Commencement FAQ's | Dates and Information

Elmhurst University Celebrates all mid-year and spring term graduating students at the May Commencement ceremonies.
Three ceremonies are held on our Commencement Day
- 8:45 a.m. – Graduate Ceremony
- 11:45 a.m. – Undergraduate Ceremony
- 2:45 p.m. – Undergraduate Ceremony

Commencement ceremonies are held on Elmhurst University’s Campus Mall under a large tent, rain or shine!

Apply for graduation via your self-service account
- (Students should apply for graduation one year prior to their anticipated graduation term).
All students planning on graduating must apply for graduation via self-service regardless of if they want to participate in the Commencement Ceremonies.
Once a student has applied for graduation, they will be added to our Commencement Ceremony Communications and will be notified of all things Commencement.

Yes, all students who have completed their degree within the same academic year as the May Commencement ceremony are eligible to walk.
Applying for graduation ensures that you will be on our communication list to receive emails regarding Commencement.
December and J-term graduates will have access to their EU email through June to ensure that they will receive all communications regarding the Commencement ceremonies.

All Commencement Communications are sent to the graduating student’s EU email address.
Communication begins at the beginning of the Spring term.
All Commencement information will be sent from, commencement@elmhurst.edu

The Undergraduate ceremony times are based on the Academic School of the graduating student’s declared major.
The Academic Schools and Departments assigned ceremony time changes year to year.
Students are emailed their assigned ceremony time during the beginning of the Spring term.

To RSVP as participating in the Commencement Ceremonies and receive guest tickets, students must purchase regalia (cap and gown).
Regalia ordering cycle opens mid-January and closes mid-March for pickup on campus and mid-April for ship to home.
Regalia ordering link: https://colleges.herffjones.com/college/elmhurst/
- (Last day to order regalia for the May 18, 2024 ceremony is April 15)
Register on Marching Order: https://elmhurst.marchingorder.com/#/

All guests who plan on attending the Commencement Ceremonies must have a guest ticket to enter.
Only guests with tickets will be allowed on campus.
Guest tickets are electronic and ceremony specific; we suggest either taking a screenshot of your ticket or printing your ticket prior to attending the event to eliminate any technical errors upon check-in.
Guests without tickets will not be able to attend the event, as seats are limited.
All ceremonies are livestreamed through our YouTube Channel for those who are unable to attend. No on campus viewing is available.

No, all guests who would like to attend our Commencement ceremonies must have a ticket to enter the event held in our tent.

All guest tickets are electronic and ceremony specific.
Guests’ tickets can be accessed by registering on Marching Order: https://elmhurst.marchingorder.com/#/
Guest tickets are only issued to graduating students who have purchased regalia:
- Issuing guest tickets is a manual process, please allow up to 24-48 hours for your guest tickets to become available once regalia has been purchased.
Only guests with a ticket are allowed to attend the event.

Marching Order is the vendor we use to organize our Commencement ceremonies
This is how students RSVP for their Commencement ceremony and access their guest tickets
- Marching Order registration opens mid-February and closes end of April.
- Marching Order registration deadline for the May 18, 2024 ceremonies is April 26
- Marching Order registration link: https://elmhurst.marchingorder.com/#/
Each student is assigned a Grad Pass with a QR code for their ceremony:
- The QR code that is assigned to you will be scanned and display your name, degree, and major when crossing the Commencement stage.

For any graduating student and/or their guests who may need accommodations during Commencement Day please contact, Maggie Ishizaka: ishizaka@elmhurst.edu
Any guests utilizing our ADA tent on Commencement Day will be allowed one guest to sit with them, all other guests must be seated in our general seating area.
ADA parking is located in the Schaible Science Parking lot.
Our ADA Commencement coordinator will be on site to greet all guests that have reached out for accommodations in our ADA tent and assist them to their seats.

Guest and Graduate parking will be in the Alexander parking lot.
ADA Parking is located in the Schaible Science Center parking lot. *Note: ADA parking and accomodations are available only to those who reached out to Maggie Ishizaka prior to Commencement.
2024 Commencement Parking Map

No, there is no rehearsal; we ask students to arrive one hour prior to their assigned ceremony time to check in and line up.

All graduates will check in on Langhorst Field one hour prior to their ceremony time.
Once checked in, students will line up on the field and then are processed in by our Commencement Marshalls.
Please pay close attention to all directions given by the Commencement Marshalls when processing and recessing.

Guest check-in line will begin on the east side of the sidewalk beginning in front of the A.C. Buehler Library.

We encourage all guest to bring their own water, the Frick Center will be open and guest will have beverage options for purchase.

Commencement FAQ’s