Commencement

All students must record their name in advance of the ceremony in NameCoach. Students will be given a pre-printed card, the day of commencement, with a barcode on the card. Students will have their card scanned as they process across the stage during the ceremony and guests will hear the student-recorded name. 

Students must record their name by Sunday, October 13. 

Instructions for recording your name:

• Please visit the NameCoach page
• Follow the NameCoach instructions to record your name 

Tips for recording your name:

• Record your name with great enthusiasm!
• Speak in a loud, clear voice pausing briefly, one to two seconds, between your first and last names
• Recording should reflect great accomplishment and happiness on your graduation day 
• Please allow for one to two seconds before and after you record your name

If you do not feel comfortable recording your name, or if you are unable to record your name, a family member or friend can do the recording for you. Simply log into the system to have them record your name. 

A NameCoach recording booth will be available at Grad Fair, in October, at the Bookstore. 

After October 13, your name will be recorded by a university staff member.  

Students in all UM-Dearborn undergraduate programs with a cumulative GPA of 3.6 and above, and graduate students with a cumulative GPA of 3.9 and above are designated as graduating “With High Distinction”.

Likewise, students in the programs listed above who have an undergraduate cumulative GPA between 3.2 and 3.59 or a graduate cumulative GPA between 3.7 and 3.89 are designated as graduating “With Distinction”.

Graduation distinctions are not calculated and granted for College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters graduate programs affiliated with the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Honors Cords

• Degree candidates who qualify for Graduation Honors (Distinction and High Distinction) are invited to wear Honor Cords at the Commencement Ceremony
• If you qualify for Graduation Honors (based on current GPA), you are eligible to purchase an Honor Cord. Honor Cords will be available for purchase at the UM-Dearborn Barnes and Noble Bookstore
• All degree candidates who qualify for honor cords will receive an email notification from the Registrar’s Office by March 11
• If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please contact the Registrar’s Office at [email protected]

• The bookstore will host a Grad Fair, March 13 and 14, 10 am until 5 pm, at the bookstore, located in the Renick University Center 
• You may purchase your cap and gowns, honor cords and any other grad-related accessories at this time
• Can’t make it to the Grad Fair? 
  • Stop by the bookstore any time before noon on Friday, April 26, to purchase your cap and gown. Please note they cannot guarantee size availability closer to commencement date
• Want to order online? 
  • Cap and gowns will also be available for purchase online and shipped to your home. Online purchases are for shipping only. Cap and gowns purchased online cannot be converted to in store pick up 
  • The last day to purchase cap and gowns online for ship to home will be March 31 
• Custom doctoral regalia must be ordered by February 24 
• The bookstore accepts credit/debit, Barnes & Noble gift cards and cash only
• For more information regarding the purchase of cap and gowns and related accessories, please contact the bookstore during regular store hours (Mon.-Thurs. 9 am – 4:30 pm, Fri. 8 am – 12 pm) by calling 313-593-5551 or by emailing [email protected]

If you are unable to purchase a bachelors or masters gown for Commencement due to cost, please contact Kris Day ([email protected]) to borrow a gown

Tassel and Hood (for Doctoral and Masters degrees) colors

• Each student will receive 4 tickets to the two undergraduate ceremonies, scheduled for 9 am and 1 pm
• Each student will receive 3 tickets to the graduate/doctoral ceremony, scheduled for 5 pm
• Graduating students participating in the ceremony do not need a ticket for the ceremony
• Tickets may be picked up at the Grad Fair on March 13 and 14  
• Can’t attend Grad Fair? 
  • You may pick up your commencement tickets at the One Stop, located inside the Social Sciences Building (SSB), first floor, beginning March 18, Monday-Wednesday and Friday - 8 am - 5 pm; Thursday - 8 am - 7 pm
  • You must show your Mcard or state issued ID (driver’s license or passport) and a receipt that you purchased your cap and gown, to pick up your tickets
• Each guest must have a ticket. If a child will sit on the lap of a guest (age 2 or younger) no ticket is required for the child

If you are a remote student or unable to come to campus prior to commencement, you may have your tickets placed in Will Call to be picked up on the day of the ceremony.

