Commencement FAQs

The Georgetown Law Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2026 will take place on Sunday, May 17, 2026, on the Hilltop Campus in Washington, D.C. Graduating students will process onto Healy Lawn (37th & O Streets, NW) at 2:50 p.m., and the ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. Interim Dean Teitelbaum and the honorary degree recipient will address the class, and Georgetown University senior leadership will ceremoniously confer degrees. The name of each graduation candidate will be read aloud as students cross the stage for individual recognition.

Graduate candidates should plan to arrive at the Hilltop Campus by 2:00 p.m. for robing and line-up.

J.D. students will robe and line-up in Dahlgren Quad and graduate students (LL.M., S.J.D., M.L.T., M.S.L.) will robe and line-up in the Davis Arts Center.

The academic procession will start promptly at 2:50 p.m., and the ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Tickets are not required for Commencement, and there is no limit on the number of guests. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. In the unlikely event of severe weather that makes it unsafe for graduates and guests to remain under the tent, guest attendance may be limited and the ceremony moved indoors. Detailed inclement weather plans will be shared in advance of Commencement weekend.

There will be no student speaker at the Commencement Ceremony. Remarks will be delivered by Interim Dean Teitelbaum, the honorary degree recipient, and Georgetown University leadership.

Graduate candidates will have the opportunity to address their classmates at section- and program-specific celebration events held earlier in the week at the Law Center on the Capitol Campus.

Graduate candidates can rent regalia on Josten’s website starting on Monday, January 19. The deadline to order your regalia is Thursday, March 19.

Regalia orders will be ready for pick up at the Capitol Campus Bookstore (111 Mass Ave.) starting Monday, April 27 through Saturday, May 16.

Visit the regalia page for more details.

Please note: The vast majority of graduates wear regalia; however, nobody is required to wear regalia to participate in Commencement.

Diplomas will be shipped directly to graduates after degrees have been conferred in June. The Law Center’s Registrar’s Office will send prospective Spring 2026 graduates additional information and diploma delivery instructions. For any questions, please email the Office of the Registrar at lawreg@georgetown.edu.

The Sunday, May 17 Commencement Ceremony will be livestreamed on the Georgetown University Facebook page.

The Section and Program-specific celebrations, happening between May 12–14, will be livestreamed on the Georgetown Law YouTube page.

Yes! However, if your family is traveling to the United States, they will need a visa to enter and stay for the duration of the Commencement weekend events.

If your family members are not eligible for the visa waiver program, then they will need to apply for B-2 tourist visas to enter the United States to attend Commencement weekend events.

If you are a citizen from a visa waiver program country, you can apply for ESTA authorization. Details can be found from the Department of Homeland Security.

The University does not issue commencement invitation letters for visa purposes. The Department of State has indicated that a letter of invitation would not be helpful during the visa application process. A letter written by you may be beneficial. Our colleagues on the Hilltop Campus have created an invitation letter template that you can use to create a letter inviting your family members to visit for commencement. That template is available here.

Children may not walk across the stage or sit in the graduate candidate seating area during the Commencement Ceremony on the Hilltop Campus.

There will be a professional photography service present at the Commencement ceremony to take a photo as graduate candidates cross the stage to shake hands and receive their scroll (actual diplomas are mailed in June after degrees are conferred). Graduates will be sent a link to purchase photos approximately a month after the ceremony.

Please note: The photos from GradImages will cost approximately $60 at the lowest package rate. The Law Center will provide various photo opportunities around the ceremony where graduates can pose for friends and family to take photos.

If graduates have any questions or concerns regarding graduation photos, please contact GradImages at (800) 261-2576 or ecc.giservice@gradimages.net.

Law Center: Parking is not available at the Law Center on the Capitol Campus. If you are using a rideshare, please use 600 New Jersey Ave., N.W., and enter campus at the Eleanor Holmes Norton Green. There are also several parking garages within a few blocks of campus.

Georgetown University’s Hilltop Campus: Parking around the Hilltop Campus is very limited. You may park in the Southwest Quadrangle garage (no charge) or behind Lauinger Library in Lot 9. Please visit the Commencement Travel and Parking website for more details.

No, there will not be a hooding ceremony. The Law Center ended the hooding ceremony component of Commencement in 2009 as our numbers of graduates increased the event to an unmanageable length. Since then, students have hooded themselves or asked a faculty member or loved one to place the hood on them before the procession. Staff will also be available to assist.

If you consider hooding an integral part of your celebration, consider reaching out to a friend, family, or faculty member of significance ahead of time to meet and hood you in the Dahlgren Quad (J.D.) or the Davis Arts Center (LL.M., S.J.D., M.L.T., M.S.L.) at 2:00 p.m. The academic procession will start promptly at 2:50 p.m..

While there is no official policy on the size limit and type of bags guests may bring, we recommend that guests carry small bags for personal items during the ceremony and to be mindful of other guests’ personal space. There are no secure storage locations for your bags, purses, coats, etc.

For the safety and enjoyment of all guests, we ask that you leave the following items at home: weapons (including pocket knives), non-collapsible umbrellas, metal or glass containers (there will be water stations throughout campus), backpacks or large bags, brooms or poles, animals (except service animals), noisemakers (including loudspeakers, cow bells, air horns and whistles), large signs or hanging items that block the views of others, drones, and skateboards, hoverboards or non-ADA use scooters (bicycles should be parked at designated bike racks).

Commencement will take place rain or shine. In the unlikely event of severe weather that poses a safety risk to graduates and guests, the ceremony will be moved indoors to McDonough Arena on the Hilltop Campus. Please note that this may affect the number of guests permitted to attend. Additional details regarding inclement weather plans will be shared via email.

In the days leading up to Sunday’s ceremony on the Hilltop, there will be a series of events planned to honor the Class of 2026 and bring our community together on the Law Center campus.

Section and Program-specific celebrations. Between May 12–14, graduates will be invited to gather with their first-year sectionmates and/or program classmates for a reunion and celebration on the Law Center campus. Each of the celebrations will feature remarks from faculty and a student speaker for each cohort. The remarks will be livestreamed.

Friends and Family receptions. On May 15 and 16, the Law Center will host two receptions for friends and family – one for LL.M.s and other graduates and one for J.D. graduates. Each graduate is welcome to invite up to three guests.

More details about these events, including specific times and locations, will be shared via email.

The Graduating Class Gift Campaign is aimed at encouraging graduating students to support scholarships and/or other causes at the Law Center that are important to them in honor of graduation.

This tradition began over 30 years ago with the Class of 1991, who wanted to ensure that future students would have access to the same quality experiences they benefited from.

Success for the Graduating Class Gift Campaign is measured by class participation. Our goal this year is to reach 35% class participation. You can make a gift here.

For more information, you can visit the Graduating Class of 2026 Gift Campaign website, or email the campaign at lawgiving@georgetown.edu with questions.

Students who participate in the Graduating Class Gift Campaign by making a minimum $10 donation to support financial aid, student groups, clinics, or other causes at the Law Center are eligible to receive a special Class of 2026 mug. The mug is an extra thank you for your generosity and support of the Law Center.

You can make a gift here: give.georgetown.edu/lawgift

For more information, you can visit the Graduating Class Gift Campaign website, or email the campaign at lawgiving@georgetown.edu with questions.

Yes! The Commencement Group will have a stall at the Hilltop Campus, selling bouquets, leis, and a variety of Georgetown-specific gifts. You can order items ahead of time for pickup. You can pre-order items ahead of time for pickup on their website here.