Commencement 2023
DRAFT PAGE VERSION Commencement 2023 will be held in person on Wednesday, May 24 (Class Day) and Thursday, May 25 (Commencement Ceremonies). We look forward to celebrating our graduating students along with family and friends. Please find information about our Commencement celebrations and helpful logistics below.
Guest Lodging Options and Advice
Hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in the Cambridge area will become fully booked well in advance of Commencement. Because there are many other colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area with their own graduation festivities at the same time of year, it can become challenging to locate places to stay as the date gets closer. We recommend making reservations for guest lodging as soon as possible. If possible, we advise making reservations that can be cancelled later on, when booking early.
Check not only hotels right in Harvard Square (which may already be booked or have high prices due to the high demand) but also surrounding locations. Guests may want to consider hotels that are located on the MBTA public transit system, which opens up areas of Boston and other nearby communities, such as Somerville, Medford, Arlington, and Watertown. Harvard is easily accessible on the MBTA red line subway and by several major bus routes. Public transportation options also include various taxicab and ride-share services.
The university Commencement office has created a list of some nearby hotels, which may be helpful in your planning.
Visa Support Letters for International Guests
If your guest(s) require a visa support letter in order to travel to Cambridge to participate in Commencement 2023, please use our visa support letter request form. The GSD can provide an official letter to the US consulate in your guest’s home country, officially supporting the visa application.
Please note that a visa support letter from the GSD is not an official letter of invitation, and it does not guarantee a guest a ticket to attend any specific ceremonies or events. The GSD cannot provide formal graduation announcement letters or invitations.
Student Orations Competition - Deadline March 30, 2023
One of the oldest traditions of the Morning Exercises of Commencement is the Orations Competition in which three students chosen by a panel of judges deliver an address from memory. Each year, one of these three students is a representative of one of Harvard’s graduate and professional schools.
A workshop for prospective orators will be held on February 23, and the deadline to apply will be March 30, 2023. Graduating students interested in applying to deliver the graduate student address will find information on the university Commencement website.
Regalia Ordering and Timeline for Graduates - Deadline April 8, 2023
Harvard requires all graduates to wear official regalia (cap and gown) in order to participate in Commencement ceremonies. The firm deadline to order regalia is April 8, 2023. Graduates can order regalia through the Harvard Coop.
Graduates are strongly urged to order regalia in advance unless they are completely certain they will not attend Commencement, and to do so as early as possible. If you are no longer graduating or attending Commencement this year, regalia order cancellations will receive a full refund up until the day before Commencement (May 24).
Register for Affinity Graduations - Deadline April 24, 2023
Affinity celebrations are student-led, staff supported events that recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of graduates from marginalized and underrepresented communities.
These University-wide celebrations provide an opportunity for graduates to honor those who have helped them achieve their milestone while centering their cultural traditions and values.
Students must register to attend. For more information and the registration form visit the main Affinity Celebrations for Graduates page.
Live Webcasts, Captioning, and Translations
Key events, including the GSD’s Diploma Ceremony, the GSD’s Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address, and the Harvard Yard university-wide ceremony, will also be available by live public webcast for anyone unable to attend in person.
The GSD’s webcasts will include live English captions and simultaneous automated translated captions will be available on separate links in multiple languages. These can be viewed on cell phones by those attending in person, as well as being available for remote viewers of the livestreams. Planned languages will include Chinese – Traditional, Chinese – Simplified, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, and Spanish; additional languages may be added with advance request.
Accessibility Information and Modified Seating Arrangements
The GSD’s Class Day and Commencement ceremonies will be held in the Gund back yard (Gund Garden).
- The ceremonies will take place outdoors, primarily on grassy terrain, under the cover of a tent.
- Guest seating is general admission, aside from seats reserved for those with accessibility needs.
- Ceremony speakers will use microphones and speak from a podium.
- Live webcasts with captioning, including translations, will be available to view on personal devices.
- Restrooms are available inside Gund Hall prior to tent entry, and within the ticketed tent area in the form of portable bathrooms, including a wheelchair accessible unit.
Graduates will have the opportunity to request modified arrangements for guests who are elderly, disabled, attending with babies, or have other specific access needs to fully participate in the events. Guests who need modified arrangements should discuss their needs with their graduate. The GSD’s Commencement team also coordinates any accessibility arrangements needed for our graduates or their guests at the Harvard Yard ceremony on the morning of May 25.
Some of the accessibility arrangements for GSD events that are available on advance request can include:
- Reserved accessible seating for candidates or guests (location determined by the individual’s needs)
- Accessible parking
- American Sign Language interpreters
- Assisted Listening Devices (ALDs)
- Modified format programs (such as large print or pdf)
- Sighted guide or escort to reserved accessible seating
COVID-19
By registering to participate in Commencement, all graduates and their guests agree to abide by all state, local, Harvard University, and Harvard GSD COVID-19 guidelines and protocols that may be in place at the time you come to campus. The University will continue to actively monitor public health conditions and communicate any expectations and guidelines to graduates and guests participating in Commencement.
As always, full vaccination and updated booster status is strongly encouraged.
