COLA Commencement Ceremony 2026

Yes, but only for guests. Each graduate is allocated a limited number of tickets for their guests. Graduates secured these tickets when they completed the required RSVP form. Graduates may access their tickets and email them to guests at anytime on the Tassel website.

All guests over the age of 2 will need a ticket to enter the Moody Center and will have to go through security screening at the entrances. All seats will be first-come, first-served. 

If you plan to also attend the university-wide ceremony in DKR-TMS, this event will have separate tickets available in late April. Learn more about ticketing for the evening university-wide ceremony on the UT event site.

If additional tickets are available, graduates will receive an email shortly before April 12 with further instructions. Additional tickets are not quaranteed and they are on a first-come, first-served basis. 

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Yes. The link to the livestream will be posted at the top of this page closer to the ceremony date.

The University coordinates professional photos of graduation candidates as they walk across the stage to be congratulated during COLA ceremonies. Graduates and families have the option of purchasing photographs. There is no obligation to do so. Flash Photography provides free color proofs to each graduate. Proofs are mailed to the permanent address within two weeks of graduation. If you do not receive your proof, or if you wish to place your order by phone or email, please contact Flash Photography at 1-800-410-8070 or at flashphotography.com

The Commencement Group will be on hand to sell florals and commencement memorabilia at the Moody Center. 

Graduates should not bring personal items such as purses, coats, or beverages to the ceremony. There is no secure area in which to leave them. We recommend carrying cell phones and keys on wrist bands or in pockets. Water stations will be available in the check-in area and near the graduate seating area.

Guests, please review the venue policies listed below to see allowed items. 

The Manor Garage and the Trinity Garage are the closest parking garages to the Moody Center. Parking will be first-come, first-served. Additionally, all University garages (except CCG, GUG, NUG) will have raised gate arms. Lots 38, 39, and 40 near LBJ will be available on those days, as well. For more information, see the parking, shuttle, and entrance map and the UT Commencement Parking website that will go live in May.

Manor Garage is the closest parking garage to the Moody Center. Parking will be first come first served.  https://commencement.utexas.edu/content/parking

Please check this section again as the ceremony approaches. We will continue to add information here. If you need additional accommodations not listed below, requests for graduates or their guests should be made at least five business days prior to graduation activities. While every effort will be made, we may be unable to fulfill last-minute requests. Please send accommodation requests to: colacommencement@austin.utexas.edu.

ADA Parking: All campus garages have ADA spaces. Guests and graduates with ADA plates or placards may use these spaces. Please refer to the parking and shuttle map.

• ADA Garage: The East Campus Garage (ECG) will be designated as the suggested parking location for guests with mobility needs. 
• ADA Shuttle: A shuttle will run from ECG, 1200 E Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., to the Moody Center (MCA) on Thursday.
• ADA Shuttle Drop-off: Moody Northeast Circle (see map above). It is still an extended distance from the shuttle drop point to the venue entrance. Guests who are not able to comfortably walk more than 10 feet are strongly urged to bring a wheelchair. Moody Guest services will staff the Northeast Circle with guest services wheelchairs and attendants.

 

ADA Graduate Entrance at Moody Center: Southwest / Gottesman Gate; staffed with a guest services wheelchair escort (see map above).

Wheelchairs: Mobility-impaired candidates or guests who cannot walk comfortably more than 5 feet are strongly encouraged to bring a wheelchair to the event. Local health supply rental companies can provide rental wheelchairs. The Moody Center has a very limited number of wheelchairs on hand at entry doors. Guests who require additional assistance because of a limitation in mobility can request a wheelchair transport from the entry doors of the arena to their seating location. A Guest Services member will escort guests to their seat and arrange a pick-up time to escort them for their departure if desired. This service is available on a first come, first served basis and may be requested from any team member at the entry doors. Please note that arena wheelchairs cannot be left with guests during the event. Elevators are available to guests with disabilities. Check with a Moody Center Guest Services member for assistance.

Walkers: If entering the facility with a walker, please know that walkers cannot be stored at seats. Please check walkers at the Moody Center's guest services area and staff can offer a wheelchair escort to seats.

Seating: There are many options for wheelchair-accessible and low-mobility seating. These sections are compatible: 106, 107, 110, 115, 117, 118, 207, 210, 215. As tickets are unassigned, these sections are also first-come, first served. Please reference this map for location specifics. Upon arrival at the Moody Center, ushers can assist with accessible seating.

Assistive Listening Devices: Assistive Listening Devices are available and complimentary to guests for all arena events. Headsets and receivers can be checked out at the Guest Services booth on the Main Concourse.

Captioning: Open captions will be displayed on the screen at both ceremonies. Graduates' names, degrees and honors will be displayed on the screen as they walk across the stage. 

Service Animals: Trained service animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are welcome at the Moody Center. Service animals must remain on a leash or in a harness at all times, unless special circumstances exist, and are required to rest in the seating area of the guest with the disability, rather than the aisle. More service animal information from UT Austin.

Restrooms can be found on each level of the arena. Family Restrooms are available on the main level. All restrooms are accessible and have baby changing tables in most locations. 

African and African Diaspora Studies; American Studies; Anthropology; Asian Cultures and Languages; Asian Studies; Behavioral and Social Data Science; Classical Languages; Classical Studies; Ethnic Studies; European Studies; French Studies; Geographical Sciences (BS); Geography; German; Health and Society; Human Dimensions of Organizations; Humanities; Italian Studies; Jewish Studies; Latin American Studies; Linguistics; Middle Eastern Studies; Philosophy; Portuguese; Psychology; Psychology (BS); Race, Indigeneity, and Migration; Religious Studies; Rhetoric and Writing; Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Sociology; Spanish; Sustainability Studies; Urban Studies; Women's and Gender Studies

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A clear bag policy is in effect to enhance existing security measures and expedite venue entry at all event facilities on the UT Austin campus. Clear plastic bags will be distributed at the following garage entrances on May 7, 8, and 9, 2026: 27th St. Garage, Speedway Garage, East Campus Garage, Brazos Garage, Trinity Garage, San Jacinto Garage, Manor Garage, San Antonio Garage, Health Center Garage. Clear plastic bags will also be distributed at the University Co-op the week of commencement. Please ask for them at the check-out counter.

Important - Review the Clear Bag Policy

Clear bags will not be available at venue entrances. If guests are turned away because of prohibited items or bags, they will need to return said items to their vehicle in parking garages.

Walk-through metal detectors are located at every arena entrance. In order to increase the efficiency of this process, guests should minimize the number of personal items they bring and remove any items that may trigger the alarm before walking through the detectors. If an alarm sounds, the guest will be subject to a secondary screening.

The University is committed to maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for all of those who attend Commencement activities.

Important - Review Prohibited Items List and Conduct Guidelines

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