Note: All Commencement email communication will be sent to your student BC email. Need help accessing it? See the student email help page.
Review the following checklist carefully and make note of the stated deadlines. Contact the commencement team if you're not able to complete any step before its deadline, and check the Commencement FAQs for anything not covered here.
| Date | What's happening |
|---|---|
| September 15, 2026 | Deadline to file for graduation — Fall 2026 |
| February 15, 2027 | Deadline to file for graduation — Spring 2027 |
| March 15, 2027 | Deadline to file for graduation — Summer 2027 |
| TBA | Last day to order a cap & gown and request tickets |
| TBA | Reader card and cap & gown pickup |
| TBA | 2027 Commencement Ceremony · Barclays Center |
Important information to help you prepare for the ceremony at Barclays Center — arrival, entrances, ticketing, security policies, and venue rules.
Available in May 2027 →
These five steps must all be completed to participate in the ceremony — and build on each other in order.
To participate in the 2027 Commencement Ceremony, you must file for graduation in CUNYfirst by the published deadlines. Eligible students are those graduating in Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027.
Graduation Audit Status: Check your application status on the Graduation Audit page.
If you missed the February 15 or March 15 deadlines but are completing your requirements, you can still try:
There are no extensions to the deadline itself.
Yes, but summer graduates must have filed for graduation by the March 15 deadline. File after that and your name may not appear in the commencement program, and you may not be able to participate at all.
Commencement is the ceremony, held once a year at the end of the spring semester. Graduation is you personally completing every degree requirement — and your actual graduation date will usually differ from the ceremony date.
Your preferred name as listed in CUNYfirst is used in the commencement program. For it to appear on your diploma, you need a legal name change, which can take up to three months — so start early if that matters to you.
All students attending must wear the official Brooklyn College cap and gown. Information on picking up campus-shipped orders will be provided by email after the deadline.
Undergraduates select the Bachelor Cap, Gown & Tassel option (stole optional). Bachelor Ordering Instructions (PDF) →
Master's students select their academic school (stole optional). Master's Ordering Instructions (PDF) →
Undergraduates wear a maroon cap and gown with the college seal — $40. Master's students wear a black cap and gown with the seal, plus a hood indicating their academic school — $60.
Shipping to your home is recommended for faster delivery.
Master's students wear a hood in their school's color. Brooklyn College has five academic schools, and every department belongs to one:
Check which school your department belongs to on the academic schools page.
Complete this step after filing for graduation. Each graduate can request up to four (4) guest tickets, plus one (1) automatic graduate ticket.
Bachelor's: pub.brooklyn.edu/commencement/login.jsp
Master's: pub.brooklyn.edu/commencement/login.jsp?division=G
If four guest tickets aren't enough, you can request extra guest tickets in the same Commencement Ticket Request System, at the same time you request your regular guest tickets — there is no separate form or deadline.
Extra tickets are not guaranteed and you may not receive the amount requested. If available, they are distributed separately from the main ticket batch (see Step 4).
Yes. You receive one ticket for yourself in addition to your guest tickets, and you need it to get into Barclays Center. Graduates and guests use separate entrances.
Yes, except infants and toddlers who stay on an adult's lap. Children can't march or sit with the graduates.
Every guest needs a ticket, without exception.
No. Commencement tickets are free, and there are none for sale. Selling tickets may result in disciplinary action by the college.
Extra tickets aren't available in advance. Whether any exist is only determined after regular ticket distribution ends, and there's no guarantee they'll become available at all. Plan around four guests.
You're allowed tickets for only one commencement per degree — once you accept them, your name comes off the list for future ceremonies. If you can't attend, contact the commencement team to cancel your request or return the tickets. If you want to keep the option of attending a later ceremony, don't accept tickets this year.
Tickets are distributed a few weeks before the ceremony.
Tickets arrive electronically via the Brooklyn Nets app (Apple Store | Google Play). Keep one ticket for yourself and send the rest to guests. Tickets cannot be printed or screenshotted.