Affinity Celebrations for Graduates
Affinity graduation ceremonies are student-led, staff supported events that aim to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of graduates from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities. These events provide an opportunity for graduates to honor those who have helped them achieve their milestone while centering their cultural traditions and values. Affinity celebrations are generally held on the Monday and Tuesday of Commencement Week.
The Affinity Celebrations Schedule for 2023 includes:
- Affinity Celebration Honoring First Gen Next Gen Graduates
Monday, May 22, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Sever Quad - Affinity Celebration Honoring Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Desi-American Graduates
Monday, May 22, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Sever Quad - Affinity Celebration Honoring Arab Graduates (hosted by the Harvard Arab Student Association)
Tuesday, May 24, Time TBA - Affinity Celebration Honoring Black Graduates
Tuesday, May 23, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Sever Quad - Lavender Celebration Honoring LGBTQ+ Graduates
Tuesday, May 23, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at Harvard Divinity School - Affinity Celebration Honoring Latinx Graduates
Tuesday, May 23, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Sever Quad - Affinity Celebration Honoring Indigenous Graduates (hosted by the Harvard University Native American Program)
Thursday, May 25, Time TBA - Affinity Celebration Honoring Graduates with Disabilities
Date and time to be announced.
For more information, please see the university page on Affinity Graduation Ceremonies.
Detailed Schedule for GRADUATES - Wednesday May 24, 2023: Class Day
Wednesday, May 24, Class Day:
- 10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Class photos and ceremony rehearsal for graduates, by department/program:
- 10:00 am: Architecture
- 10:45 am: Landscape Architecture
- 11:30 am: Urban Planning and Design
- 12:15 pm: MDes
- 12:45 pm: MDE, DDes
- 3:30 pm: GSD Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address; Gund Hall back yard tent (seating opens at 3:00)
- 5:00 pm: Reception for graduates and their guests; Gund Hall
Detailed Schedule for GRADUATES - Thursday May 25, 2023: Commencement Day
Thursday, May 25, Commencement Day:
- 7:00 am: Continental breakfast available at GSD for graduates and guests; Gund Hall
- 7:30 am: Graduates line up outside Gund and (at about 7:45 am) process to Harvard Yard
- 8:50 am: Academic Procession into Tercentenary Theatre
- 9:30 am: Commencement Morning Ceremony begins
- Approximately 12:15 pm: Commencement Morning Ceremony ends (note that all times after this are dependent on exact end time of morning ceremony)
- Approximately 12:45pm: GSD Diploma Ceremony (follows Harvard Yard ceremony); Gund Hall back yard tent
- Approximately 2:00 pm: GSD lunch for graduates and guests (immediately follows GSD Diploma Ceremony); Gund Hall
Detailed Schedule for GUESTS - Wednesday May 24, 2023: Class Day
Wednesday, May 24, Class Day:
- 3:30 pm: GSD Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address; Gund Hall back yard tent (seating opens at 3:00)
- 5:00 pm: Reception for graduates and their guests; Gund Hall
No guest tickets or advanced registration are expected to be required to attend Class Day events.
Detailed Schedule for GUESTS - Thursday May 25, 2023: Commencement Day
Thursday, May 25, Commencement Day:
- 6:45 am: Harvard Yard gates open to ticketed guests. Guests are requested to be seated by 8:15 am. Plan time to stand on line and to have your bags searched; view the Yard bag policy (scroll down). Also note that strollers will not be allowed into Tercentenary Theatre proper.
- 7:00 am: Continental breakfast available at GSD for graduates and guests; Gund Hall
- 9:30 am: Commencement Morning Ceremony begins
- 10:30am: Gund Hall back yard tent opens to ticketed guests for GSD Diploma Ceremony
- Approximately 12:15 pm: Commencement Morning Ceremony ends (note that all times after this are dependent on exact end time of morning ceremony)
- Approximately 12:45pm: GSD Diploma Ceremony (follows Harvard Yard ceremony); Gund Hall back yard tent
- Approximately 2:00 pm: GSD lunch for graduates and guests (immediately follows GSD Diploma Ceremony); Gund Hall
Detailed Schedule for FACULTY - Wednesday May 24, 2023: Class Day
Wednesday, May 24, Class Day:
- 3:30 pm: GSD Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address; Gund Hall back yard tent (seating opens at 3:00)
- 5:00 pm: Reception for graduates and their guests; Gund Hall
Detailed Schedule for FACULTY - Thursday May 25, 2023: Commencement Day
Thursday, May 25, Commencement Day:
- 7:00 am: Continental breakfast available at GSD for graduates and guests; Gund Hall
- 7:30 am: Graduates line up outside Gund and (at about 7:45 am) process to Harvard Yard
- 8:50 am: Academic Procession into Tercentenary Theatre
- 9:30 am: Commencement Morning Ceremony begins
- Approximately 12:15 pm: Commencement Morning Ceremony ends (note that all times after this are dependent on exact end time of morning ceremony)
- Approximately 12:45pm: GSD Diploma Ceremony (follows Harvard Yard ceremony); Gund Hall back yard tent
- Approximately 2:00 pm: GSD lunch for graduates and guests (immediately follows GSD Diploma Ceremony); Gund Hall