Schedule of Commencement Events
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. Dean’s Reception
Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Lehman Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Thursday, May 29, 2025
6:45 a.m.–7:15 a.m. Degree Candidates Arrive at the Lawns at Richards Hall
33-35 Oxford Street (behind Perkins Hall), Cambridge, Massachusetts
~7:15 a.m. Parade and Academic Procession
Oxford Street into Tercentenary Theatre via the Old Yard
9:30 a.m. Morning Exercises Begin
Tercentenary Theatre
Note: The Morning Exercises typically end between 12:15 p.m. and 12:30 p.m., though this may vary. Regardless of the exact time listed below, graduates and guests assigned to Diploma Awarding Ceremony #1 should proceed to Sanders Theatre from Tercentenary Theatre immediately following the conclusion of the Morning Exercises.
12:30 p.m. (or immediately following Morning Exercises) Diploma Awarding Ceremony #1
Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Note: Graduates and guests assigned to Diploma Awarding Ceremony #1 should head to Sanders Theatre directly from Tercentenary Theatre. Graduates and guests assigned to Diploma Awarding Ceremony #2 should head to the Champagne Reception & Luncheon directly from Tercentenary Theatre.
12:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Champagne Reception and Luncheon
33-35 Oxford Street (behind Perkins Hall), Cambridge, Massachusetts
Note: The Champagne Reception and Luncheon takes place concurrently with the Diploma Awarding Ceremonies and throughout the afternoon to accommodate graduates and their guests in both ceremonies.
2:30 p.m. Diploma Awarding Ceremony #2
Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Note: Harvard Griffin GSAS staff at the Luncheon will prompt graduates and guests assigned to Diploma Awarding Ceremony #2 to report to Sanders Theatre by 2:15 p.m. Graduates and guests leaving Diploma Awarding Ceremony #1 can proceed to the Champagne Reception and Luncheon from Sanders Theatre.
4:30 p.m. PhD Hooding Ceremony for Engineering and Applied Sciences
Science and Engineering Complex, 150 Western Ave., Boston, Massachusetts
5:00 p.m. HMS-affiliated PhD Program Hooding Ceremony
Harvard Medical School, The New Research Building, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115
