The Harvard community will come together on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at 8 AM (ET), to celebrate and honor members of the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 from across the University in a joint ceremony in Tercentenary Theater.
Timeline
- Your big day will begin with a continental breakfast for HES graduates only starting at 6:00 AM in the Museum of Natural History Courtyard at 26 Oxford St. Cambridge, MA 02138.
- Important: Harvard Yard gates open for all guests at 6:45 AM. Note, a ticket does not guarantee a seat.
- Following the continental breakfast, the class will process from the Museum of Natural History Courtyard to the Old Yard at 6:45 AM.
- Graduates will then process into Tercentenary Theater in Harvard Yard for the University-wide Morning Exercises, which will end around 10:30 AM.
- The HES Ceremony will begin at the Museum of Natural History Courtyard at approximately 11:30 PM. It will end at approximately 2 PM.
- Following the HES Ceremony, graduates and guests will enjoy lunch and festivities at the Museum of Natural History Courtyard from 2 PM to approximately 3:30 PM.
Regalia, Registration & Tickets
To participate in the in-person Commencement ceremonies, graduates are required to wear official Harvard Regalia. Orders for regalia are placed online through the Harvard Coop, and the deadline to order is Saturday, April 9, 2022.
Registration will be required for both the Harvard University-wide and HES Commencement ceremonies. The Harvard Alumni Association (not Harvard Extension School) is coordinating registration and tickets. They have sent you an email to register yourself and your guests. If you did not receive the email, here is the link to the registration page.
Tickets will be required for guests attending both the Harvard-wide and the HES Commencement ceremonies. You can expect a maximum of three (3) guest tickets for each ceremony.
Stage Crossing. We will be using a company called Marching Orders to facilitate our announcement of graduate names during our stage crossing in the diploma ceremony. You will soon receive an email invitation from Harvard Extension School to confirm your diploma name for the stage crossing.
Live Streaming: The HES Diploma Awarding Ceremony will not be live-streamed.
COVID-19 Guidelines
Everyone in attendance on May 29 must be in adherence with all state, local, and Harvard University Covid-19 protocols that are in place at the time of their visit. This includes Harvard’s COVID vaccination and indoor masking requirements. Harvard University’s current protocols for campus access are detailed on the Keeping Harvard Healthy site.
To receive communications about the Commencement celebration, please make sure the University has up-to-date contact information. You can update your contact information by logging in, with your HarvardKey, to the Online Harvard Directory.
For more information, and for answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please visit the Harvard Commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 website.
