For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Baruch College will be hosting an in-person Commencement Ceremony for the class of 2022. A huge congratulations to those graduating this year, the end of your undergraduate studies is near.

The 2022 Commencement Ceremony will be held on May 26 at the Barclays Center. The commencement ceremony for both undergraduate and graduate students will begin at 9:30 a.m. with doors opening at 8:00 a.m.

Students participating in commencement should continue to check the commencement website for additional information on the ceremony, such as day of ceremony instructions.

The ceremony is expected to run approximately two hours and 30 minutes. Graduates will be given name cards as they enter the Barclays Center. These cards need to be completed before entering the arena as the cards will be used when you are photographed prior to entering the arena.

Make sure to arrive with your friends if you wish to be seated together; however, there is no guarantee.

Students certified by the graduation audit department should have ordered their cap and gowns by April 26, to participate in commencement as appropriate academic attire, caps and gowns, are required.

After this date, you will need to purchase your cap and gown in person on May 17 or May 18 in the Newman Vertical Campus cafeteria area between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Note that you will be charged an additional $10 late fee.

If for any reason you choose not to attend the ceremony and no longer require academic attire, you must submit a written refund request to thegraduateguy@aol.com by May 1. Please note that requests for refunds will not be honored after commencement.

Any academic attire that is not picked up on the day of commencement is returned to the manufacturer at the end of the day.

By ordering the cap and gown by the deadline, students will receive four guest tickets. The graduating student participating in commencement does not need a ticket. Failure to order by the designated deadline may result in a reduced number of tickets.

If there are extra tickets after the initial distribution has been completed, these tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you require accommodations due to a disability, you will have the opportunity to note this on the form when you order your tickets when purchasing the cap and gown. The Barclays Center is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Guest tickets for commencement will be distributed electronically via SeatGeek.com, the ticketing service that the Barclays Center uses. Barclays Center policy is that all children over 34 inches tall must have a ticket. Children under 34 inches are allowed to sit on the lap of a ticketed guest and do not require a ticket. There is no reserved seating.

Please make sure that all guests enter together as it is not possible to hold seats for latecomers. Guests will enter the Barclays Center through the main entrance on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. Ushers will seat guests in any unoccupied seats as needed.

Diplomas are not presented during the commencement exercise. Each candidate for graduation should confirm that the Office of the Registrar has their correct address on file. Upon receipt of notice of graduation, which accompanies the official transcript, candidates may then pick up their diploma at the Office of the Registrar.

Before entering the arena on the day of commencement, a professional photographer will be available to photograph all graduates. A few weeks after the ceremony, graduates will receive an email from the photo studio containing proofs and purchasing information.

To facilitate this process, register your personal email address with the photo studio before commencement via their website at www.gradimages.com/Register.cfm. Please note that you cannot use your Baruch email address due to file size restrictions and spam filters. Graduates are under no obligation to purchase photographs.

Upon conclusion of the ceremony, the Presidential Party and faculty will leave the stage. As soon as they have left the area, the Chief Marshal will declare that the commencement exercises are officially over.

There will be no formal recessional for graduates. You are asked to leave the auditorium in an orderly manner. Because the area is large and there will be many guests and graduates, you are urged to make plans with parents and friends about where to meet at the end of the ceremony.

Make sure to continue checking the official Baruch commencement website for any new updates and monitoring your email. Congratulations to the class of 2022. I’ll see you all there for our in-person Commencement Ceremony.