Commencement Information

Please note there are important differences between graduation and commencement with which you should be familiar.

Graduation is a three-step process consisting of submitting an Application for Graduation form, completing all academic requirements for your degree, and settling all financial obligations. The administrative process of degree conferral will indicate your official date of graduation. 

Commencement refers to the ceremony where you share the excitement and importance of your academic accomplishments with peers, family, and friends. It is also a time for the University, Board of Trustees, senior administrators, and faculty to pay special tribute to you for the outstanding efforts you have shown in earning your degree. 

Students graduating in December 2024, January 2025, May 2025, and August 2025 are invited to participate in the May 2025 ceremony. 

The ceremony features remarks from the President, guest speakers, and the reading of your name, upon which you will proceed across the stage. The graduate and doctorate ceremony will take place in the morning and the undergraduate ceremony will take place in the afternoon on the same date. The undergraduate ceremony typically lasts an estimated 2 hours while the graduate and doctorate ceremony typically lasts only about 1 ½ hours. Graduates and guests are asked to remain for the entire ceremony in which they are taking part to avoid disruptions.

Students can verify that their degree application has been submitted by checking the Commencement candidates list which will be posted on the Commencement Candidates page in early 2025. The lists are updated daily as degree applications are submitted. Students should check that their name is spelled correctly. How it appears on the list will be as it appears on your diploma. Any changes should be reported to the Registrar's Office at 609-896-5065. If you are not listed and feel you should be, please contact your dean’s office directly.

Diplomas are not distributed during the Commencement ceremony. Your actual diploma will be mailed to you 4-6 weeks after clearance from the Registrar and Dean for your specified degree conferral date (December 2024, January 2025, May 2025, or August 2025). If you would like a copy of your transcript, please request it through the Registrar's Office. Information and the Transcript Request Form can be found on the Registrar's Office website. Diplomas and transcripts indicate academic honors based upon the cumulative grade point average achieved at the end of the senior year.

Graduates for both ceremonies will each receive 7 guest tickets and 2 parking passes. 

Guests require a ticket for entrance and seating in the arena. The graduating student does NOT need a ticket for entry. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Children ages 2 and up require a ticket. 

No additional tickets will be available. Graduates are encouraged to check with their peers for any otherwise unused tickets.

Tickets and parking passes will be available for pick up, along with your pre-ordered cap and gown, at the Commencement Corner in the Rider Barnes and Noble bookstore from April 28-30 during regular bookstore hours. 

*Tickets & Parking Passes MUST be picked up from the Rider University Bookstore in the Commencement Corner even if regalia is shipped home.

If unable to visit the Commencement Corner on those days, tickets & parking passes will still be available for distribution at the Bookstore during normal Bookstore hours through Friday, May 16 after which tickets & parking passes will no longer be available. 

Live video streaming of the event will be available on the Rider website. 

Graduate and Undergraduate Ceremonies
Rider’s Commencement ceremonies will be held at the CURE Insurance Arena Center located at 81 Hamilton Ave, Trenton, NJ. The air-conditioned arena offers comfortable seating and easily accessible parking. The arena is fully compliant with all ADA accessibility guidelines.

Arena maps indicating graduate gathering and seating areas as well as parking locations are posted on the left navigation bar of the Commencement webpage.

Parking passes are required for parking at the arena. They are not required if parking at Rider and utilizing the complimentary shuttle service to and from the arena for the undergraduate ceremony only when we expect heavier traffic. The shuttle service runs continuously before and after the undergraduate ceremony from 11:30 a.m. through approximately 5:30 p.m.

Guest tickets are required for entrance to the arena. Graduates themselves do not need tickets. Seating is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis. See Commencement Tickets and Parking for information regarding ticket and parking pass pick up.

Accommodations are available for graduates and guests who require parking or seating due to a disability or special need. See the parking map on the Commencement website for Lot #2, which is designated for accessible parking. A placard or license plate for accessible parking is all that’s needed to access that lot.

Several areas around the arena are reserved for accessible seating. See the arena map for the ceremony that you wish to attend. The individual that needs seating in one of those sections plus one other guest can sit there. These areas are first come, first served.  

Please contact [email protected] if you require special needs accommodations.

Pick up guest tickets, parking passes and your cap and gown (if not shipped home) at the Commencement Corner in the bookstore from April 28 - 30 during regular bookstore hours. (Caps & gowns will also be available for pick up until May 15 and tickets & parking passes until May 16 at the bookstore during regular operating hours.)

Rider University recognizes exceptional academic achievement at Commencement. Qualifications for academic honors at Commencement are based upon the student's academic average at the end of the first term of the senior year (December 2024 for May 2025 Commencement). Honors, as noted in the Commencement program and by tassel color, are awarded as follows:

Visit the Jostens' website to order your class ring today!