SBS Senior Celebration
Important information about your big day!
Undergraduate Commencement
Friday, May 15, 2026
5:00pm, rain or shine
McGuirk Alumni Stadium, UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst is pleased to celebrate the Class of 2026 at the Undergraduate Commencement on Friday, May 15, 2026 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 16, 2026
5:00 to 7:00pm
Mullins Center, UMass Amherst
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences will conduct its 2026 SBS Senior Celebration on Saturday, May 16, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Graduates and their guests should plan to arrive at the Mullins Center by 4:00pm.
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
Graduates responsible for placing an order for their cap, gown, and tassel in the spring semester to be distributed in May. In February, graduates will 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, 11:00am to 4:00pm, in the Campus Center
- The week of Commencement: May 11–14, 10:00am to 4:00pm, 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 College of Social and Behavioral Sciences or 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.
Tassel: Registration, Name Pronunciation, and Tickets
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:
- Ceremony Registration: Graduates are responsible for logging into Tassel and registering for each ceremony they plan to attend, including the main Undergraduate Commencement ceremony and SBS Senior Celebration.
- Name Reading and Pronunciation: While logged into Tassel, graduates are responsible for verifying the correct pronunciation of their name so that it will be read aloud and displayed correctly as they cross the stage at the SBS Senior Celebration.
- Securing Guest Tickets: Graduates are also responsible for indicating the number of guest tickets they require. 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, including the SBS Senior Celebration. If you miss these deadlines, you will be able to attend your ceremony; however, guest tickets are not guaranteed.
Each graduate participating in the SBS Senior Celebration will be allocated five tickets for their guests which must be claimed through Tassel. The week of the ceremony in May, tickets will be distributed to graduates' Mullins Center account and they will be notified by email along with instructions for distributing them to their guests.
A waitlist form 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 4. Additional tickets will not be available until early May 2026. 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.
The Mullins Center is accessible and there is handicap parking available at the venue.
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 4, 2026.
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.