Tickets and Seating

Valedictory Exercises

Friday, May 19:  Valedictory Exercises will be held in the John Paul Jones Arena starting at 3:00 p.m. The doors to the arena will open at 1:30 p.m. The ceremony is open to the public, and tickets are not required to attend. Seating will be first-come, first-served.

Class Party

Friday, May 19: Each undergraduate member of the Class of 2023 will receive three complimentary tickets (one for the student and two for guests) to Class Party, which will be held at Alumni Hall from 9:00 p.m. - 12 a.m.

Tickets will be distributed at the University Bookstore on Wednesday, May 17 - Friday, May 19 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Tickets must be picked up in-person by the graduating student with a valid photo I.D.

Final Exercises

Saturday, May 20: College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Sunday, May 21: All Other Schools

To access the Lawn for either ceremony, tickets will be required for all guests. Each graduate will receive six tickets for the Lawn ceremony. The graduate does not need a ticket but must be wearing a cap and gown in order to gain access to the Lawn or John Paul Jones Arena. If the ceremony is moved to the John Paul Jones Arena (in the event of severe weather), graduates will be limited to three guest tickets.

Graduates will not receive guest tickets for both Final Exercises ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday. They will only receive tickets for the day in which their school is invited to participate. For example, graduates in the College of Arts & Sciences will only receive guest tickets for Saturday's ceremony, whereas, students in the School of Engineering & Applied Science will only receive guest tickets for Sunday's ceremony.

Graduates (with a valid photo ID) can pick up their guest tickets from the UVA Bookstore during the times listed below. The graduating student is the only person permitted to pick up the tickets.

•     Wednesday, May 17 - Friday, May 19:  9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
•     Saturday, May 20:  7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
•     Sunday, May 21:  7 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.           

Candidates for M.D., M.B.A., and J.D. degrees will receive their guest tickets at cap and gown pick-up in their respective schools.

For Final Exercises, graduates and faculty will be seated on the Lawn in front of Old Cabell Hall.  Guest seating will be behind the student seating area and on the next four levels of the Lawn on either side of the processional route.

On the morning of each Final Exercises ceremony, ushers will begin collecting tickets and seating guests starting at 7:00 a.m. All seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. At 8:30 a.m. the center aisle of the Lawn will close in preparation for the procession, which is why we strongly encourage guests to be in their seats by 8:15 a.m. Once the center aisle closes, foot traffic from one side of the Lawn to the other will be prohibited. If guests need to leave the Lawn temporarily before or during Final Exercises, they must obtain a pass from an usher for re-entry.

Please note: Guests without a Final Exercises seating ticket can watch a live stream of the ceremony in one of our climate-controlled, remote (indoor) viewing locations across Grounds. Tickets are not required for these venues. In addition, both Final Exercises ceremonies will be streamed live on the Finals Weekend live webcast page.

Updated: February 13, 2023