Princeton University is celebrating the accomplishments of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates during 2024 year-end events starting with the Baccalaureate service Sunday, May 26, and continuing through Tuesday, May 28, which is this year’s Commencement date. Tickets are required to attend most events.
The following is a summary of graduation events for undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. More information for students and their guests is available on the University’s Commencement website, including directions and parking, departmental and residential college receptions, and cultural and affinity group celebrations.
Events also will be live streamed on the Princeton University homepage and MediaCentral website, as well as Facebook and YouTube. Professional photos will be posted to the University’s Commencement website in June and may be downloaded free courtesy of the University.
The Baccalaureate service is 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26, in the University Chapel. Seniors are seated inside the chapel (which is just large enough to accommodate the class). The ceremony is simulcast on large screens on Cannon Green for guest viewing. In case of rain, indoor simulcast locations near the chapel are available and are ticketed. The Baccalaureate speaker is Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury of the Eastern District of New York, who earned her master’s in public affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) in 2006. Choudhury is the first Muslim woman and first Bangladeshi American to serve as a U.S. federal judge.
The Class Day ceremony is 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 27, on Cannon Green. Guests must be seated by 10 a.m. when the senior class procession begins. In case of rain, seniors are seated in the University Chapel and guests are seated in simulcast locations near the chapel. The Class Day speaker is Emmy-award winning actor Sam Waterston, who is known for his longtime role on the NBC series “Law & Order.”
The Hooding ceremony for advanced degree candidates will begin at 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 27. The ceremony is for master’s and doctoral students earning their degree during the 2023-24 academic year and their guests. Scheduled to be held on Cannon Green, this year’s ceremony was moved to Jadwin Gymnasium because of inclement weather.
Princeton’s 277th Commencement is 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, in Princeton Stadium. The academic procession will begin at 9:40 a.m. The ceremony is for graduating students in the undergraduate Class of 2024 and their guests, as well as graduate students who received a final master’s degree or Ph.D. in the 2023-24 academic year and their guests. Seniors receive their diplomas in their residential colleges following the ceremony. In case of severe weather, Commencement is held in Jadwin Gymnasium.
The ROTC Commissioning ceremony is 3:30 pm. Tuesday, May 28, in the Faculty Room of Nassau Hall. The ceremony is for members of the Class of 2024 commissioning in the Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, and their guests.