Commencement events for the Class of 2023
Princeton University is celebrating the accomplishments of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates during 2023 year-end events starting with the Baccalaureate service Sunday, May 28, and continuing through Tuesday, May 30, which is this year's Commencement date. Tickets are required to attend most events.
The following is a summary of graduation events for undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. More information for students and their guests is available on the University’s Commencement website, including directions and parking, departmental and residential college receptions, and cultural and affinity group celebrations.
Events also will be live streamed on the Princeton University homepage and MediaCentral website, as well as Facebook and YouTube. Professional photos will be posted to the University’s Commencement website in June and may be downloaded free courtesy of the University.
The Baccalaureate service is 2 p.m. Sunday, May 28, in the University Chapel. Seniors are seated inside the chapel (which is just large enough to accommodate the class). The ceremony is simulcast on large screens on Cannon Green for guest viewing. In case of rain, indoor simulcast locations near the chapel are available and are ticketed. The Baccalaureate speaker is New York University Professor of Philosophy and Law Kwame Anthony Appiah. Appiah previously taught at Princeton and is the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values, Emeritus.
The Class Day ceremony is 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 29, on Cannon Green. Guests must be seated by 10 a.m. when the senior class procession begins. In case of rain, seniors are seated in the University Chapel and guests are seated in simulcast locations near the chapel. The Class Day speaker is U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, a Class of 1986 graduate and member of Princeton’s Board of Trustees.
The Hooding ceremony for advanced degree candidates will begin at 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 29, on Cannon Green. The ceremony is for master’s and doctoral students earning their degree during the 2022-23 academic year and their guests. In case of severe weather, the ceremony will take place in Jadwin Gymnasium.
Princeton’s 276th Commencement is 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 30, in Princeton Stadium. The academic procession will begin at 9:40 a.m. The ceremony is for graduating students in the undergraduate Class of 2023 and their guests, as well as graduate students who received a final master’s degree or Ph.D. in the 2022-23 academic year and their guests. Seniors receive their diplomas in their residential colleges following the ceremony. In case of severe weather, Commencement is held in Jadwin Gymnasium.
The ROTC Commissioning ceremony is 3:30 pm. Tuesday, May 30, in the Faculty Room of Nassau Hall. The ceremony is for members of the Class of 2023 commissioning in the Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, and their guests.
