Main Ceremony

The main commencement ceremony is the highlight of each Terp’s academic journey! On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the University of Maryland will host the main commencement ceremony at SECU Stadium, where we will come together to honor the hard work, resilience, and achievements of Terp graduates. The main ceremony will feature our commencement speaker, president, and other notable speakers and honorees. Students will be recognized as a group with their school or college.

For full Main Ceremony event day information from parking to seating, visit this Main Ceremony Information page. 

Each graduate is eligible to claim six guest tickets and one personal ticket to the main ceremony. Tickets will be available to claim at 10am on April 13, 2026 until 4:00pm on May 11th. Claims are made via the Athletics student ticket site. Graduates should visit the "Sign In as Student" link to claim their tickets. Guest tickets for SECU stadium are General Admission; guests will claim seats on a first-come first-serve basis upon arrival to the seats. 

Learn more about the mobile ticketing system and how to transfer your tickets to guests here.

SECU stadium gates will open at 5pm and the student processional will begin at 6pm. The speaking program will begin after the roughly 60-minute processional. 
Graduates are assigned a 4:30pm or 5:00pm arrival time to Cole Fieldhouse for Main Ceremony processional lineup. Check the Graduate Checklist page for important Graduate information.

Each graduate and their guests are also invited to attend the individual school, college, or department ceremony for their program. At these individual ceremonies, graduates will walk across the stage and have their names read. See our Schedule of Ceremonies page for a complete list of ceremonies.