Thank you for submitting your attendance to the Spring 2025 Graduate Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 15th, at 7:00 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. We look forward to celebrating with you and your guests! If your plans have changed and you no longer plan to attend, we ask that you email us at graduation@iastate.edu, so our attendance numbers stay accurate.
Date, Time, and Location:
- Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum
- Doors will open for guests at 5:30 p.m.
- Guests may enter at the North, South, and Lower West entrances.
- It is anticipated that the ceremony will last no longer than two hours.
Parking:
- Parking is available in the lots around Hilton Coliseum.
- Additional parking has been identified around Jack Trice Stadium and Maple Willow Larch.
- We ask students and their guests to arrive early enough to find parking and walk to the check-in location (for graduating students) or guest seating in Hilton Coliseum. We encourage carpooling if possible.
- Handicap parking is available in lot C2.
- If you or your guests park in the Maple Willow Larch parking lot, please cross at the light and follow all traffic laws.
- A parking map is available online here: Parking Maps for Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium | Graduation & Commencement | Iowa State University
Tickets and Guests:
- Upon arriving at the spring graduation events, all guests will go through a clear bag check and security screening. We appreciate your patience as we create a safe environment for all guests, graduates, faculty, and staff in attendance.
- Tickets are not required.
- Guest seating is unlimited – please invite everyone who wishes to celebrate your significant achievement!
Clear Bag Policy:
- To ensure the safety of all guests, graduates, faculty, and staff in attendance at the Spring Commencement Ceremonies, a Clear Bag Policy with be enforced.
- The following bag types are allowed:
- Plastic, vinyl, or PVC clear totes that do not exceed 12x6x12 inches and do not have a logo larger than 4.5x3.5 inches;
- One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags (i.e. Ziploc or similar);
- Small clutch bags no larger than 6x9 inches;
- Exceptions will be made for bags containing items required for medical, family, or child care.
- The following bag types are allowed:
- All bags are subject to search at the discretion of staff, and prohibited bags will not be held by staff during the event. Unlawful items are subject to confiscation.
- Prohibited Items include, but are not limited to:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Artificial noisemakers
- Backpacks, fanny packs, purses (or any bag that is not clear)
- Cameras (a lens less than 6 inches is permitted in the Coliseum)
- Chairbacks or stadium seats
- Coolers or containers
- Beach balls
- Food and beverages
- Pets (with the exception of service animals used by disabled guests)
- Pocket knives
- Strollers
- Umbrella
- Video cameras
- Weapons
- Tools, razor blades, scissors, etc.
- Sealed packages of any kind, including gifts
- Laser pointing devices, flashlights, or glowsticks
- Selfie sticks, telescopic devices, tripods, or camera poles
- Hazardous items including, but not limited to, fuels, torches, lighter fluid, chemicals, paint, batteries, or aerosols
- Prohibited items must be returned to the owner’s car or discarded a minimum 300 feet away from the exterior of the venue. Any unlawful items are subject to confiscation, and the person in possession of such items is subject to arrest.
- Confiscated items will NOT be returned.
Check-in/Line-up:
- You may begin arriving for check-in at 5:30 p.m., but plan to arrive by no later than 6:15 p.m.
- Upon arriving for check-in, all graduates will go through security screening. We appreciate your patience as we create a safe environment for all guests, graduates, faculty, and staff in attendance.
- All graduating students will need to enter at the Scheman ground floor doors.
- Your assigned check-in location will be in the Scheman Building (located to the north and west of Hilton) on the 100-level, which is the middle-level of the building.
Academic Attire (e.g., Caps, Tassels, and Gowns):
- Doctoral graduates are required to wear the official Iowa State University doctorate regalia (i.e., Doctoral gown, Doctoral hood, and Doctoral tam). The tassel should be worn on the left side.
- Hoods:
- The Office of the Registrar will provide each doctoral candidate with a doctoral hood to use during the ceremony.
- If you use one of the doctoral hoods provided by the Office of the Registrar during the ceremony, you will need to return the hood to the Office of the Registrar staff on stage immediately after the ceremony. Failure to do so will result in a charge to your U-Bill of $135.00 for the replacement costs of the hood.
- If you will be bringing your own doctoral hood or would like to borrow your hood after the ceremony, please contact Abbie Suntken in the Office of the Registrar via e-mail at asuntken@iastate.edu before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
- The Office of the Registrar will provide each doctoral candidate with a doctoral hood to use during the ceremony.
- The deadline to rent or purchase doctoral regalia from the Iowa State Bookstore was APRIL 3, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. CT and has passed. THIS IS A FIRM DEADLINE. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- Rented doctoral regalia will be shipped to the ISU Book Store for doctoral candidates to pick up. Rented doctoral regalia will need to be returned back to the ISU Book Store.
- Leave clear bags, coats, and other valuables with family or friends. There will be no secure place to leave them during the ceremony.
- Please review the Clear Bag Policy for more information.
- Graduates are not allowed to enter Hilton Coliseum with anything that would obstruct others’ enjoyment of the celebration.
- Celebratory adornments are welcomed and should be respectful.
Accommodations:
- Graduates needing special assistance (e.g., wheelchair seating, sign language interpreter, captioning services, service animals, etc.) prior to, or during, the ceremony should contact Gabby Leitner, leitnerg@iastate.edu, by May 13th.
- Special accommodation seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Handicap parking is available in lot C2.
- Guests needing a handicap accessible entrance and/or elevator should utilize Hilton Coliseum’s west entrance, located under the catwalk between Scheman and Hilton.
- Guests needing a wheelchair and/or scooter will need to supply their own or work with outside vendors to secure a wheelchair and/or scooter. Hilton Coliseum does not have any to rent or loan.
- A sign language interpreter will be available.
Ceremony Process:
- After check-in, graduates will proceed to the line-up area.
- Please complete the photography portion of the card you were given at check-in prior to the start of the ceremony.
- During the ceremony, graduates will be led to the photography area and then led across the stage by a Faculty Marshal. Photographers will use a flash when taking photos.
- After crossing the stage, graduates will be led back to their original seats.
Diploma Tubes:
- The President or Provost will hand you a diploma tube on stage during the ceremony.