October 21, 2020

Dear Class of 2020,

Congratulations—you are almost ready to graduate from the University of Miami. I am so proud of the hard work you have put into earning your degrees, and I cannot wait to honor you and welcome your friends and family at commencement in December.

We have spent the past several months planning for an in-person commencement ceremony that is safe for everyone in attendance, and I am excited to finally share with you some updates about your special day.

To allow for appropriate physical distancing and because it is an outdoor venue, all ceremonies will take place at Hard Rock Stadium. In addition to the change in location, this semester’s ceremony will look quite different than what you may be expecting. In order to prioritize your health and safety, as well as for those seated on stage, please be aware that there will not be a procession into the stadium nor will you be hooded during the ceremony. However, you can still expect many of the same traditional components that make our ceremonies such a memorable time for all.

Below are additional details about your in-person ceremony that will take place in December, assuming that public health guidelines in place at the time allow us to proceed as planned. You will receive more specific information about your ceremony in the coming weeks, but you can always view the latest information at commencement.miami.edu. 

Be well and go ’Canes,

Dr. Patricia A. Whitely
Vice President for Student Affairs

CEREMONY DETAILS

Ceremony date and time

The ceremony will take place on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m. for all Fall 2020 bachelor’s-, master’s-, and doctoral-degree candidates (except for law- and M.D.-degree candidates) 

Graduate and guest tickets

Each graduate will be allotted four tickets for guests to attend the ceremony. Ticket reservations will be open Thursday, Oct. 22, through Friday, Nov. 20. You will reserve your guest tickets through the University of Miami athletics ticket portal and will receive a separate email tomorrow with instructions for logging in and reserving your mobile tickets. Graduates are also responsible for claiming a ticket for themselves even if they will not have guests celebrating in person with them.

Stadium policies

Everyone will be required to follow Hard Rock Stadium’s code of conduct, which is available on the Office of Commencement’s website. We highly encourage you to review detailed information about these policies before reserving your guest tickets.

Ceremony streaming

We understand that some of you may face personal or family-related health concerns, international travel restrictions, an insufficient number of guest tickets, or other challenges that do not permit your loved ones to join us in person this December. Friends and family members can tune in to the University’s livestream.

Graduate slide

To further enhance our in-person ceremony, a slide listing each graduate’s name and major will be displayed in the stadium prior to the start of the ceremony and available to download and share on social media, including for those graduates who cannot attend the ceremony. You soon will receive an email with instructions for uploading your photo and personalizing your information. Please note that only graduates crossing the stage will have their names announced during the ceremony.

Commencement checklist