Commencement Details
Find Commencement 2025 details on: tickets, graduation eligibility, regalia, speakers, and photos.
For information regarding the Commencement ceremonies, regalia, tickets or other general questions, please contact the Commencement Committee via email at: commencement@stthomas.edu.
For information regarding your academic eligibility, please contact the Student Data and Registrar Office via email at: registrar@stthomas.edu.
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Ensuring a Joyful Experience for All
The University of St Thomas Commencement ceremonies are special events for all involved. To help ensure the commencement experience is a joyful one for our graduates and guests, please review these helpful guidelines.
All graduates, faculty, staff, and guests must refrain from any misconduct, distracting behavior or disrespect for all persons involved in the ceremony. Individuals who engage in inappropriate or disruptive behavior may be removed from the event.
Please do not bring items into the fieldhouse or take any action that interferes with the ceremony. Unacceptable items and behavior include, but is not limited to:
- Balloons, beach balls, signs, banners, streamers, and noisemakers are prohibited inside the fieldhouse due to visibility and safety concerns. If guests, graduates, faculty, or staff bring these items, they will be asked to leave them outside the space. St Thomas does not accept any responsibility for prohibited items left outside of ceremonies.
- Picture-taking near or on the stage by the graduates, family members or friends. A professional photographer is hired by the university to provide high quality images as the graduate receives their diploma. Proofs will be available to graduates and families in the week following the ceremony, however, there is no obligation to purchase.
- The stage is for graduates only and approved faculty and staff. No children, infants, or guests are allowed on the stage at any time.
- Alcohol is not to be brought to and/or consumed at the ceremony.
- Intoxication or other signs of impairment related to alcohol consumption is not permitted.
- St. Thomas is a tobacco-free campus and smoking, or vaping, is not permitted.
- Strollers are not permitted within the field house due to limited space. There will be a stroller corral inside the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Center where guests can leave strollers during the ceremony. Ushers will direct guests to the stroller corral. The corral will be supervised during the ceremony. However, St. Thomas cannot take any responsibility for lost or damaged strollers.
Tickets
All graduating students registering to participate in commencement through the Commencement RSVP found in by the deadline will receive five (5) tickets for their specific ceremony. Everyone the age of 2 and older requires a ticket for admittance. If a child under the age of 2 does not have a ticket, they will be required to sit on an adult's lap for the duration of the ceremony.
Need extra tickets? Graduates who would like to request additional tickets can be entered into a lottery system by completing the lottery request form that will become available on March 1, 2025.
Don’t need all five (5) tickets? For graduates who do not plan to use all five (5) of their tickets, there are two options for consideration. Graduates can share any extra tickets with other graduates who are in the same ceremony. Graduates can also elect to return any tickets they know they will not use to the general lottery by completing this form (available early March).
Please see below for important deadlines and how they apply for additional tickets for commencement.
- March 1, 2025 - Lottery Form for tickets opens
- March 17, 2025 - Priority deadline to RSVP for Commencement via . (For doctoral students this is the only deadline). Each graduate is guaranteed 5 tickets.
- April 4, 2025 - Final deadline to RSVP for commencement - final guarantee graduates can receive 5 tickets.
- Week of April 14 – Graduates will be notified if they have received any additional tickets.
- Early May, 2025 - Graduates can begin to claim their tickets. All graduates who have RSVP'd as participating in Commencement will receive information on how to claim their tickets.
Commencement Eligibility
All students who are eligible to participate in the ceremony will receive an email with information on how to RSVP via Murphy Online. Please see important deadlines below for RSVP’ing for your commencement.
March 17, 2025 - Priority Deadline to RSVP for Commencement
Undergraduate students:
- To be guaranteed cap and gown size (and pick up at Grad Fest/May 2)
- To be able to choose ceremony if double major (April 1st deadline for any changes)
- To receive 5 guest tickets
Graduate students
- All doctoral regalia must be ordered by March 17th - there are no extended deadlines for this regalia
- To be guaranteed regalia size (will be notified when/where to pick up)
- To receive 5 guest tickets
April 4, 2025 - Final Deadline to RSVP for Commencement
Undergraduate & Graduate students
- To be guaranteed regalia (sizing based on availability); Please note: Doctoral regalia not available for order after March 17th
- To receive 5 guest tickets
Regalia (Attire and Etiquette)
Ordering Regalia
Make sure you have ordered your free regalia!
All students participating in commencement must RSVP via . As part of your RSVP you will provide information for ordering your regalia. Please be aware of the following important deadlines and how they relate to your regalia.
Undergraduate students
- March 17, 2025 - Priority deadline to order and be guaranteed your requested size for cap and gown. Your regalia will be available for pick up at Grad Fest/May 2.
- April 4, 2025 - Guaranteed cap and gown (sizes will be based on availability)
Graduate students
- March 17, 2025 - Priority deadline to order and be guaranteed your requested size for regalia (except doctoral regalia)
- March 17, 2025 - FINAL deadline for doctoral regalia. No orders for doctoral regalia will be accepted after March 15th
- April 4, 2025 - Guaranteed regalia (sizes will be based on availability)
General Standards
In keeping with the significance of the occasion, graduates must wear university-issued academic regalia, including cap, gown and purple St Thomas stole. Only University-issued honor cords and medallions are approved for wear during the ceremony.
