Watch the Commencement Ceremony Live
Live streaming will be available for family and friends who cannot attend the ceremony.
For Graduating Students
The commencement program will include your primary name unless you add a degree name in MyUNLV. If you want your degree name to appear in the program, please update your personal details in the Personal Information tile in MyUNLV. Please update your personal details by October 20 for the December commencement ceremonies and by March 15 for the May commencement ceremonies.
If you previously selected non-release of directory information in MyUNLV, your name will not appear in the commencement program at all. If you wish for your name to appear in the program, please update your privacy settings in the Personal Information tile in MyUNLV. Please update your privacy settings by October 20 for the December commencement ceremonies and by March 15 for the May commencement ceremonies.
Commencement programs will be placed on each floor seat of the Thomas & Mack Center. The commencement programs will also be available online shortly before the ceremony.
UNLV commencement ceremonies take place in the Thomas & Mack Center. Prior to the ceremony, doctoral candidates will line up in the Cox Pavilion tunnel, and all other students will line up in the Cox Pavilion area located on the second floor.
Arrive at the Cox Pavilion at least one hour before the start time of your ceremony.
The main UNLV Commencement page will show dates and times for upcoming ceremonies. Spring undergraduate commencement ceremonies are typically broken up by school or college, which will be reflected in the program.
Ample parking for both graduates and guests is available outside the Thomas & Mack Center and in the Tropicana Parking Garage. Accessible parking spaces are available in the parking lot and garage.
Doctoral candidates must wear the Gray tassel, and all other students must wear the Scarlet & Gray tassel sold at the . The will have caps and gowns available for purchase; however, you may borrow or purchase them elsewhere. Students who cannot order a cap and gown in person should contact the UNLV Bookstore at 702-736-3955 for help.
The cap, gown, and tassel are typically available six weeks before each ceremony. Students will be notified by mail when the regalia is available for purchase.
Each student must wear a cap and gown correctly. Tassels are to be worn on the right. During the ceremony, students will move their tassels to the left upon direction from the podium. Master’s, specialist, and artist diploma candidates will wear their hoods. Doctoral candidates will carry their hoods over their left arm.
Special Note: We strongly recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes during the ceremony.
After assembling in the Cox Pavilion, undergraduate degree candidates will enter the Thomas & Mack Center by school or college. Faculty and staff volunteers will assist with the lineup and the processional. For graduate degree candidates, the order of the processional will be doctoral candidates; master’s, specialist, and artist diploma candidates; and certificate candidates.
Families, friends, and the general public are invited to attend commencement activities. Guests will enter through the upper concourse of the Thomas & Mack Center one hour before the ceremony and will sit in the seats overlooking the arena floor and stage. Guests may not sit with the graduating students on the arena floor. Tickets are not required.
Childcare will not be provided at commencement. Students will not be permitted to bring children onto the arena floor. Children must sit with an adult in the guest seating area.
Please review the concerning purses and backpacks. For everyone’s safety, security will check all bags at the door. Students should not carry anything in the ceremony. Purses, coats, or other personal items will not be checked-in or stored.
Each student will be given a name card when they arrive for commencement.Name cards for undergraduate, graduate certificate, master’s, and specialist degree candidates will be available on the second floor of the Cox Pavilion. Doctoral candidate name cards will be available in the Cox Pavilion tunnel.
Students must hand their name cards to the name reader on the stage. If desired, students may write the phonetic spelling of their name on the card.
Graduates will receive their diplomas in the mail after it has been determined that all graduation requirements have been met. Diplomas are ordered approximately 10 weeks following the ceremony.
Your diploma will be mailed to your Home Address in MyUNLV unless you have entered a Degree Address.
Any student with a physical disability should enter through the Cox Pavilion tunnel and can join the processional once their college enters the tunnel. Students who need assistance can have one family member accompany them to the arena floor of the Thomas & Mack Center. The stage is accessible to those with mobility challenges. Please contact the Office of the Registrar with any questions.
A designated area is available in the Thomas & Mack Center for guests with disabilities. Ushers will be available to give directions. Due to space limitations of the area, only one person will be allowed to accompany a guest with disabilities.
Sign language interpreters and closed captioning will be available for the deaf and hard of hearing. Ushers will be available to give directions to seating on the first level. Assisted listening devices will be available upon request at the Guests Relations Booth located at Portal #1 on the main concourse in the Thomas & Mack Center. Call the Thomas & Mack Center at 702-895-0974 to request a device in advance.
Arrangements have been made with vendors for a professional photographer and videographer to record the moment students cross the stage. Students will receive an email notification once photos and videos are available. There is no obligation to purchase.
The vendor will not receive your contact information to share your photos and videos if you previously requested a non-release of student directory information. If you wish to share your contact information, please update your privacy settings in the Personal Information tile in MyUNLV. Please update your privacy settings by October 20 for the December commencement ceremonies and by March 15 for the May commencement ceremonies.
For Faculty
Commencement ceremony details, such as dates and times, will be shared with faculty each semester. Those intending to attend the ceremony should prepare to arrive at the Thomas & Mack Center at least 30 minutes before the ceremony start time.
Faculty marshals and faculty members hooding doctoral students will receive separate instructions for their roles.
We suggest you park near your office and make your way to the Thomas & Mack Center.
A cap and gown are required for the ceremony. There will be a place to store a change of clothes; however, please be advised that security is not provided.
You should enter the Thomas & Mack Center through the North Tunnel located under the Strip View Pavilion. The designated staging area for faculty is Locker Room 2 located off the arena floor. We will have snacks and refreshments for faculty in the Show Production Office next to Locker Room 2. Please contact the Office of the Registrar if you need a map of the Thomas & Mack Center.
Immediately prior to the processional, you will be asked to sit in the first several rows on the arena floor. You will remain seated for the student processional and then be asked to stand for the platform party processional. At the end of the ceremony, we encourage you to join the platform party on either side of the Cox Pavilion tunnel to congratulate our graduates as they exit the arena.