Medical Community Celebration

7 P.M. | The Warren Alpert Medical School, Herbert M. Kaplan Atrium

Members of the M.D. Class of 2026 and their loved ones are invited to raise a toast to graduation and officially be welcomed into the alumni community.

Campus Dance

9 P.M. | College Green | Ticketed

One of Brown's best-loved Reunion and Commencement traditions, Campus Dance brings people to Brown to dance the night away under a sky lit with over 600 paper lanterns on College Green. The evening joins together graduating seniors and their families, alumni of all ages and Brown faculty and staff. Everyone enjoys meeting old classmates, seeing favorite professors and being with friends. All family members and guests are welcome to attend. Tickets are required for all attendees and will be available through the Campus Dance website when the online box office opens this spring.

Weekend Forums 

Various Times and Locations

Led by faculty, alumni and distinguished guests, these academic and topical colloquia are an integral part of Commencement and Reunion Weekend.

Baccalaureate

1 P.M. (Estimated) | First Baptist Church in America

Held at First Baptist Church in America, Baccalaureate is a multifaith ceremony for undergraduates that incorporates the many spiritual and cultural traditions of the Brown community. Due to limited seating capacity, only seniors are allowed into the church. All guests and family members may watch the ceremony via livestream from designated locations.

Master's Procession and Ceremony

3:30 P.M. | College Green

The Master’s Ceremony is hosted by the School of Professional Studies and the Division of Master's and Professional Programs, with Dean of the School of Professional Studies Sandra Smith presiding. All graduates who register for the ceremony will have their name called as they cross the stage in recognition of their achievements. The ceremony includes an invocation, student speaker, awards presentation, conferral of degrees and benediction.

University Procession

9:45 A.M. | Faunce Arch

The University Procession is a joyous celebration. Candidates for degrees march across College Green and through the Van Wickle Gates, which are opened only twice each year. Undergraduate alumni who have returned for Reunion march with their classes. Once the last person is through the Van Wickle Gates, the Procession inverts and undergraduates continue down College Street with each participant applauding the others; doctoral students and medical students also process to their respective ceremony locations, with participants and spectators applauding the graduating students. 

Parents, relatives and friends of seniors are strongly advised to find seats on College Green during the University Procession, where they can view a livestream of the event. The Procession is made up of approximately 7,000 participants who line the route, making photography and lines of sight challenging for guests. 

Warren Alpert Medical School Commencement Ceremony

10 A.M. (Estimated) | First Unitarian Church

Following the University Procession, medical school participants adjourn to the First Unitarian Church at 1 Benevolent Street for their ceremony. Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Dr. Mukesh K. Jain presides. The ceremony includes a faculty and class address and degree conferral. Each graduating student participating in the medical school ceremony receives four tickets, which are distributed on Saturday, May 23, during the mandatory rehearsal.

Doctoral Ceremony

10:30 A.M. (Estimated) | Pembroke Field

Presided over by Dean of the Graduate School David Lindstrom at Pembroke Field, the Doctoral Ceremony serves as the formal conferral of Doctor of Philosophy degrees and the celebration of academic excellence. The ceremony includes a student address, the presentation of the Horace Mann Medal and Joukowsky Family Foundation awards, and the reading of candidates' names. Deans perform the ceremonial hooding of graduates before a member of the Corporation officially confers the degrees. The event concludes with a benediction and the singing of the Alma Mater.

College Ceremony

12:15 P.M. (Estimated) | The First Baptist Church in America

The senior class assembles on the lawn of the First Baptist Church in America for the official conferral of undergraduate degrees at the College ceremony. After the ceremony ends, the seniors walk up the hill and take seats on College Green for the University Ceremony. Due to limited capacity, only seniors are allowed on the church grounds. Family and friends should remain on College Green during the College ceremony, where large screens offer a continuous view of the proceedings.

University Ceremony

1:15 P.M. (Estimated) | College Green

Undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and medical students unite on College Green for this ceremony. President Christina H. Paxson presides, senior orations are delivered and honorary and symbolic degrees are awarded.

Departmental Ceremonies

2:30-4:45 P.M. (Estimated) | Various Locations

All degrees are symbolically conferred during the University Ceremony. Separate departmental ceremonies for each academic department follow the main ceremony and provide a more intimate atmosphere for families and graduating students. Many departments also welcome master’s and doctoral students.