Final Reminders

  • Set your alarm & be on time!
  • Columbia Engineering students report to Lerner Hall for check-in between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. TODAY.
  • Columbia College students report to Lerner Hall for check-in between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19 (TOMORROW).
  • Bring your CUID. You will need it to access campus buildings and to check in for Class Day.
  • Your cap and gown cap are a must. If you haven't already picked these up from the Columbia Bookstore, do it now!
  • Wear comfortable shoes, and dress for the weather (see below).
  • Pick a location to meet your guests after the ceremony ends. Choose a recognizable and familiar landmark.
  • Class Day will be webcast live. Share this link with family and friends.

Weather Forecast

  • Monday: Areas of patchy fog early. Cloudy skies. High 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
  • Tuesday: Thunderstorms likely in the morning, with the chance of scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High near 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
  • Wednesday: Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 69F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
  • Class Day will take place under the tents on South Lawns, rain or shine.
  • Commencement will take place outdoors, rain or shine. The seating area is not tented.

During the Ceremony

  • Text your friends and family as your row lines up so they can look for you on stage and on the jumbo screens.
  • To supplement all of the great selfies you and your friends will take, you can purchase professional photographs. Look for an email with details from GradImages.
  • There will be water stations on Butler Plaza.
  • Your closest restrooms will be in Lerner Hall.

A Shared Celebration

Class Day and Commencement are community-wide ceremonial events of shared celebration and mutual respect of all class members. Everyone who attends—especially graduating students, their families and friends—participate with a well-founded expectation that they will enjoy what is one of life’s more meaningful milestones.

Columbia has always sought to balance its overarching commitment to free expression on ideas and public issues with the legitimate interest in ensuring that graduation ceremonies proceed in a way that fulfills their intended purpose, mindful of the security and comfort of all participants.

Graduates should not bring into the ceremonial area large objects which could interfere with the proceedings or create discomfort to others in close, crowded spaces shared by thousands of people. There will be safe and visible spaces both in Lerner and next to the tents where students can leave such large objects immediately before the Class Day ceremony and pick them up afterwards.


Commencement

  • Make sure your friends and family have their printed or electronic tickets prior to Commencement morning.
  • Assemble by 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20. College students report to the East Side of Low Library (that's in front of the chapel) and SEAS students report to Dodge Hall (not the athletic facility...the other Dodge).
  • On the night of Commencement, from dusk until after midnight, the top of New York’s iconic Empire State Building will be blue and white in honor of the Columbia University Class of 2015.