Overview

Tuesday, December 9, 2025
December Commencement
10 a.m. CT (tentative)
Tudor Fieldhouse (tentative)

With Rice’s growth in enrollment, increasing numbers of graduate and undergraduate students are finishing their degrees at different times during the year. For August and December 2025 graduates who are unable or do not wish to return for the May 2026 Commencement Ceremony, Rice has one combined December Commencement Ceremony for all students eligible to walk across the stage.

PLEASE NOTE: Students are eligible to cross the stage only once: either in December or in May. Students that participate in the December 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 are not eligible to participate in the May 2026 Commencement Ceremonies on Friday, May 8 or Saturday, May 9, 2026.

Note:
i. As noted in the Fall 2025 Academic Calendar, the Registrar’s deadline to apply for December degree conferral is Friday, September 26, 2025.

ii. Since the ceremony will take place before Fall 2025 final grades have been submitted, students should understand that participation in the ceremony is not a confirmation of a student’s degree conferral.

Ticketing
Tickets will NOT be issued for the December Commencement Ceremony. There are no seating capacity limitations and all seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Web Broadcasting
Commencement will be broadcast over the internet for family members and friends who are not able to attend the ceremony. The links will go live 20 minutes before the scheduled start times. They also appear on the Commencement website the day of the event.

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. General questions can also be directed to commencement@rice.edu.