Frequently Asked Questions
Commencement Eligibility Questions
Commencement eligibility requirements for Spring 2025 Commencement must be met by April 1, 2025. Students who become eligible after April 2, 2025, will be invited to participate in our winter 2025 commencement in Albany.
Students who are eligible to participate in Spring 2025 Commencement will receive email communications to their student email address (@sunyempire.edu) beginning in February 2025. Email communications will contain a link to register to attend: all students looking to participate in a commencement ceremony must register.
Eligibility to participate in commencement varies by program. Please visit our commencement eligibility page for help determining your eligibility.
Commencement participation and graduation clearance are different processes.
Your graduation date is determined by the date you fulfill all your academic requirements. Please speak with your mentor or advisor for detailed information about your expected graduation date and visit the Graduation Procedure webpage for more detailed information.
If you have questions about your commencement eligibility, please visit our commencement eligibility page. If you cannot find your answer there, contact the event coordinators at commencement@sunyempire.edu.
Eligible students will receive an email invitation to their student email address. Please be aware, we do not send emails to students' personal emails.
In order to attend a commencement ceremony, eligible students must register through the form linked in the email invitation.
Regalia Questions
All Students
Regalia is required to walk in our commencement ceremony. Information about how to order regalia was sent to commencement-eligible students by email. The regalia ordering deadline has passed, but students may still request a set of regalia to borrow for the ceremony through the Commencement Closet at no cost.
Students are encouraged to wear attire and footwear they will be comfortable walking, sitting, and standing in during the ceremony.
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students must wear a cap and gown (regalia) to participate in commencement. Students must wear a black gown and a black mortarboard with black tassel.
Graduate Students
Graduate students must wear a black gown and a black mortarboard with black tassel. Graduate students will also need to order an academic hood in colors that signify your academic discipline and the institution at which you earned your graduate degree.
Absolutely! We encourage you to customize your mortarboard. We only ask that you remember that commencement is a family event and that customization should be respectful of all people. Please also be sure that your decorations will not block the view of the person sitting behind you and will not impair your vision while walking.
Download and print a design for your cap in celebration of your accomplishments!
Latin honors designations are recognized for bachelor's degrees only and are calculated based on a student's cumulative grade point average.
Students whose degrees were awarded by the eligibility deadline, and who earned Latin honors will be listed with honors in the commencement program. Latin honors will show on the diplomas and transcripts of all eligible graduates when the degree is awarded. For more information about Latin honors at SUNY Empire, review our Latin honors policy.
Gold honors cords will be provided for eligible students to wear during the ceremony and can be picked up at student check-in. Please direct all Latin honors eligibility questions to registrarsoffice@sunyempire.edu.
Ceremony Questions
SUNY Empire will be hosting ceremonies in Albany, Manhattan, and Rochester, NY, in May 2025. Please visit our ceremony information page for more information. Details will be added as the ceremony dates approach.
Please be aware, the venues do not allow guests to bring in balloons.
All SUNY Empire in-person commencement ceremonies are livestreamed. The livestream feed will be available at SUNY Empire Live approximately five minutes prior to the start of the ceremony and will end when the ceremony has concluded.
A video recording of the ceremony will also be posted to the commencement photography and video webpage the week following the ceremony date.
The number of guests allowed varies from year to year based on venue size and number of commencement-eligible students. The number of guests allowed for each ceremony will be communicated via email to all commencement-eligible students, along with a link to register for yourself and your guests.
Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies allow for five guests per registered student, with an option to submit a request for additional guests, if capacity allows, through the registration form. The amount of guest seating available is limited to maintain a safe capacity of each venue. If capacity is reached, additional guests will not be allowed. Capacity will be evaluated after the registration deadline and communicated through student email.
We recommend reaching out to the local U.S. consulate within the country that your family members are in to apply for a visitor visa. Click here to view visa appointment wait times.
SUNY Empire does not provide letters to graduates as a means for their guests to apply for a visa from their country to attend a graduation ceremony. We recommend using copies of the following documents instead:
- Emails to the graduate with ceremony information included
- Graduation application
- Enrollment Verification Letter
There will be a photographer to capture moments at the event. Photos taken the day of commencement will be uploaded to a public SUNY Empire Flickr album in the weeks following the ceremony.
When you attend a SUNY Empire commencement ceremony, you and your guests will enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording will occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such photography, audio, and video recording and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for SUNY Empire’s promotional and marketing purposes now and in the future.
Although diplomas are not handed out at the commencement ceremony, each commencement-eligible student who crosses the stage will receive a diploma cover.
Students who have satisfied all academic and financial requirements to earn their degree can expect to receive their diploma by mail approximately three weeks from the day SUNY Empire awarded the degree. Please note that participation in commencement does not necessarily indicate degree completion. Learn more about the graduation process.
Attending a commencement ceremony is not mandatory. If you are unable to attend one of the spring ceremonies and would like to attend our winter ceremony instead, please reach out to commencement@sunyempire.edu.
All diplomas are mailed to students after the completion of their degree requirements and are not handed out at commencement, as graduation and commencement eligibility are considered separate processes. Please visit the Office of the Registrar's Graduation Procedure page to find additional details about degree award process and diplomas.
In case of inclement weather, updates will be posted to the commencement webpage. Weather conditions may vary across state regions. SUNY Empire is committed to everyone’s safety and wellbeing.
Commencement Location Questions
Empire State University strives to make all programs welcoming and inclusive for all participants. Please notify us of any special requests that will enable you to participate fully in the event. If you have additional questions about venue accessibility, please contact commencement@sunyempire.edu.
Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captions can be accessed during all ceremonies on your mobile device. For best results when viewing CART captions, switch the view of your device to landscape mode and select "Hide Chat" and "Hide Header."