2026 Commencement Information for Undergraduates

For the full experience, you and your families should attend both the main Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 15, at 5 p.m. and your individual senior recognition ceremony. The Commencement ceremony at McGuirk Alumni Stadium is a fun and celebratory event held outdoors, where degrees are conferred, the UMass Wind Ensemble performs, and university leaders, the student speaker, and the keynote speakers present their remarks. The senior recognition ceremonies are smaller, more intimate events where each undergraduate's name is called.

Your year of graduation is established by the University Registrar. To be eligible to participate in 2026 Commencement ceremonies, you must have fulfilled all requirements by the date of the ceremony or be scheduled to do so by September 2026.

Students who would like to walk in May but are not expected to complete degree requirements must contact the University Registrar, Diploma and Graduation Services, at @email no later than March 31, 2026.

Tassel is an online platform used to register for all Commencement and senior recognition ceremonies. At UMass Amherst, we partner with Tassel to manage three functions:

1. Ceremony Registration: You are responsible for logging into Tassel and registering for each ceremony you plan to attend, including the main undergraduate ceremony.
2. Name Reading and Pronunciation: While logged into Tassel, you are responsible for verifying the correct pronunciation of your name so that it will be read aloud and displayed correctly as you cross the stage at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and senior recognition ceremonies. Note that graduates are recognized collectively by the school and college at the main ceremony, not individually.
3. Securing Guest Tickets: You are also responsible for indicating the number of guest tickets you require, up to the specified allotment per student for the senior recognition ceremonies you are attending. You need to be registered for your ceremonies but do not need a guest ticket for yourself in order to participate in the ceremonies.

The deadline to register in Tassel is April 12 for the Commonwealth Honors College Celebration of Excellence and April 18 for all other undergraduate ceremonies. If you miss this deadline, you will be able to attend your ceremony; however, guest tickets are not guaranteed.

The week of your ceremony in May, tickets will be distributed to your Mullins Center account; you will be notified by email along with instructions for distributing them to your guests.

This year, we are proud to partner with Herff Jones for all academic regalia. New for 2026, you will be responsible for placing an order for your cap, gown, and tassel in the spring semester to be distributed in May. In February, you'll receive an email with instructions for placing your order.

Caps, gowns, and tassels may be picked up free of charge at these times:

• At the Commencement Fair: May 6, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., in the Campus Center
• The week of Commencement: May 11–14, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., in Campus Center, lower concourse

Many other campus organizations distribute additional symbols of achievement, such as cords, stoles, pins, etc. These items are not coordinated through the Office of Community Relations and University Events. If you have a question about how you'll receive a stole, cord, pin, etc., please contact the awarding organization directly.

Diplomas are not distributed during Commencement ceremonies. They are mailed to your diploma address approximately six weeks after grades have been received and you are cleared for graduation by your department, college, and the Registrar's Office. To ensure the delivery of your diploma, you should check SPIRE to make certain your diploma mailing address is accurately recorded. Please log in to SPIRE and go to your Academics tile; in the left menu, click Graduation > Diploma Preferences to update your mailing address. 

Questions regarding diplomas? Please contact the University Registrar, located at 213 Whitmore Administration Building, by phone at (413) 545-0555 or via email at [email protected]. Please allow for six to eight weeks for diploma delivery after your degree has been officially conferred in SPIRE.

Commencement medallions are presented to each undergraduate at their senior recognition ceremony.

Students with a FERPA privacy flag on their SPIRE account will not have their names printed in the Commencement program or on any Commencement-related material. If you know you have a privacy flag on your account but would like your name included in Commencement materials, please request that the flag be removed by March 14, 2026. You may do so by completing a Request for Privacy form with the University Registrar—contact their office for more information on this process. Please email @email when you have removed the flag.

Each summer, the Office of News and Media Relations sends press releases about in-state graduates to daily and weekly hometown newspapers in Massachusetts. Because of the large number of graduates involved, names are usually published in lists. Out-of-state graduates wishing to have press releases sent to their hometown newspapers must complete a form available from the Office of News and Media or call (413) 545-0444.

The Office of Community Relations and University Events will provide letters of support for undergraduate students who wish to have family members living abroad attend Commencement ceremonies. To receive a letter of support, fill out this Visa Request Form. Our office will process it within one week of receipt. Please note: It is the responsibility of the graduate to mail the letters to the appropriate embassy.