2026 Commencement Weekend

Master’s Candidates & Graduates

The following students are eligible to participate in the Master’s Convocation Ceremony: August 2025 graduates, January 2026 graduates, May 2026 candidates and August 2026 candidates. All participating students must have submitted a diploma application to the GMS Registrar Office and have been given approval. Once given approval, students will be emailed the GMS Master’s Convocation RSVP Survey from the GMS Student Affairs Office.

Doctoral Candidates & Graduates

The following students are eligible to participate in the MD & PhD Convocation Ceremony: August 2025 graduates, January 2026 graduates and May 2026 candidates. All participating students must have submitted a diploma application to the GMS Registrar Office and have been given approval. Once given approval, students will be emailed the MD & PhD Convocation RSVP Survey from the GMS Student Affairs Office.

*Please note that MD/PhD dual degree candidates/graduates need only to complete the RSVP survey once.

All candidates and graduates are required to wear University-approved academic regalia if participating in the ceremonies. General information regarding regalia can be found here. All regalia orders must be placed through the BU Campus Store/Herff-Jones online. Ordering options include home delivery or campus pickup. Campus pick up orders will be available beginning May 4 at the BU Campus Store. It is highly recommended that all orders are placed as soon as possible to avoid processing and transit delays.

*Please note that if you want to take photos in your regalia before May, we recommend selecting the home delivery option.

Master’s Candidates & Graduates Deadlines

Campus pickup orders (deadline has passed)

Custom-made orders (deadline has passed)

April 15: Deadline for all master’s regalia orders

Doctoral Candidates & Graduates Deadlines

Campus pickup orders (deadline has passed)

Custom-made orders (deadline has passed)

All doctoral regalia orders (deadline has passed)

Miss the deadline?

A limited selection of regalia will be available for purchase (or rental if doctoral) at the campus store beginning May 4. While every attempt will be made to provide walk-ins with the regalia appropriate for your degree, sufficient inventory cannot be guaranteed.

Difficulty affording regalia?

If purchasing regalia presents a significant financial difficulty for you, please reach out to the GMS Student Affairs Office (gmssa@bu.edu).

All master’s and doctoral candidates/graduates receive a hood as part of their regalia order and will be “hooded” when they walk across the stage during the ceremony. Typically, a hooder is a program director, research mentor, advisor, etc. Candidates/graduates may choose to have a non-BU affiliated person to hood them, but they must have earned an equivalent degree (i.e. master’s degree for hooding a master’s candidate or doctoral degree for hooding a doctoral candidate). All hooders participating in these ceremonies are required to wear academic regalia. All candidates/graduates are responsible for confirming that their chosen hooder will be attending the ceremony and have informed the GMS Student Affairs Office.

Candidates/graduates that wish to have a non-BU affiliated person hood them during the ceremony may do so if they have done the following:

• Completed the RSVP survey and provided their non-BU hooder’s information (including confirmation they have earned the appropriate degree)
• Confirmed with their non-BU hooder that they will in fact attend, participate in, and wear the approved academic regalia for the ceremony
• Ordered the approved academic regalia for their non-BU hooder through the BU Campus Store/Herff Jones.

The term “Commencement Weekend” refers to the four consecutive days in May that any and all ceremonies take place at BU. All students are allowed to participate in any ceremony that they are eligible for. Please see below for specifics of each ceremony.

GMS Master’s Convocation Ceremony

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: BU Track & Tennis Center, 100 Ashford Street, Charles River Campus

The GMS Master’s Convocation Ceremony honors our master’s graduates with individual student recognition (calling of names, walking across the stage and hooding), as well as various student speakers. This ceremony is typically between 1.5 and 2 hours in length. This ceremony is hosted specifically by GMS via the GMS Student Affairs Office. Directly following the ceremony there will be a reception across the street (on the softball field) for all graduates, guests, faculty & staff who would like join.

MD & PhD Convocation Ceremony

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: BU Track & Tennis Center, 100 Ashford Street, Charles River Campus

The MD & PhD Convocation Ceremony honors our doctoral graduates with individual student recognition (calling of names, walking across the stage and hooding), as well as various student speakers. This ceremony is typically between 1.5 and 2 hours in length. This ceremony is co-hosted with the MD side of our school via both the GMS Student Affairs Office and the CAMED Student Affairs Office. Directly following the ceremony there will be a reception across the street (on the softball field) for all graduates, guests, faculty & staff who would like join.

All-University Commencement Ceremony

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Nickerson Field, 285 Babcock Street, Charles River Campus

The All-University Commencement will comprise of speeches from Boston University President, the invited commencement speaker, and the student speaker, plus presentations to the honorary degree recipients and the conferring of degrees. Candidates/graduates will be seated with their school/college and recognized as a group (i.e. no individual names will be called). For additional information on the All-University Commencement, please visit the BU Commencement website.

