Plan Your Visit

The 540th Convocation will take place on the Main Quadrangle at the University of Chicago campus. The main entrance is located at 5801 South Ellis Avenue.  

The 540th Convocation, during which degrees are officially conferred to all graduates, will be held on the Main Quadrangle on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. CDT.

This is a University-wide ceremony involving degree candidates from all divisions and schools. It will include the presentation of honorary degrees and an address from the Convocation speaker. Convocation Addresses consistently focus on the pursuit of knowledge and the power of ideas. The University president, A. Paul Alivisatos, will verbally confer degrees to candidates by division and school. Each division and school will host a separate ceremony where degree candidates will be honored individually through the presentation of diplomas or hoods.

Tickets are not required for the University-wide Convocation, although they may be required for the individual division and school ceremonies. For questions regarding ticketing at unit ceremonies, please reach out to the division or school directly to confirm details.

Due to several trade shows and conventions taking place during Convocation Weekend, hotel availability in the city of Chicago will be limited. With this in mind, we highly recommend that all hotel or alternative lodging arrangements be reserved as soon as possible.

Please visit the Hotel page for a list of recommended hotels both local to Hyde Park and in downtown Chicago. Contact hotels directly to learn more about rates and availability during Convocation weekend.

The Main Quadrangle will open for general seating at 7:00 a.m. Guests are asked to be in their seats by no later than 8:45 a.m. so that they can watch the procession. Seating is first-come, first-served. Please note, there is limited shaded areas on the Main Quadrangle and therefore attendees may be in direct sunlight. Limited indoor viewing space is available for those requiring a respite from the outdoor elements.

For guests who plan to drive to campus, complimentary parking is available in a variety of on-campus parking lots. Due to street closures and heightened traffic, please allow extra time for your travel. You can learn more about parking options by visiting the University's Transportation and Parking Services website.

At the Main Entrance to the Main Quadrangle, all guests must stop at a security checkpoint area. Please allow yourself adequate time to get through security and check in.

All bags are subject to inspection. Items that may interfere with guests seeing or hearing the ceremony are not permitted.
Guests will be asked to check any items that are deemed not permissible within the Main Quadrangle. Following the University Convocation Ceremony, guests may pick up those items at the same entrance.

Please refrain from bringing pets; service animals are permitted.

Umbrellas and strollers are permitted.

The University of Chicago recommends all guests attending the University-wide ceremony allow extra time to park, walk to the ceremony site, get through the security check points and locate seats.

The University-wide Convocation ceremony will be broadcasted for those who are unable to join in person. The viewing link will be shared on convocation.uchicago.edu closer to Convocation.

The College and Divisions and Schools will host additional events unique to their units. Please visit the Schedule of Events for a full list of activities.

Each division and school will hold their own ceremony. Select ceremonies will take place on Thursday, May 22, 2026, with the majority occurring Thursday, June 4, 2026, through Sunday, June 7, 2026.

Following the University-wide Convocation ceremony, graduates of the College and their guests break off to attend both a lunch and diploma ceremony that is pre-assigned by their second-year residence hall. These lunch distributions and ceremonies all take place simultaneously in various locations throughout campus. Please see below for a schedule of events for the College following the University-wide ceremony:

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Lunch distribution at ceremony sites.

12:45 p.m. | All graduates line-up for processions.

1:00 p.m. | All guests are requested to be in their seats.

1:30 p.m. | Diploma ceremonies begin.

For more information regarding the College diploma ceremonies, please contact seniors@uchicago.edu.