Students are permitted to decorate their cap and stole to positively represent their St. Thomas experience. All decorated content must represent the values and convictions of the University of St Thomas. Stoles, pins and commencement caps are prohibited from including any images, symbols or words that represent/show the following:
- Profanity, Nudity, Sexual Innuendos, or Rude Comments
- Alcohol and/or Drug related references
- Political References
- Content that advocates drug use, violence, or disruptive behavior that is detrimental to the safety and welfare of other students.
- Any symbols, words, etc. that represents any group/organizational affiliations external to St Thomas
Other personal adornments, such as hats, signs, ribbons, or scarves, noise makers, and battery operated, or blinking lights are not acceptable. Students who attend commencement with any adornment that does not meet the standards above will be required to remove it in order to participate. No additional caps or stoles will be available to replace any caps or stoles removed.
Additionally:
- Jeans and flip-flops are not acceptable.
- Wear comfortable shoes with low heels.
- Do not leave your valuables unattended. St. Thomas cannot take any responsibility for lost, stolen, or damaged items.
Tassels on Mortarboard
Tassels are included with your cap and gown. Additional tassels are available for purchase from the St. Thomas Campus Stores.
The student's major(s) determines the tassel color. Colors can be confirmed by contacting Campus Stores.
How to Wear Your Cap (UG)
The cap should be worn with the mortarboard parallel to the ground. Undergraduate candidates should wear their tassel on the right side. It is moved to the left side at the designated time during the ceremony.
Undergraduate Honors
Eligible students will receive an email with information from Latin Honors, Aquinas Scholars or their department with details about pick-up date and location.
Ordering Regalia
Ordering Regalia
Make sure you have ordered your free regalia!
All students participating in commencement must RSVP via . As part of your RSVP you will provide information for ordering your regalia. Please be aware of the following important deadlines and how they relate to your regalia.
Undergraduate students
- March 17, 2025 - Priority deadline to order and be guaranteed your requested size for cap and gown. Your regalia will be available for pick up at Grad Fest/May 2.
- April 4, 2025 - Guaranteed cap and gown (sizes will be based on availability)
Graduate students
- March 17, 2025 - Priority deadline to order and be guaranteed your requested size for regalia (except doctoral regalia)
- March 17, 2025 - FINAL deadline for doctoral regalia. No orders for doctoral regalia will be accepted after March 15th
- April 4, 2025 - Guaranteed regalia (sizes will be based on availability)
General Standards
General Standards
In keeping with the significance of the occasion, graduates must wear university-issued academic regalia, including cap, gown and purple St Thomas stole. Only University-issued honor cords and medallions are approved for wear during the ceremony.
Students are permitted to decorate their cap and stole to positively represent their St. Thomas experience. All decorated content must represent the values and convictions of the University of St Thomas. Stoles, pins and commencement caps are prohibited from including any images, symbols or words that represent/show the following:
- Profanity, Nudity, Sexual Innuendos, or Rude Comments
- Alcohol and/or Drug related references
- Political References
- Content that advocates drug use, violence, or disruptive behavior that is detrimental to the safety and welfare of other students.
- Any symbols, words, etc. that represents any group/organizational affiliations external to St Thomas
Other personal adornments, such as hats, signs, ribbons, or scarves, noise makers, and battery operated, or blinking lights are not acceptable. Students who attend commencement with any adornment that does not meet the standards above will be required to remove it in order to participate. No additional caps or stoles will be available to replace any caps or stoles removed.
Additionally:
- Jeans and flip-flops are not acceptable.
- Wear comfortable shoes with low heels.
- Do not leave your valuables unattended. St. Thomas cannot take any responsibility for lost, stolen, or damaged items.
Tassels on Mortarboard
Tassels on Mortarboard
Tassels are included with your cap and gown. Additional tassels are available for purchase from the St. Thomas Campus Stores.
The student's major(s) determines the tassel color. Colors can be confirmed by contacting Campus Stores.
How to Wear Your Cap (UG)
How to Wear Your Cap (UG)
The cap should be worn with the mortarboard parallel to the ground. Undergraduate candidates should wear their tassel on the right side. It is moved to the left side at the designated time during the ceremony.
Undergraduate Honors
Undergraduate Honors
Eligible students will receive an email with information from Latin Honors, Aquinas Scholars or their department with details about pick-up date and location.
Speakers
A student speaker will be selected for each commencement ceremony. Information on how to apply will be available early Spring 2025. Any graduate eligible and participating in the 2025 commencement ceremonies is eligible, including graduates of Summer 2024 and Fall 2024.
Photos
A professional photographer is retained by the university to provide high quality images as each graduate receives their diploma. Proofs will be available typically a few weeks after the ceremony. There is no obligation to purchase. Picture-taking by graduates, family members, or friends on or near the stage during the ceremony is not permitted.
Photo information will be available closer to commencement.