather), widespread power outage, or other extraordinary circumstance, please review the Inclement Weather Plans as they contain very significant changes to the fair-weather (normal) Commencement schedule.
Parents and guests are encouraged to not make return-flight arrangements for early in the afternoon on the Monday of Commencement as many rain-plan ceremonies will start in mid-afternoon.
Ceremony Photography
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Each school handles diploma ceremony photography differently. All Emory College photos include the presentation to the student onstage and the student’s exit from the stage with the diploma.
If the schools allow you to approach the stage with personal cameras during the diploma ceremony, please follow all photography rules (where to stand, how early you can move forward, etc.) so that all family members have an opportunity to see their loved one receive a diploma and seated guests can see the stage. Tripods and standing photographers are not permitted in aisles or guest paths or in front of other guests at any time. Video cameras are discouraged in photo areas.
For formal Commencement Portrait information (groups, individuals, families, etc.) click here for the portrait flyer.
Lost & Found (people and items)
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Lost Guests
If you lose a member of your group, or if you are lost, please see any usher, safety marshal, police officer or Emory staff member for assistance. You may also go directly to White Hall, Room 200 near the Dowman Drive/Administration Building entrance to the Quadrangle; Emory staff members are stationed there to help reunite lost guests.
Lost Items
During the 8:00 a.m. all-schools ceremony and during the diploma ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences, please visit White Hall Room 200 near the Dowman Drive/Administration Building entrance to the Quadrangle. A temporary Lost/Found booth is there for items that have been found and submitted to Emory staff, ushers, safety marshals or police. After the College of Arts and Sciences diploma ceremony has concluded, any remaining unclaimed Found items are given to the Emory Police Department located at 1784 N. Decatur Road, Suite G-01 police@emory.edu
First Aid and Medical Assistance
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A first aid tent is located on the Quadrangle during the main ceremony and the College of Arts & Sciences diploma ceremony. Paramedics and EMTs are standing by to assist guests in need. On-site emergency aid is also available during the Baccalaureate Service. On-call assistance is available across campus during all Commencement events. Please see any usher, safety marshal, police officer, or Emory staff member for assistance.
Oxford College Commencement
Since many of the the logistics are different at the Oxford College Commencement, a separate website is provided for the Oxford Commencement. See the schedule listing for basic details.Have a question not covered here?
We recommend reviewing the Frequently Asked Questions section, as well as the Student Instructions (covers student line-up, regalia, degree applications, custom announcements, diploma frames,portraits, class rings, or other degree-candidate preparation information) and Event Schedule pages. Still have questions? Email commencement@emory.edu or visit the contacts page for additional information.
Jump to a Topic
- Tickets
- Parking
- Shuttles
- Maps
- Commencement Program (Printed)
- Disability Access & Seating
- Wheelchair Rental
- Hotels and Area Restaurants
- Inclement Weather Plans
- Ceremony Photography
- Lost and Found (People and items)
- First Aid and Medical Assistance
- Oxford College Commencement
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contacts
