Commencement

Instructions for graduates on commencement day

If you plan to participate in the commencement ceremony, please follow these instructions for success.

Arrival and parking

Arrive on campus by 12:45 p.m. Bring your line assignment with you.

Parking is available at no charge. Parking locations are open to you and your guests on commencement day on a first-come, first-served basis. No Ohio State parking permit is required. 

Graduates are encouraged to park in the Fawcett Center lot on Olentangy River Road, the St. John Arena lot on Lane Avenue, the north and south French Field House lots, the Vivian lot, the Agricultural Administration lot and the North Riverbank lot.

Parking is also available in lots north of Borror Drive. Lift-equipped shuttle buses will run between the "Buckeye" lots just south of Ackerman Road and the northeast rotunda of the Schottenstein Center.

  • Disability parking is available in lots directly adjacent to the Schottenstein Center on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • A permanent or temporary Ohio or other state-issued disability placard is required. Additional disability parking is available in the "Buckeye" lots.

Assembly

Assemble promptly by 1:15 p.m. in the Auxiliary Gym in academic costume, and line up as you did at rehearsal. You will not be able to join the class processional lines after the class has left the assembly site.

As you enter, you will receive a copy of the commencement program that lists your name in the proper sequence. One copy is provided for each graduate. Do not leave any personal belongings in the assembly location.

The following colleges should report to the Auxiliary Gym (use southwest rotunda entrance):

  • PhD; Master's; Business; Dentistry; Education and Human Ecology; Engineering; Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; Law; Medicine; Nursing; Pharmacy; Public Affairs; Public Health; Social Work

The following colleges should report to the Practice Facility Hallway (use southwest rotunda entrance):

  • Arts and Sciences

The following colleges should report to the West Arena Concourse (use southwest rotunda entrance):

  • Arts and Sciences

Only graduates and college personnel are permitted in the class assembly locations. Guests should proceed directly to their seats in Value City Arena.