Game Day

Commencement Weekend and Public Health Protocols

Graduates and their guests will be expected to abide by all of the University's health and safety protocols, including the requirement that masks be worn at all times, whether indoors or outdoors.
The University will continue to monitor the public health situation and state and county guidelines in the weeks ahead. All plans are subject to change based on local and national conditions.

University Commencement Mass and University Commencement Ceremony

The University of Notre Dame’s 176th Commencement Mass and University Commencement Ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2021 in Notre Dame Stadium.
The Commencement Mass will begin at 9:30 am EDT on Sunday, May 23, with University President, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., presiding, and will be followed by the University Commencement Ceremony at 11 a.m. EDT.
Weather permitting, graduates will be invited to gather for a procession into the Stadium which will begin promptly at 9 a.m. Sunday. More details will follow.
Masks are required during the Commencement Mass and Exercises, and physical distancing will be observed.
There will be a fifteen-minute break between the Mass and University Commencement Ceremony. Graduates and guests attending only the University Commencement Ceremony should enter Notre Dame Stadium by 10:45 am. EDT to be seated.
At this time, each graduate may request up to four guest tickets for assigned seats in the Stadium for the Commencement Mass and University Commencement Ceremony. We strongly encourage all guests to be fully vaccinated before Commencement Weekend.
Information on how to reserve guest tickets has been distributed to students by the Office of the Registrar. Note that all guest tickets must be requested via GradApp no later than Sunday, May 2. Tickets are free but assigned to each graduate. All tickets will be electronic, scanned upon entry, and may not be sold, transferred, or duplicated.
In order to accommodate the greatest number of guests for the Commencement Mass and University Commencement Ceremony in Notre Dame Stadium, we will utilize all sections in the stadium bowl. Given the requirements of physical distancing, it is only by utilizing the entire stadium bowl that the University can offer each graduate up to four guest tickets. Guests seated behind the platform will be able to participate fully in the ceremonies.
As is true for the ceremonies on May 23, each graduate will receive up to four guest tickets for their college or school outdoor diploma/hooding ceremony. Information on how to reserve guest tickets has been distributed to students by the Office of the Registrar. Note that all guest tickets must be requested via GradApp no later than Sunday, May 2. Tickets are free but assigned to each graduate. All tickets will be electronic, scanned upon entry, and may not be sold, transferred or duplicated.
Participation in the Mass and University Commencement Ceremony is open to May 2021, January 2021, and August 2020 graduates, both undergraduate and post-baccalaureate. We strongly encourage all graduates to be fully vaccinated before Commencement. Those graduates not present on campus this semester must indicate to the Registrar's Office that they plan to participate in Commencement and either provide verification of vaccination and/or report to the University testing site for a COVID test as soon as they arrive on campus. More information will be provided to these graduates by the Registrar's Office.
In the event of severe weather on May 23, we will need to remain flexible. Should conditions necessitate a move indoors to the Joyce Center, our priority will be to seat our graduates. Distanced seating in the Joyce Center will unfortunately not permit us to accommodate any in-person guests.
Both the Commencement Mass and the University Commencement Ceremony will be live-streamed.