Please email Kris Day at [email protected] with the number of tickets you would like held. Kris will share details about Will Call location and pick-up times.

All tickets must be claimed by Friday, April 5. 

Need extra tickets?

• You may ask a friend or classmate if they need all their tickets. If not, they may pick up their tickets and give you their unneeded tickets

Beginning at 9am on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, an extra ticket request form will be open for students to request additional tickets. Both on-campus and remote students should use this form to request extra tickets.

Students may request 1 additional ticket for the 9am ceremony. 

Students may request up to 2 additional tickets for the 1pm ceremony. 

Students may request 1 additional ticket for the 5pm ceremony. 

Requests will be granted on a first-come-first served basis. The form will remain open until Friday, April 12 at 5pm, or until all tickets are claimed, whichever comes first. 

There is no guarantee students will receive extra tickets. 

Students will be notified regarding their extra ticket status beginning Tuesday, April 16, with instructions as to how to pick up tickets.

If you or your guests require any extra assistance on the day of your ceremony, please email [email protected].

ASL interpretation and closed captioning will be provided for all ceremonies.

Graduates and their guests may pre-order flowers and gifts that may be picked up on the day of your ceremony, inside the Fieldhouse. To pre-order gifts please visit the Commencement Group website.

Invitation letters for international guests

The Office of International Affairs (OIA), and now most U.S. colleges/universities, eliminated the practice of providing invitation letters to students. Since then, students holding an ACTIVE I-20 and F1 visa are encouraged to craft their own letters and provide that to their parents/family member(s). As a student holding an F1 visa you have the power and authority to do so, a letter from the university is no longer a necessity. Hundreds of UM-Dearborn students have used the invitation letter template below and have experienced no issues. We encourage you to use the OIA invitation letter template.

You may defer your Spring 2024 commencement ceremony to December 2024. You cannot defer until April 2025. If you would like to defer one semester please email [email protected].

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit on April 25-27, 2024. Many out-of-town visitors are expected for the event. Hotel rooms are expected to fill in downtown Detroit as well as the surrounding suburbs, including Dearborn. 

Visit Detroit hotel accommodations. 

Please plan accordingly. 

• Commencement ceremonies will be held in the Fieldhouse and will last 90 minutes 
• Graduating students must arrive one hour prior to the ceremony 
• Students are encouraged to wear business or business casual attire under their gowns
• Students may decorate and personalize caps. Please do so tastefully
• Graduating students must check in on the second floor of the Fieldhouse
• Doors open one hour prior to the ceremony start time for guests; seating is first come first served 
• Parking is available in Parking Lots E7, E6 and E5 on the north side of the Fieldhouse
• All ceremonies will be livestreamed on UM-Dearborn’s Facebook page (search UM-Dearborn on Facebook) or YouTube (search UM-Dearborn Spring 2024 Commencement on YouTube ). Links to the live stream will be posted on the UM-Dearborn homepage on the day of the ceremony
• Remember to leave the items below at home, they are prohibited
  • Aerosol and Spray Cans
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Animals (except service animals for persons with a disability)
  • Apparel or signage displaying profane or abusive language
  • Balloons and balloon bouquets
  • Cameras with a lens longer than 6 inches
  • Containers of any kind (including coolers, thermoses, cups, bottles, cans, flasks)
  • Flags and flagpoles
  • Food of any kind
  • Noisemakers (including but not limited to whistles, air horns, boom boxes, bull horns, kazoos, sirens, thunder sticks, vuvuzelas, etc.)
  • Oversized bags (anything that cannot fit comfortably under your seat)
  • Weapons of any kind

• Diplomas are mailed six to eight weeks after graduation
• Following the ceremony, the photography company (Grad Images) will upload the graduate email addresses in their system to get the proofs sent out to graduates. Grad Images is an independent company. Graduates can also go to Grad Images and use their last name to locate their images or reach out to their Customer Service Department (800-261-2576 or [email protected]) for additional information.