Instructions for graduates on commencement day

IMPORTANT:

Construction on Cannon Drive will prevent road access to Ohio Stadium from John Herrick Drive (from the west side of Cannon Drive) and King Avenue. Please take this into consideration when planning your route to campus on commencement day.

Arrival and parking

Arrive on campus by 10:30 a.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 assembling in French Field House should park in any of the permit zones around St. John Arena and the French Field House. Graduates assembling in the RPAC should use the Neil Avenue Garage. Additional parking is available at the Schottenstein Center. Click here for the class assembly locations.

Disability parking is available in the East Stadium lot on a first-come, first-served basis. A permanent or temporary Ohio or other state-issued disability placard is required. Enter the East Stadium lot from Tuttle Park Place. Please plan to arrive early as reserved parking is not guaranteed.

View parking map

Assembly

Assemble promptly by 11:00 a.m. at the designated assembly locations in academic costume, and line up as you did at rehearsal. Please be advised of the security precautions in place, which require graduates to enter through magnetometers (metal detectors) and plan your arrival accordingly. You will not be able to join the class processional lines after the class has left the assembly sites. 

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

The following colleges should report to the French Field House (use the south entrance off Woody Hayes Drive or the north entrance off Lane Avenue): 

• PhD; Master’s; Business; Dentistry; Education and Human Ecology; Engineering/Architecture; Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences/Environment and Natural Resources; Law; Nursing; Optometry; Pharmacy; Public Affairs; Public Health; and Social Work

The following colleges should report to the line-up areas in the RPAC (use the main entrance off the plaza): 

• Arts and Sciences; Medicine/Health and Rehabilitation Sciences; Veterinary Medicine

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