Commencement

This commencement ceremony is intended for fall 2024, spring 2025, and projected summer 2025 Liberal Arts graduates majoring in English or History. To participate, students must first apply to graduate (or, for summer graduates, join the walk list) through the College of Liberal Arts. Once approved, graduates and "walkers" will be sent a link and instructions for a mandatory RSVP. Please reach out to us through the contact e-mail above if you missed the RSVP deadline but would like to participate in our commencement.

Tickets are not required for this event. General Admission seating will be available in Bass Concert Hall on a first-come, first-served basis, with doors opening for guests at 8:00 a.m.. The event will not be livestreamed.

Texas Performing Arts is part of The University of Texas at Austin. Pursuant to Texas Penal Code Section 46.035, it is illegal to openly carry a handgun on campus, including at Texas Performing Arts venues.

No outside food or drink, including water, are permitted in Bass Concert Hall (see exceptions here). Additionally, the following items are strictly prohibited:

• All forms of tobacco and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, per UT Tobacco-Free Policy
• Large backpacks or luggage
• Recording devices of any kind
• Cameras with detachable lenses or tripods
• Hard containers including glass and vases
• Items deemed as weapons (including pocket knives) and fireworks
• Banners, balloons, and noisemakers
• Selfie-sticks
• iPads, and other tablets
• Pets (trained service animals or service animals in training with identifiable vests will be allowed; service animals must remain on leash or in a harness at all times)
• Strollers are not permitted in seating areas

Campus parking garages will be open for free parking on commencement days. Specific garage and surface lot information will be released in May and available here. The San Jacinto Garage (SJG), Manor Garage (MAG), and surface lots east of the LBJ Presidential Library (LBJ) and Sid Richardson Hall (SRH) are in relatively close proximity to Bass Concert Hall, which is in the southernmost section of the Performing Arts Center (PAC).

A general campus map is available here. A Bass Concert Hall area commencement map is available here, with the blue hash lines indicating May 10th closures. Please note that Robert Dedman Drive will be closed from Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard to Deloss Dodds Way on Friday. Additionally, Clyde Littlefield/Manor Road will be closed from Interstate 35 to Red River. Because of these closures, please take southbound Red River Street from Dean Keaton Street, then go right/west on Clyde Littefield Drive in order to access Manor Garage (MAG).

We've been assured that the drop-off point mentioned below will be open for our ceremony. Guests utilizing the drop-off are encouraged to park in San Jacinto Garage (SJG). Note that the red hash lines on the area map indicate Saturday closures and are not in effect for our ceremony.

As a general reminder, though, please allow extra time for parking due to campus congestion.

Graduates, please include accommodation requests in your event RSVP. Commencement planners will respond to inquiries not addressed by the information below. If an accommodation request was not included in the RSVP, please reach out to us at the contact e-mail near the top of the page.

Drop-Off

A drop-off point in front of Bass Concert Hall on Deloss Dodds Way (formerly 23rd Street), across from Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, is available for mobility impaired guests. Please note that Robert Dedman Drive will be closed from Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard to Deloss Dodds Way on Friday; guests should approach the drop-off by turning south from Dean Keaton Street onto Robert Dedman Drive, then right/west at Deloss Dodds Way.

A few disability/ADA parking spots near Bass Concert Hall will be available on the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wheelchair Seating

Please visit Guest Services, just to the left of the Bass Concert Hall entrance, upon arrival. From there, Ushers and House Managers will escort guests to the wheelchair seating area. They can also provide assistance to mobility-impaired guests seeking temporary wheelchair use to navigate the venue.

Interpreter

An American Sign Language interpreter will provide a live translation of our ceremony in Bass Concert Hall.

Our commencement speaker for our 2025 ceremony will be April Matthis.

April Matthis is a two-time Obie Award-winning actor who has worked extensively in the New York live performance world for over twenty years. She was most recently seen on Broadway in the Tony-nominated plays Mary Jane and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and is recognized for having performed in world premieres of some of the most lauded American plays of the twenty-first century, notably two Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas—Primary Trust (2024), and Fairview (2019). Her leading roles include the title role in Toni Stone: the true story of the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues, which premiered at the Roundabout Theater. She also helmed MacArthur Fellow Claudia Rankin’s Help at The Shed.

In the experimental dance world, Matthis has performed in L’Alliance Français “Crossing the Line” Festival, as well as works by Ralph Lemon at the Walker Art Center and MoMA PS1. Perhaps most cherished among Matthis’ live performance career is her work with the critically acclaimed experimental theater company Elevator Repair Service, of which she has been a member since 2007. She has performed with the company in productions in Australia, France, Belgium, and most recently Baldwin/Buckley at Cambridge for the Schaubuhne FIND Festival in Berlin. Ms. Matthis’ work also extends to the screen, where she has guest starred on television series such as “The Blacklist”,”FBI”,  Evil”, “The Good Fight”, “New Amsterdam”, and most recently, “Elsbeth”. On the big screen, she stars in the recently released “Ramona at Midlife”, as well as 2020’s “Fugitive Dreams”, which was filmed in and around Austin, Texas. 

The university-wide commencement ceremony will be held on May 10th at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Procession tickets are required for degree candidates and guests.

The English & History graduation ceremony provides an occasion for recognizing degree candidates individually, including the traditional crossing of the stage and shaking of hands.

The university-wide ceremony takes place following the college ceremonies and is the culmination of commencement weekend. Degree candidates from every college and school are eligible to participate. At this ceremony, students are recognized with others from their college as a group, rather than individually. The ceremony includes a distinguished speaker, the lighting of the Tower to honor graduates, and a concluding fireworks display.

A full list of College and School Convocations can be found here. 

A number of other celebrations are offered in conjunction with commencement:

• Black Graduation
• Disability Graduation
• First Gen Graduation
• GraduAsian
• LatinX Graduation
• Lavender Graduation & LGBTQIA+ Reception

Is academic regalia required?

Absolutely. All Liberal Arts majors are expected to wear a traditional black cap and gown with a white stole and white tassel to Commencement. Though you are not required to purchase regalia through the University Co-Op, many graduates start their regalia search at their graduation shop. You must wear your regalia from check-in through the end of the ceremony.

When and where do I check in?

Check-in for graduates begins at 2:15 at the Bass Concert Hall loading dock (see image here). This area is for graduates only; you should plan to remain with your fellow graduates once checked in. Be sure to account for commencement traffic and parking as you make your plans, as you must be in line for check-in no later than 2:40. Expect delays!

What can I bring with me?

Bass has no area for storing backpacks, purses, or other personal belongings. Please leave any valuables that cannot be carried in your pockets at home or with your family/friends prior to checking in. Cell phones must be silenced during the ceremony.

How long will the ceremony last?

That is difficult to predict, though the aim is around an hour and 45 minutes, give or take 15.

Can I get a picture?

FLASH Photography will take a photo of you as you cross the stage, as well as an individual posed photo shortly thereafter. FLASH will e-mail you proofs of your photos directly; if you choose to purchase photos, you will do so directly through FLASH.

Anything else?

Congratulations! We look forward to seeing you on the 5th!

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