SBS Senior Celebration
Important information about your big day!
Watch the SBS Senior Celebration Livestream
Undergraduate Commencement
Friday, May 16, 2025
5:00pm, rain or shine
McGuirk Alumni Stadium, UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst is pleased to celebrate the Class of 2025 at the Undergraduate Commencement on Friday, May 16, 2025 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Graduates and guests will hear words of inspiration from the keynote speaker, welcome honored guests, applaud the student speaker, and cheer our graduates as degrees are conferred.
Visit the Commencement website.
SBS Senior Celebration
Saturday, May 17, 2025
5:30 to 7:30pm
Mullins Center, UMass Amherst
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences will conduct its 2025 SBS Senior Celebration on Saturday, May 17, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Graduates and their guests should plan to arrive at the Mullins Center by 4:30pm.
All primary and secondary majors in the College are invited to attend. The audience can expect to hear meaningful and memorable commentary from Dean R. Karl Rethemeyer and select student speakers. Each graduate will receive a medal and will have their name announced as they walk on stage and appear on the jumbotron. Professional photographs will be taken throughout the event. For those who attend, we ask that you please be courteous to fellow graduates and guests, and remain for the entire ceremony.
Regalia
You'll be wearing your cap, gown, and tassel for both the main Commencement Ceremony and again at the SBS Senior Celebration on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Caps, gowns, and tassels will be available for pick up on the following dates:
- At the Commencement Fair: May 7, 2025, 10:00am – 4:00pm, Campus Center Auditorium.
- The week of Commencement: May 12 to 15, 2025, 10:00am – 4:00pm, Campus Center 165.
Tassel: Registration and Name Pronunciation
The university is excited to partner with Tassel (formerly Marching Order) to coordinate registration for commencement and ensure your name is properly pronounced at your senior recognition ceremony. In the coming weeks, graduates will receive an email directly from Tassel. The email will include links inviting graduates to register for the ceremonies they plan to attend and encouraging them to record their name so it is pronounced correctly at the ceremony. Having accurate information about who is participating in each ceremony allows us to plan accordingly. Graduates will need to respond even if they are unable to attend.
Please give these emails your prompt attention so that we can plan around attendance and make sure names are announced properly at the 2025 SBS Senior Celebration.
Tickets
Graduates must be registered through Tassel to participate in the SBS Senior Celebration, but do not need tickets to participate. However, tickets are required for guests. To obtain tickets for your guests, you will need to register for the 2025 SBS Senior Celebration through Tassel (formerly Marching Order) by April 22. If you register after this date, you will be able to attend the 2025 SBS Senior Celebration; however, guest tickets are not guaranteed after this deadline.
Each graduate participating in the SBS Senior Celebration will be allocated five tickets for their guests which must be claimed through Tassel. A waitlist form for to request additional tickets is available here, but please do note that additional tickets are not guaranteed. The waitlist will stop accepting responses at 9:00am on Monday, May 5. Additional tickets will not be available until early May 2025. If additional tickets become available, they will be distributed in the order that they were requested, to as many graduates as possible.
Parking
We encourage graduates and guests to park as close to the Mullins Center as possible. Please allow plenty of time after parking to travel to travel to the Mullins Center.
Security
All guests and graduates will be required to walk through metal detectors when entering the venue. To expedite the process, we ask guests and graduates to remove cell phones from their pockets. Small purses and diaper bags are allowed but will be inspected at all entrances. Bags larger than a clutch are not allowed. Outside food or beverages, weapons of any kind, and tobacco products are not permitted inside the arena. For details on security procedures and a full list of prohibited items, please visit the Mullins Center website.
Slideshow Submission
Prior to the ceremony, we will be playing a slideshow for your friends and family. We encourage everyone to submit high-resolution photos (preferably horizontal/in landscape mode) for us to include. The deadline for submissions is May 2, 2025.
Student Marshals
Students who are not graduating are encouraged to apply to be a Student Marshal during the SBS Senior Celebration. Click the link below to apply.