*Please note that the All-University Commencement is not organized by GMS and requires graduates to register separately on the BU Commencement website.

First-Generation Graduation Pinning Ceremony

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Charles River Campus

The Newbury Center’s 6^th Annual First-Generation Graduation Pinning Ceremony is to celebrate the graduating first-gen undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Eligible first-gen candidates and graduates interested in participating in the ceremony must RSVP by May 1.

*Please note that Eligible Terrier F1RST (or first-gen) candidates and graduates are those who parents/guardians/caregivers did not earn a master’s, doctorate or professional degree (such as a JD or MD). Additionally, this ceremony is not organized by GMS, so please direct any questions to M.C. Damm, Newbury Center Associate Director.

Lavender Ceremony

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Charles River Campus

Join the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center for an evening of reflection, recognition, and camaraderie as we celebrate our student’s journey and accomplishments. This event is a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow graduates, faculty, staff and allies who have supported you along the way. The ceremony is for both undergraduate and graduate students. A reception will follow once the ceremony is finished. Graduating students interested in attending the ceremony are asked to RSVP via the Graduating Student Registration Form by April 30.

*Please note that this ceremony is not organized by GMS, so please direct any questions to bupride@bu.edu.

Students are highly recommended to take public transportation or choose a ride-share service (i.e. Uber, Lyft) if able to do so. If taking the BU Shuttle, the closest stop is Agganis, which is approximately a 10-minute walk to the Track & Tennis Center. If taking the Green Line, the closest stop is Babcock St.  If driving, there is no parking available on site for students. If Disability & Access Services are needed for parking, please request through the Accommodations Request Form (see Requesting an accommodation section).

All faculty who want to participate in either the GMS Master’s Convocation Ceremony or the MD & PhD Convocation Ceremony must RSVP via the survey sent out by the GMS Student Affairs Office.

Faculty RSVP (deadline has passed)

All faculty are required to wear University-approved academic regalia if participating in the ceremonies. New as of last year – faculty must order their own regalia through this link provided by Herff-Jones (and emailed out from both the BUMC Communications Office and the GMS Student Affairs Office), or they may wear their own set. Please use these regalia ordering instructions to assist you throughout the process. Pickup of regalia orders will take place in the central GMS suite (L-317) and the CAMED Student Affairs Office (depending on what you select for pickup location). A notification email will be sent towards the end of April once regalia is delivered and ready for pickup.

Faculty regalia orders (deadline has passed)

A non-BU hooder is defined as a person who is hooding a graduate during the ceremony and is not a member of BU faculty. If a graduate has asked you to hood them, you are able to participate in the ceremony if:

• You have earned an equivalent degree or higher (i.e. a doctoral degree required to hood a doctoral graduate)
• The graduate has (1) RSVP’ed to the ceremony and (2) included your contact information in said RSVP or informed the GMS Student Affairs Office directly via email
• You have ordered the approved academic regalia through the university’s Herff Jones website portal

All participants in a convocation ceremony must wear the approved academic regalia. If you have your own set of regalia from your alma mater, you are welcome to wear it. If you do not own a set, you can rent regalia through the university’s Herff Jones website portal and follow these steps:

1. Search for Boston University and select Boston University School of Medicine Hooder in the drop down menu
2. Select your degree under Degree Type, then click Shop
3. Select the Cap & Gown tab in the top left
4. Enter your information then click Add to Cart

April 17: Deadline to order non-BU hooder regalia

Guests are highly recommended to take public transportation or chose a ride-share service (i.e. Uber, Lyft) if able to do so. If taking the BU Shuttle, the closest stop is Agganis, which is approximately a 10-minute walk to the Track & Tennis Center. If taking the MBTA Green Line, the closest stop is Babcock St. If driving, parking is available in the Agganis Arena lot at 925 Commonwealth Ave. If Disability & Access Services are needed for parking, please request through the Accommodations Request Form (see Request an accommodation section). There will also be a dedicated shuttle traveling directly between the Medical Campus and the Track & Tennis Center that day. Guests are welcome to join faculty and staff on this shuttle bus, at the following times, and leaving from Albany St. (near the 710 Albany St. garage).

Bus 1: Departs 710 Albany St. at 8:00 a.m.; Departs TTC at 12:30 p.m.

Bus 2: Departs 710 Albany St. at 1 p.m.; Departs TTC at 5:30 p.m.

Both the GMS Master’s Convocation Ceremony and the MD & PhD Convocation Ceremony typically last between 1.5 and 2 hours in length. The doors open for guests 1 hour prior to the ceremony starting. Directly following each ceremony, all graduates, guests, faculty & staff are invited to join us for a reception. The receptions are to be held on the softball field across the street from the Track & Tennis Center and usually conclude within 1 hours’ time.

Email the GMS Student Affairs Office (gmssa@bu.edu) with any questions.