Commencement

For Students of the Class of 2024

 
Here is the exciting slate of graduation festivities that will take place in May.
 

Celebration Breakfast

Please mark your calendars for a celebration breakfast and info about Commencement logistics on Friday, May 17th at 9:00 am at YSN. The university does not do a commencement rehearsal, but I will go over all the details with maps and photos that morning.  I will provide a zoom link and ask for rsvp for in person so we order the right amount of food.
 

Doctoral Hooding

The Doctoral Hooding will be held at 3:00 pm on Sunday, May 19th in the Grace Hopper Auditorium at the West Campus Conference Center. There will be light refreshments following the event. This is only for doctoral students and their guests.
 

University Commencement Hooding

The University’s Commencement Ceremony will be held on Monday, May 20th at 10:30 am on Old Campus. Gates will open at 8:00 am, and all guests should be seated by 10:00 am. The University has allotted two guest tickets per graduate student for the Old Campus ceremony. Guests who do not have a ticket are invited to cheer on their graduates by watching the livestream at locations across the university. It will also be available on Yale’s YouTube channel. More information about the University ceremony is available on Yale’s Commencement Website. The site doesn’t have much on it right now but will be updated frequently as we get closer to Commencement Weekend. There will be a bag check for guests to enter Old Campus.  Only bags 12” x 12” and smaller will be allowed.  Streets will be closing around 9am usually – as more information becomes available, I will share it with you.  Our students line up for the procession on the grass in front of Sterling Library.  You must be in line by 9:30am. I strongly suggest not wearing uncomfortable shoes, there is a LOT of walking on uneven ground.
 

YSN Diploma Ceremony

We are delighted to share that we will hold our YSN Diploma Ceremony at the Shubert Theatre in downtown New Haven, beginning at 1pm.  Graduates must be at the Shubert Theatre by 12:40 to start lining up. This event space allows us to offer each graduate 8 guest tickets to our Diploma Ceremony. Guests who do not have a ticket are invited to cheer on their graduates by watching the livestream on YSN’s YouTube channel.
 

YSN Celebratory Reception

Following the YSN Diploma Ceremony, we look forward to welcoming graduates and all their guests to a celebration reception on the grounds of YSN!
 

Parking

Guests can find parking information for Old Campus and the Shubert Theatre on the Yale Commencement website and the Shubert Theatre website. The Yale Shuttle will be running and available for guests, but it cannot accommodate everyone, so plan accordingly.
 

Accessibility

Questions regarding accessibility for the Old Campus ceremony can find many answers here. For the Shubert Theatre, answers can be found here.  
 

Tickets

Tickets for the morning Commencement are going to be digital this year and I do not yet have additional information beyond that.  Each graduate will receive 2 tickets to that ceremony.  A child 3 or under can sit on the lap of an adult and will not need a ticket.
 
Tickets for the YSN Diploma Ceremony will be distributed in the YSN Office of Student Life once the Shubert prints them for us.  The timing on that is typically late April. Tickets will be given out as a set of 8 to each student.  If you have extra tickets, you are welcome to share them with a classmate. Per the Shubert fire code, every person, including children under 3 need a ticket for the Shubert.
 

Regalia 

Academic regalia must be worn to participate in Commencement activities on May 20th.  This can be ordered here.  The deadline to purchase regalia is MARCH 29TH AT 4PM and regalia will be distributed from May 15th to May 20th.  Pickup will be at the Payne Whitney Gym. You must bring your Yale I.D. and show it when picking up your regalia.  If you are not able to pick it up yourself, you can send someone else, but they must bring a picture ID and a note from you with your signature authorizing them to pick up your regalia.
**MSN Students
The cost is $63.00 and it is yours to keep and made of recycled bottles.
**DOCTORAL Students
The cost is $72.00 and it is your to keep and made of recycled bottles.  This version is black.
If you want to purchase custom Yale “blue” doctoral regalia that is intended for long-term use and made of cloth, you order it directly through Oak Hall by using this link. It take 8-9 weeks to ship, so plan ahead. The cost is $1,181.00.
 

Photography

YSN has hired a photographer who will be taking photos during Commencement and the YSN Diploma Ceremony.  In some years, a few students have decided to hire a private photographer.  This is not common. However, if you choose to do this, you will need to work with our office and the YSN Office of Communications to coordinate their access points, etc. Some students like to pick their regalia up the week before Commencement and take photos around Yale and YSN that weekend.
 

Hotels and Dining

Hotels, AirBNBs and restaurants book up quickly for Yale Commencement Weekend.  I would strongly recommend making reservations early.
 
You all have worked incredibly hard in your classes and in your clinicals, and I am so proud of you. I can’t wait to share this joy with your families and friends. Boola Boola