There are three easy steps to attend Commencement:

1) RSVP

2) Buy your cap and gown

3) Invite your family and friends!

RSVP your intention to participate between 10:00 a.m. April 1 and 3:00 p.m. April 19. The main page of this site will have a link to the portal, where you will indicate that you are attending and request tickets for your guests.   Graduates who RSVP after the deadline are guaranteed only two (2) tickets for the ceremony. 

Caps & Gowns
Caps and Gowns can be purchased at the bookstore. The bookstore hosts a Grad Fair in March, but caps and gowns can be purchased anytime after that up until the week of graduation.  Call the bookstore at 412-578-6164 for hours and information about caps and gowns.

Honors Cords

Undergraduates who are to graduate with Honors will be mailed a letter indicating which honors designation they earned (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude). Honors cords can be picked up from the bookstore.  They will also be available at the check-in table the day of Commencement.  Your name must be on the honors list in order to obtain an honors cord. There is no charge for the honors cord.

Honors are for undergraduates only.  Please read Honors and Awards for Graduating Seniors on page 19 of the undergraduate catalog for information on the requirements.  If you did not receive a letter by April 19, and you feel you have earned honors, please contact the Commencement information line at 412-578-8821 or commencement@carlow.edu.

Guests & Ticket Distribution

All guests (including small children) attending Commencement must present a ticket upon entering the auditorium. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.  Graduates may have up to six guests. Graduates who RSVP after the deadline are only guaranteed two (2) tickets. Graduates do not need a ticket for themselves. Your tickets will be mailed after the April 19 RSVP deadline.

EXTRA TICKETS: There will be an option on the RSVP form to request extra tickets.  Extra tickets are:

1) Limited to 2

2) Distributed only if available

3) Distributed to graduates in the order they submitted RSVP

General Information

• Doors will open one hour prior to the ceremony.
• Guests may not stand in the way of graduates as they leave or return to their seats during the reading of names.  This will be strictly enforced.
• No one may enter or exit the auditorium during the graduates’ procession, the Invocation or President's Welcome.
• Latecomers will be seated at the commencement staff’s discretion.
• Open strollers are not permitted. Any objects, such as balloons, that block the view of the stage are not permitted.
• Helium balloons are not allowed inside Soldiers & Sailors.

More Information

>> Accommodations for Guests and Grads with a Disability
>> Locations, Directions, and Parking