Commencement

Spring 2026 Commencement

It’s time to celebrate our graduating students and their achievements at the University of Northern Colorado. Whether you’re a graduate, guest or faculty member, find all you need to know to be prepared for commencement, including a full schedule of ceremonies, programs, parking information and more.

A graphical text treatment that reads "Congrats Grads!"

Schedule of Ceremonies

1. Friday, May 8: Graduate Commencement
  1. 6:00 p.m.
    - Doctoral, Specialist and Master’s students
2. Saturday, May 9: Undergraduate Commencement
  1. 9:00 a.m.
    - College of Natural and Health Sciences
  2. 12:30 p.m.
    - College of Humanities and Social Sciences
    - Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business
  3. 3:30 p.m.
    - College of Educational and Behavioral Sciences
    - College of Performing and Visual Arts

Must Know Info

All Ceremonies are held in the Bank of Colorado Arena.
Doors open one hour prior to each ceremony. The west entrance, directly off the main parking lot, closes 15 minutes prior to each ceremony. Guests will then be directed to the north entrance.
ALL guest entrance doors close at the start of the ceremony for the graduate processional. Late guests will wait in the lobby or in the security area until it’s finished–arrive early to make sure you see your graduate enter.
Guest tickets are required. Visit the ticket section for more info.
Accessible seating is available for all ceremonies, with the first row of arena seating reserved for mobility access.
ASL interpretation and mobile device closed captioning is available at all UNC commencement ceremonies.
Spanish interpretation is available at all ceremonies. Listening devices can be checked out inside the arena.
Family-friendly and sensory-friendly spaces with livestream are available off the north lobby.

Tickets

Tickets are required for entry.

Tickets are required for guests to attend the Commencement Ceremonies. Graduating students do not require a ticket. Tickets are assigned to specific ceremonies, are general admission and valid for one guest per ticket. Tickets are issued at no charge, and the sale of tickets is prohibited. All tickets will be distributed to graduates electronically via BearMail accounts. Guests must obtain tickets from their graduates in advance of the ceremony.

Tickets will not be available at the ceremony entrance door, and guests without a ticket will not be permitted entry to the arena.

Tickets will not be available at the ceremony entrance door.

Graphic illustration of tickets for commencement.

Requesting Tickets

In order to request tickets, a student must first submit their application and be approved for graduation. Students who are eligible to graduate this semester, will receive an email with application instructions from the Registrar (undergraduate students) or the Graduate School (graduate students).
Graduating students may submit a request to claim UP TO 6 TICKETS prior to the initial ticket request deadline of March 31.
Instructions for requesting tickets will be emailed to students at 5:00 p.m. on February 16.
After the initial deadline, additional tickets may be offered based on the total number of tickets requested and the venue capacity.
If additional tickets are available following the initial ticket request deadline, graduating students will receive an email with instructions for requesting additional tickets and the total tickets remaining for their ceremony. Additional tickets may be requested until all remaining tickets are claimed.
Students who are approved for graduation after the initial ticket deadline will receive a ticket request email when their application is reported as approved from Registrar/Graduate School to University Events. Once the student information is uploaded, a confirmation email will be sent from the ticketing system. While UNC makes every effort to ensure ticket availability for all graduating students, guest tickets cannot be guaranteed if requested after the initial deadline.
Graduating students will receive an email when there are no remaining tickets available for their ceremony.

Accessing Tickets

Students who have been approved to graduate will receive ceremony ticket information when their data is uploaded into the ticketing system. This will occur by the end of the following business day after it is received by University Events from Registrar/Graduate School. The email will include instructions to create an account and claim their guest tickets.

Please visit the Commencement FAQ page for more details.

Ticketing Timeline

February 16: Ticket request details emailed at 5:00 p.m. to students who have applied for graduation. 
March 31: Deadline at 11:59 p.m. MDT for ticket request with initial allotment of up to 6 tickets/graduating student.
April 1: Availability of additional tickets emailed at 5:00 p.m. MDT to students who have applied for graduation. (Dependent upon number of tickets requested by March 31 deadline.) 
May 1:If a final allotment of tickets remains available, this will be emailed at 5:00 p.m. MDT to students who have been approved for graduation. (Dependent upon number of tickets requested by April 30.)  This potential final allotment is not guaranteed.
May 8: Final ticket request deadline at Noon MDT, based on ticket availability.

Fall 2025 Ceremony Recap

Fall 2026 Commencement

Ceremony Dates and Details

Save the date for Fall 2026 Commencement on Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12, 2026! Ceremony times and ticket details will be posted near the beginning of the Fall semester.