Commencement FAQ

Students planning to complete their degree requirements in the Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026 terms are eligible to attend the May 2026 commencement ceremony. All graduating students who wish to be invited to walk in the May 2026 commencement ceremony must submit the Carey SIS Graduation Application by February 2026.

Before students can RSVP for the Commencement Ceremony, students must complete the Carey SIS Graduation Application by deadline based on degree completion.

Log in to your Carey* SIS Self-Service account. On the left-hand side, click Registration → Program of Study Info → Apply for Graduation. Fill in all required fields and click Submit. *If you are a dual-degree student with another Johns Hopkins University division: Log in to your SIS Self-Service account. At the top of the page next to “student”, click the arrow and select “BU/Grad Degree”. On the left-hand side, click Registration → Program of Study Info → Apply for Graduation. Fill in all required fields and click Submit.

When a student successfully submits their SIS graduation application, they will automatically receive a confirmation email from SIS, letting them know their graduation application has been received. The automatic confirmation email is sent from SIS-noreply@jhu.edu. Students might need to check their spam folder for the confirmation email.

If students need further confirmation, or if they cannot find the automatic confirmation email from SIS, they may submit a request to SEAM—Graduation Application → Request Support.

Students who complete their degree requirements in the Summer 2025 term can attend the May 2025 commencement ceremony following completion of program requirements.

15-month Master of Finance students who will complete their degree requirements in the Fall 2025 term will be invited to attend the May 2026 commencement ceremony.

15-month Master of Finance students who will complete their degree requirements in the Fall 2026 term are not eligible to attend the May 2026 commencement ceremony. Following completion of program requirements, 15-month Master of Finance students will be invited to attend the May 2027 commencement ceremony.

The Carey Business School will host two graduation ceremonies tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026.  The Master of Science ceremony will tentatively begin at 11:00am EST, and the Master of Business Administration ceremony will tentatively begin at 4:00pm EST.  Final details will be confirmed in January 2026.

The location of the commencement ceremony will be in Baltimore, MD.  The official venue will be announced in January 2026.

Graduating students should plan to arrive and check-in one hour prior to the start of their degree ceremony.

All bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral candidates are invited to attend the JHU commencement ceremony.  More details can be found on the JHU commencement webpage.

Johns Hopkins has a comprehensive safety and security plan in place to support our Commencement celebrations. This plan includes preparations for the possibility of demonstration activity. While we support freedom of expression, Commencement is an academic event—and it is a moment that so many people have worked so hard to make possible. It is not an appropriate venue for disruptive behavior or violations of University policy, and students have been reminded that disruptions can result in disciplinary action, including immediate removal from the event and/or the withholding of a student’s diploma pending the outcome of student conduct proceedings.

The commencement ceremony will last approximately 2 hours.

All candidates are expected to remain seated until the end of the ceremony following the faculty procession. This is out of courtesy for the candidates who are graduating and special guests participating in the ceremonies.

Students and guests can park in the following garages:

• Maryland Avenue Garage, 1120 Maryland Avenue – Guests can purchase a pass online prior to the event and can receive a QR access code at https://ubalt.t2hosted.com/Account/Portal
• MICA Parking Lot - 364 Cathedral Street (Uncovered Parking)
• The Fitzgerald Garage (between Mt Royal Avenue and Maryland Avenue at 80 West Oliver Street, Baltimore, 21201). The garage is 2 blocks from the Meyerhoff.

Parking may be limited, so we encourage carpooling and ridesharing.

No, diplomas are not distributed at the commencement ceremony. All diplomas are mailed for free via standard United States Postal Service (USPS) 4-8 weeks after your official conferral (graduation) date. If you have additional questions, please submit a request to SEAM—Diploma → Request Support. If you are a dual-degree student with another Johns Hopkins University division, please ensure you select Carey Business School as the “School” in your request.

Please submit a request to SEAM—Graduation → Request Support. If you are a dual-degree student with another Johns Hopkins University division, please ensure you select Carey Business School as the “School” in your request. 

To request accommodations, please complete the Special Requests Form no later than May 1. Closer to the ceremony, the Office of Student Affairs will be in touch with specific instructions.

Information on guest tickets will be available January 2026. We are not accepting requests for guest tickets at this time.

Please continue to check the website for more updates as we get closer to the ceremony.

Yes - The link to view the ceremony is https://video.ibm.com/jhu-carey-business-school

Graduating students in the top 20% of the graduating class are eligible to join.

Invitations will be sent by April 15th.

Yes. BGS members will receive their certificate and commencement cords at the induction ceremony.

The Johns Hopkins Office of International Services (OIS) has provided information on obtaining a Visitor Visa on their website.

The Office of International Services does not provide invitation letters to family or guests to include with their visa application. OIS and Registration has also put together a comprehensive guide on how to apply for a Visitor Visa and provide verification of enrollment through SIS.

Regalia can be ordered online via the JHU Bookstore.

If the online ordering deadline has passed, please contact Barnes & Noble, Johns Hopkins, located at 3330 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. 410-662-5850. Regalia will be available in-store until the completion of all graduation ceremonies.

On the day of the ceremony, a representative of the bookstore will be stationed in the Meyerhoff lobby.  Students will need to pay the purchase fee on-site. We encourage students to purchase their regalia in advance as supply on the day of the ceremony will be limited.

Business formal attire is encouraged for all graduation attendees. Casual clothing items including shorts, sneakers, flip-flops, and t-shirts are prohibited.

Students inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society will be provided with regalia cords. Additionally, graduates who are United States veterans have the option to wear cords.  The university does not provide students with stoles or cords for student organizations.

The Carey Business School has provided a virtual guide with step-by-step dressing instructions. Staff will also be available on the day of the ceremony to assist with dressing.

Students who complete the SIS Graduation Application by the required deadline will be sent an individual link to register for the ceremony and select guest tickets. Summer 2026 graduates will receive the registration link to their Johns Hopkins University email address. Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 graduates will receive the registration link to the email address they entered into the SIS Graduation Application.

Students can log onto Tassel to access their confirmation and tickets. Spring and Summer 2025 graduates will receive the registration link to their Johns Hopkins University email address. Fall 2024 graduates will receive the registration link to the email address they entered into their SIS Graduation Application.

If you have already submitted your graduation application in SIS, verify the accuracy of the email address you provided in your SIS graduation application.

To view the email address in your SIS graduation application to see which email address the ceremony registration email went to: Log in to your SIS account -> Registration -> Program of Study -> View Graduation Application. If the email address is incorrect in your graduation application OR if you have not submitted your graduation application at all, please submit a support request to SEAM under SEAM—Graduation Application → Request Support.

You can view the ceremony virtually, but will not be recognized on stage. Virtual attendees can view the commencement ceremony here. 

Student Commencement Speaker nominations will open in Spring 2026.

Students planning to complete their degree requirements in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026 are eligible to be nominated as student commencement speaker. Students enrolled in the 15-month MS in Finance program are not eligible to be nominated as student commencement speaker.

All nominees will be asked to submit a written draft to the Student Speaker Selection Committee. Finalists will be asked to revise their speeches and submit a final written draft alongside a recorded reading. The student speaker will then be partnered with a Carey faculty member to consult on revisions and review of best practices in public speaking.

Students nominated more than three times will only have their first three nominations considered.  The selection of the student commencement speaker will be based on the quality of the nominations, rather than the quantity of nominations received per student.

There will be one student speaker selected per ceremony.

The runner-up nominees is invited to serve as the student marshal.