After years of challenging and rewarding work, you are going to earn your degree! What an important milestone!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: December 2024 Commencement

Since 2017, the University of Tampa commencement ceremonies have been held at the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Unfortunately, during Hurricane Milton the Expo Hall was damaged, rendering it unusable for the December commencement ceremony.

The University administration has opted to bring the December commencement ceremony back to campus, and host it in the Martinez Athletics Center.

The commencement ceremony date will remain the same—Friday, Dec. 13. However, to continue providing an outstanding experience for our graduates, families, guests and campus community, the ceremony time for our graduates has shifted. This change will allow us to continue to accommodate all guests:

• Graduate candidates from the College of Arts and Letters and the Sykes College of Business will be recognized at a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. 
• Graduate candidates from the College of Natural and Health Sciences and the College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education will be recognized at a ceremony at 1 p.m.

We appreciate your understanding of the unfortunate circumstances for this change.

Family Communication Philosophy

While we understand family members and guests are excited to celebrate their student's achievements at commencement, we are only able to provide general information about the ceremony as opposed to student-specific information. Please visit the Student Affairs Family Communication Philosophy for more details.

FAQs

• All graduates were supposed to graduate at 9:30 a.m., why are there two ceremonies? 
  Since 2017, the University of Tampa has hosted commencement ceremonies at the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. This location allowed us to seat up to approximately 7,800 guests and 1,100 graduates for one ceremony. However, this location sustained significant damage during Hurricane Milton and is not usable for the December 2024 commencement ceremony.
  
  The Martinez Athletics Center can seat 3,432 guests in the stands and approximately 700 chairs on the floor to include graduates, faculty, and ADA seating. The graduate class was split by colleges into two ceremonies to allow graduates to celebrate with their families and guests at this event.
  
  
• How do I know which ceremony to attend?
  Students can access the list of degree programs and corresponding colleges to find which commencement ceremony they will participate in.
  
  
• What if I am graduating with two majors that are not in the same ceremony?
  If you are graduating with two majors being honored at different ceremonies, you may elect to attend the ceremony of your choice. You should indicate your choice on your Commencement application.
  
  
• Can I postpone participating in Commencement until May?
  The University of Tampa’s policy regarding commencement states that if students are going to participate in commencement, they must do so in the term which they complete their final coursework.
  
  While a change to the time of ceremony is not ideal, we are not able to accommodate graduates postponing to May due to the already limited space capacity for May commencement ceremonies.
  
  The full university policy for commencement can be found in the 2024-2025 university catalog.
  
  
• I have a friend participating in a ceremony different from mine. Am I allowed to switch the ceremony that I participate in?
  No. Due to space limitations, students are only permitted to participate in the college ceremony where their major is housed.
  
  
• Do my family members and guests need tickets to attend?
  Tickets are not required for family members and guests to attend either ceremony. However, due to space limitations and out of respect for all other graduates, we ask that you limit your guests to eight total.
  
  
• What time should my family and guests arrive? Is there assigned seating? 
  The doors will open one hour prior to the start of the ceremony. Your families and friends must be seated before the processional. No one can be seated during the processional. Please let your guests know this in advance. Seats cannot be reserved for other guests and seats are available on a first-come basis.  
  
  
• Is accessible seating available? 
  Accessible seating is available for family members and guests who may require this accommodation. Please note, to accommodate all those in need, family members and guests who need accessible seating may only have one companion sit with them during the ceremony in both the section on the floor (no stairs) and the lower stadium seating (one to two steps).  
  
  Please seek a University of Tampa Diplomat (red jacket) upon arrival to be directed to the accessible seating sections.  
  
  
• When will details regarding arrival and parking be available?
  Graduates should plan to arrive at check-in an hour prior to the ceremony. Graduates are required to check-in for the ceremony wearing their cap, gown, and hoods no later than 25 minutes prior to the ceremony beginning.
  
  It will take approximately 10 minutes to pick-up your “reader name” card, receive brief instructions and line up for pre-seating.
  
  Check-in location and parking information will be sent to all registered commencement participants by Nov. 18 through weekly commencement emails. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this change of location.
  
  
• Will the May 2025 commencement ceremonies still be held at the Florida State Fairgrounds?
  The commencement planning team is in communication with the Florida State Fairgrounds staff in regards to the Expo Hall repair timeline. An announcement regarding the May 2025 commencement venue and any updates to ceremony times will be made by Feb. 4, 2025. In the meantime, the University administration and commencement team are actively exploring options to ensure an outstanding experience for graduates, families, guests and the campus community.

 

Commencement is a special time for our graduates, their families, friends and The University of Tampa community. For your Commencement Day to be perfect, please review the frequently asked questions on the Commencement FAQ web page.

 

For additional information regarding commencement, email the Office of Orientation and Family Engagement at commencement@ut.edu.

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