College of Medicine and Life Sciences - Commencement

Parking

Areas 5 and 6 are the recommended parking areas for graduating students. See map and directions.

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Arrival

All graduates should arrive with their hooder no later than 1 p.m.

Graduates and Hooders will arrive in Fetterman beginning at 12:30 p.m. Use the Fetterman Training Entrance to access the field where you will be checked in with your hooder and escorted to your seat in Savage Arena.

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Viewing Commencement Virtually

A live stream video of the COMLS ceremony will be available on the commencement webpage. Recordings of the ceremonies will also be posted for graduates and guests who are unable to attend in person.

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Name Cards 

Graduates will receive their Marching Order Name Card after they are seated on the arena floor. During the ceremony, each graduate will hand their name card to the scanner to have their name announced, walk across the stage to be hooded by the class hooder, receive a commemorative diploma case, and have their photo taken.  Afterward, graduates will return to their seats for the remainder of the ceremony. 

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Photographs

Each graduate is professionally photographed after crossing the stage to be hooded. Graduates will have their photo taken in front of the UToledo banner before returning to the seat. Family and guests are free to take pictures from the stands, but may not come down onto the arena floor. The student will also receive a photo with their hooder while being hooded. 

An email with a link for graduates to view/purchase their photos will be sent one week following the commencement ceremony to all graduates that participated in the event. Graduates should check their UToledo email accounts for this information.

Graduates who have completed all degree requirements will have their diploma sent to them via mail. Students with outstanding degree requirements, or holds on their account (i.e. parking tickets, financial obligations, library fines) may receive their diploma once all outstanding degree requirements or other obligations have been fulfilled.

When are diplomas mailed? What happens after Commencement?

Following commencement, the task of clearing students for graduation begins.  This means the college reviews and determines that all degree requirements have been met and notifies the Registrar's Office the degree can be awarded. Once cleared by the college, the Registrar's Office posts the degree to the transcript and orders the diploma.  The diploma is printed and then mailed to the student at the address listed on the graduation application. Students will receive an email to their UT student email address once the diploma has been mailed.  This clearing, posting, and ordering of diplomas are ongoing for about 45 days past commencement. 

To verify that your degree has been awarded, view your unofficial transcript through the myUT Portal. Follow instructions for viewing unofficial transcripts online.

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How to update diploma mailing addresses

Students can verify the diploma mailing address that is currently on file by viewing their application for graduation. To view your application go to the Student tab in the myUT portal and select the Student Profile link found in the upper right-hand corner of the page.  Select the 'Active' link in the Graduation Information section (middle of the page) to access your application.  Here you will find all of the information you included when you submitted your application. 

If your diploma mailing address is different from what is displayed then complete the Diploma Address Change web form. Diploma address changes can be made up until the last day of the graduating term.

Academic regalia are required to participate in the commencement ceremony. (Exception: Military graduates wearing dress uniform.) Regalia may be purchased directly from the UToledo Bookstore, located on the Main Campus at the Gateway, Dorr and Secor. NOTE: Students MUST bring their own hoods to the ceremony. 

Regalia Ordering Information

Prior to the day of the ceremony, graduates should try on regalia for fit ahead of time and to ensure that they have received the correct regalia for their degree. Graduates should bring regalia and hoods ironed/steamed and ready to wear to the ceremony.

Degrees are typically posted to the transcript record within 30 days of the Commencement ceremony. If you order a transcript before your degree is posted to your record, mark the appropriate space on the request form to indicate that the transcript should be sent after the degree is posted.

Graduates should leave personal belongings — including purses, wallets, phones and cameras — with their guests. There is no storage available for personal belongings and belongings should not be brought to the graduate seating area. 

Graduates should conduct themselves with the highest degree of consideration, maturity and professionalism to ensure a pleasant and meaningful ceremony for all graduates and guests.