Graduates will receive an email in early April with a unique link that will allow them to electronically request seats for up to six guests. No paper tickets will be distributed for the event; however, due to space constraints, reservations are required. All seats are free and general admission. Please note: Balloons and strollers are not permitted in Memorial Auditorium.
Guest seating is available in the bleachers and permanent seating areas in Memorial Auditorium. Floor seating is reserved for faculty, graduates, and guests with mobility needs who may be accompanied by one guest. Additional seating is available in Birkeland Alumni Lounge (located in the Offutt Concourse), where the ceremony will be and the space is air-conditioned. Please note: Only the names of students participating in the ceremony will be read.
Doors to Memorial Auditorium open at 12:45 p.m. and the Commencement ceremony will begin promptly at 2 p.m. Guests who arrive after the ceremony has started will be directed to seating in Birkeland Alumni Lounge to watch the ceremony via livestream.
A section of floor seating will be available for guests with mobility needs. Guests requiring accessible seating may be accompanied by one guest. To make our programs and activities accessible to all, we ask that individuals requiring accommodations for special needs, other than floor seating, please contact Allison Gronseth, disability services coordinator, in the Center for Holistic Health at agronset@cord.edu or by calling 218.299.3898.
Students participating in Commencement are required to purchase an official maroon and gold Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ gown set manufactured by . Commencement gown sets are available through online purchasing only at from Feb. 18 through April 18. Online orders placed by April 8 will receive early-bird pricing. Orders placed April 9-18 will be processed with late-order pricing and require expedited shipping.
Herff Jones Concordia ordering closes April 18. If you intend to take part in Commencement, you must complete your online order prior to April 18. The Cobber Bookstore will not be providing an in-store option to purchase Commencement sets.
The college does not provide honors cords for institutional honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude).
Students are not to wear any personal embellishments on their cap or gown. Students may wear embellishments (cords, stoles, and pins) from college-sponsored academic honors programs and organizations only. Cords, stoles, and pins are managed by departments and campus offices; students will be notified by the department/office if they will receive an embellishment to wear at Commencement.
Guests are welcome to park in any campus parking lot. Accessible parking is available in the G3 lot near the Hvidsten Hall of Music (1112 5th St. S.) and Memorial Auditorium.
The Grad Team will be taking professional photos during the master's hooding ceremony and the Commencement ceremony. Please visit and click on the appropriate ceremony to pre-register to receive notifications when your images are ready to be viewed. Graduates will be able to view their photos using a link that will be emailed to them directly or by visiting the same events page as they did to pre-register. Any questions can be directed to gradteam@thegradteam.com.