Ship-to-school orders only. All graduates need their reader card, used to announce your name on stage. Distribution is by appointment; campus-shipped cap & gown orders and diploma covers are available for pickup at the same time.
Unable to pick up during these days? You'll need to get it at the ceremony instead.
Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Graduates arrive and are pre-seated by academic school — check your reader card for your school's name. The ceremony opens with a procession and speakers, then graduates are guided across the stage as their names are read, and it closes with the conferring of degrees.
Diplomas are not handed out at the ceremony. Graduates are expected to arrive before the start time and stay for the whole thing.
Arrive at least 30 minutes early. If you're late you may be seated outside your academic school and degree section, which affects where you walk from.
No rehearsal. Staff give instructions during the ceremony itself.
Graduating students who need accessible seating should contact the commencement team ahead of the ceremony; a deadline is set each year.
Barclays Center provides accessible seating for guests within specific sections. Since seating is general admission, guests should arrive together and early to sit near each other.
If you are inviting guests from outside the United States to attend the 2027 Commencement Ceremony and they require supporting documentation for a visa application, you can submit an Invitation Letter Application for Overseas Guests.
Be sure to also provide your overseas guest with a commencement ticket, as the invitation letter alone does not grant entry to the ceremony. Deadline: TBA
Commemorate your achievement with your college ring from Balfour. Your Brooklyn College ring will represent your most unforgettable years and the institution where it all happened. You can also share your special moment with friends and family with graduation announcements. Call 877.225.3687 or visit the Balfour website.
Senior photos are a long-held tradition, and we hope you join in on that legacy. Senior photos will appear in the 2027 edition of Broeklundian, the Brooklyn College Yearbook.
The sitting is free and you can view your portrait proofs online. Please dress as you would for a job interview. Cap & gown will be provided by the photographer. Your hands will show in several photos. You will receive about ten (10) portrait poses.
By appointment — dates TBA. Location TBA.
To schedule: go to s.thorntonstudio.com/Scheduling and use code STUDIO.
Selecting a new appointment date/time automatically cancels your previous one.
The Brooklyn College Yearbook is produced by the student members of the Broeklundian club. Pre-order information for the 2027 edition will be posted here — TBA.
Want to be part of a special Commencement moment? Submit a photo and message thanking your parents, professors, or anyone who helped you reach graduation, for inclusion in the Brooklyn College yearbook. Your submission may also be selected for Commencement materials, including a video featured at the Barclays Center ceremony.
Submission deadline: TBA. Email [email protected] with any questions regarding the yearbook.
Extra tickets are requested as part of the main Ticket Request (Step 3 under Required). Extra tickets are not guaranteed. If available, they are distributed separately from the main ticket batch, the week before Commencement.
We know you want to celebrate this joyous occasion with all your biggest supporters, and four tickets may not be enough. Brooklyn College has collaborated with the Barclays Center to provide graduates' families with suite-level access at discounted rates.
The suites provide perfect sightlines of the stage. Guests seated in the suites have guaranteed admission through a separate entrance but cannot sit in the main arena.
Purchasing contact information will be posted here in May 2027.
Since Fall 2019, diplomas are issued electronically. Once your degree is processed, you'll get an email with instructions to claim it. It's then always accessible through your Parchment account — log in to download or share at no cost. More at the Diploma Distribution page.
The Office of the Registrar emails graduates when diplomas are available. Make sure your email address is current in CUNYfirst so you don't miss it.
The program uses your CUNYfirst preferred name, but the diploma itself requires a legal name change. That process can take around three months, so begin well before you graduate if you want it reflected. Fee waivers are available.
The Office of Alumni Engagement welcomes you to the community. Share your story — select stories are featured across BC's alumni platforms. Inspire the next generation of Bulldogs! #BCGrad2027
Get an alumni ID for library access and discounts, or give back to help current students. More at the alumni website.