Commencement
The UT College of Liberal Arts hosts nine commencement ceremonies. Students are encouraged to attend the ceremony applicable to their major. The Liberal Arts Joint Ceremony is intended for those majors not represented by a department ceremony. Students with more than one major chose one ceremony to attend. All students are also invited to attend the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony.
Commencement plans are subject to change, as a result of COVID cases on campus and in Austin. We are committed to celebrating our graduates while keeping our community safe.
Psychology Department Commencement
Friday, May 5, 2023 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in Gregory Gym
Please note: Graduates should be at Gregory by 5:00 p.m. to be checked in for line-up. Guests will not be admitted for seating until 5:30 p.m. We expect over 2,000 guests to attend the Psychology ceremony, so we request that everyone plan to get there early enough to walk leisurely from the parking garage in time to be seated before the ceremony. This is especially true for guests with mobility issues.
There is no rehearsal, but we do ask graduates to check in at 5:00 p.m. to get their name card and hear the instructions for lining up.
There is no limit on guests and tickets are not required, so invite everyone! There will be an opportunity to mingle with faculty and advisors after the ceremony on Gregory Plaza if you or your family wish to greet them.
Clear bag and small bags are recommended for guests. We do not allow backpacks and large bags (exceeding 11”x17”) into the venue for the safety and comfort of all attendees. Necessary diaper bags and medical bags are permitted. All bags and purses are subject to inspection.
Robes must be worn to the ceremony, with a mortarboard, white tassel and stole (the College of Liberal Arts color). These can be bought at the University Co-Op graduation center at 2304 Guadalupe St. Orders must be received before April 14th. More information is available on their website.
When you arrive for check-in, use the regular Gregory entrance on the ground foor facing Speedway — (guests use the grand entrance, up the steps).
There is no secure storage at Gregory Gym and graduates cannot carry anything in the procession into the arena, so you should NOT BRING anything — no purses, cell phones or cameras — that you cannot carry in a pocket under your robe. Also, once you are in the building, you cannot get to the area where guests are seated (nor vice versa), so don't plan to hand off clothing, etc., to your family. Travel light that day and make arrangements beforehand on where to meet afterwards.
Gregory Gym holds about 3,200 people. We have never filled all the seats, so don't worry that you won't get one.
However, most of the guest seats in the gym are concrete benches or metal folding chairs, so guests may want to bring stadium cushions (and cameras of course — but please, no air horns, it's bad for sensitive ears and heart conditions). There are seats on the foor reserved for the graduating students up front and about 700 seats behind them, but the view is not as good since they are further back on a flat floor.
Warning: Guests are seated *starting* at 5:30 p.m., so they may have to wait around outside before the doors open if they get there too early.
No tickets are required for the Psychology ceremony for guests or graduates.
Tickets will be required for both graduates and guests for the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony at DKR-TMS on the evening of Saturday, May 6. Information on graduate ticket distribution will be shared in April.
On Friday, May 5, 2023 — with the exception of spaces marked "At All Times" — all university parking garages and most surface lots are available. Parking for commencement activities is free in designated areas on a frst come, frst served basis.
The garages closest to Gregory Gym are San Jacinto Garage, between 24th and Dean Keeton (formerly 26th) Streets; and Manor Garage, on Robert Dedman Drive, directly across the street from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Mobility Impaired Guests
Cars that need to drop off a mobility-impaired guest should approach campus via Guadalupe or San Jacinto St. and turn onto 21st St.
** Unless you have a mobility issue, please don't attempt to use this drop-off loop. It can get backed up!
• If a car has a "Disabled" permit, there are designated spaces along Speedway and on 21st St. However, the 20-or-so spots fill fast, so please don't count on getting one.
• In an effort to facilitate traffic flow for those dropping off family members at Gregory Gym who have limited mobility, UTPD will have an officer directing traffic south of 21st Street on Speedway to Jester Circle. There is normally a chain that prohibits traffic flow through this area north of the Blanton Museum. It will allow for an easier flow from Gregory Gym to the Brazos Garage.
The entrance to Gregory for mobility impaired guests is the same as the one students will use when they arrive to check in, at ground level, beside the main staircase. Once inside, the guest will be directed to the elevator that will take them to the seating area. One ambulatory guest can ride up with one person in a wheelchair, but others will be directed to the stairs — otherwise, traffc really stacks up at the elevator.
For guests in wheelchairs, there is an open area with extra space, or they can choose any row where they can sit on the outside aisle. If seats on the foor fill up, the rest of the group must find seats in the mezzanine and one (ambulatory) family member can stay in an area reserved for mobility impaired guests. This may mean splitting up your party, so make sure everyone knows where to meet afterwards.
Unfortunately there are a limited number of wheelchairs available to lend out that day, so if a guest needs one, please bring it with you.
For additional information or assistance with disability services of any kind, please contact Gina Pollard at ginapollard@austin.utexas.edu, or call 512- 471-5175.
You can fnd more information about these services on the UT Disability Services for Guests webpage.