Graduation and Oath and Hooding Ceremonies

Friday, May 3, 2024, at 2 p.m.
William Neal Reynolds Coliseum

There are no tickets required for admission and no limit on the number of guests per student.

Student Information

DVM candidates must arrive by 1 p.m. Please check in with Student Development staff upon arrival.

DVM candidates must wear regalia to walk in the Processional. Each graduation candidate is required to bring their own gown, doctoral hood, tam and tassel. Your doctoral hood will be carried on your arm until officially placed during the ceremony. The tassel goes on the left side of your tam. Tams should not be decorated for Oath and Hooding.

Marshals will lead the processional in the following order: Platform party; Faculty in regalia; DVM candidates and Ph.D. candidates.

Be sure to secure your valuables with your guests prior to the ceremony.

Doors will open for guest seating at approximately 1:30 p.m. Guests will be directed to the seating areas by the Coliseum staff. 

Faculty Information

Faculty who would like to attend can join the procession and be seated on the main floor with the students. If you do not wish to be in the procession, please sit above the guests of our graduates.

All faculty are required to be at Reynolds Coliseum by 1:30 p.m. on May 3. A bus for faculty is being provided to and from the venue for the ceremony. The bus will be departing the College of Veterinary Medicine promptly at 1:15 p.m.

The College of Veterinary Medicine has regalia available for faculty and house officers to reserve for the ceremony. This will be gown, tam and NCSU DVM hood.

To reserve a spot on the bus to Reynolds Coliseum or to reserve regalia, please fill out this form.

Accessibility Seating and Parking

Seating

Wheelchair and accessible seating is available on the concourse at the top of sections K & L on the north and top of section E on the south ends of Reynolds Coliseum. Arena level seating will vary, based on the event. If you have a need for accessible seating on the event day, please contact any member of the staff or ushers located throughout the building. All restrooms are handicap accessible. Guests requiring a wheelchair must provide one for their own use.

Handicapped accessible or Special seating: Please contact the cvm-seascoordinator@ncsu.edu if you require accessible seating for guests with mobility concerns. You should plan to arrive EARLY for the ceremony and check in with the venue staff. You will be directed to an area where staff will assist with special seating needs.

Parking

Parking is free for this event and there are no tickets for admission.

Accessible parking is located in the first Jeter Bay closest to Dunn Ave. To qualify for accessible parking, you must display a valid state handicap-parking permit. Handicap parking is on a first come, first served basis. You must present your state issued permit upon entry to the lot. The holder of the permit must be in the vehicle upon entry.

University Commencement

Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 9 a.m. – PNC Arena

DVM students report to North entrance/lower level (service entrance) no later than 8:00 am. DVM students walk very early in the graduation procession so you cannot be late. Please wear/bring your gown, tam, tassel and hood.

Guests MUST enter through the guest entrances (East, South and West). We recommend parking in the East 1000 or 2000 lots and entering the arena through the Invisalign East Entrance and sitting in Sections 116, 117 and 118. These sections provide the closest view to the DVM student seating section on the arena floor.  There is no access to the floor level from the upper concourse. Guests should be seated by 8:30 a.m. when the pre-ceremony concert begins. The ceremony begins promptly at 9 a.m. and normally runs three hours.  Please advise guests to arrive early in order to navigate traffic onto the arena property.

There is also no guest limit for this ceremony.

DVM students should enter the PNC Arena at the lower level service entrance (North loading dock-accessible via Donnie Mac Way). Walk all the way to the back and turn left down the hall. Walk half the length of the tunnel until you reach Student Development staff who will be there to assist.

You will be assigned a room (or tunnel section) and that is where you will go to pick up your diploma after the ceremony.  You must be present to receive your diploma. Staff will not give your diploma to a friend.

You can expect your degree to be posted to your official transcript approximately two weeks after the ceremony.

If you do not attend the ceremony, your degree will be mailed to your degree mailing address on file approximately one month after the ceremony.

If you do not plan to attend University Commencement, please contact the cvm-seascoordinator@ncsu.edu by Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at noon.

More information can be found on the university’s commencement website.