Undergraduate Ceremonies: Faculty Information

First Ceremony: 

• 9 am: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 10 am: Ceremony begins

Second Ceremony: 

• 12:15 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 1:15 pm: Ceremony begins

Third Ceremony: 

• 3:30 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 4:30 pm: Ceremony begins

Back to top

Fourth Ceremony: 

• 9 am:  Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 10 am: Ceremony begins

Fifth Ceremony: 

• 12:15 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 1:15 pm: Ceremony begins

Sixth Ceremony: 

• 3:30 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 4:30 pm: Ceremony begins

Back to top

You may attend one or more ceremonies as a member of the platform party or audience; each ceremony will have a reserved section for FIT faculty within the audience. 

Faculty: RSVP for Undergraduate Commencement

Each event will be approximately 90 minutes in length and will be held outdoors in the park, rain or shine.

Those who RSVP by the April 30 deadline will be added to the backstage entrance list. Venue personnel, not FIT staff, are responsible for check-in.

Academic regalia—the traditional cap and gown—is required attire for everyone who has a role in the commencement exercises and plans to sit onstage among the platform party. 

Anyone who still needs to order regalia must do so by April 30 by calling the FIT Campus Store at (212) 217-5690 or emailing Nate Crawford at [email protected] with the following information:  

• Name
• Height
• Weight
• Cap Size
• Highest Degree
• College or University (from which your terminal degree was received)

If orders are not received by April 30, the FIT Campus Store may not have sufficient regalia on hand to meet the demand.

Since access to mass transit is readily available, there will be no transportation provided by FIT.

On commencement day, enter the park at Fifth Avenue and East 69th Street—the main entrance for the event. Proceed straight to East Drive, go across East Drive, and turn right to go up the path to the Mother Goose statue with benches encircling it. The path will lead you to Rumsey Playfield. It is approximately a four-minute walk from Fifth Avenue. Your name must appear on the faculty entrance list for venue staff to check you in and provide you with a wristband to access the backstage area.  

Getting to Rumsey Playfield

Each faculty member that requires assistance should email Jacqueline Espaillat-Guerrero by May 15 to expedite the entrance process.

There will be two golf carts to transport persons who require assistance from the ADA/VIP entrance at Fifth Avenue and East 72nd Street directly to the backstage entrance area. The stage has a ramp that can readily accommodate a wheelchair or walker. 

For 2025, the faculty and administrators robing area will be located in the large tent backstage.

The robing tent will be outfitted with tables, chairs, and mirrors. The area will be staffed by FIT personnel during the event, so personal belongings may be left there. Restrooms are nearby.

Following the recessional, the platform party will return to the robing area.

Please note that faculty and administrators are responsible for returning rented regalia to the FIT Campus Store.

Adjacent to the robing tent, platform party participants and event workers will be able to enjoy an indoor/outdoor lounge area with refreshments and seating.

Faculty who choose to sit in the general audience, may partake of the refreshements available in the graduate and guest celebration areas by the main gates.  

Approximately 15 minutes before each ceremony, college staff will be directing the platform party to lineup to proceed to the stage. Each ceremony will run approximately 90 minutes in length from the start of the procession.

The proceedings of the event are guided by a script. Scripts will be delivered ahead of time to all those with speaking or support roles.

Programs will be available at seats on the stage.