Commencement is just around the corner, Class of 2025!

Stay in-the-know on general information for degree candidates with the resources available on this page.

Commencement Participation

Students are eligible to cross the stage only once, either in December or May. If you participated in the Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Commencement Ceremony, you are not eligible to participate in the May 9-10, 2025 Commencement Ceremonies.

Doctoral Degree Candidates
An invitation to RSVP for the Doctoral Commencement Ceremony has been sent to all eligible doctoral degree candidates. Details regarding the faculty member you wish to place your hood during the ceremony will also be collected via that brief survey. The deadline to respond with your intention to participate in the ceremony is Sunday, March 30. Please contact commencement@rice.edu if you have any issues or questions about the RSVP process.

Advanced Degree Candidates
An invitation to RSVP for the Advanced Degrees Commencement Ceremony has been sent to all eligible degree candidates. The deadline to respond with your intention to participate in the ceremony is Sunday, March 30. Please contact commencement@rice.edu if you have any issues or questions about the RSVP process.

Jones School (MBA) Degree Candidates
An invitation to RSVP for the Jones School (MBA) Commencement ceremony has been sent to all eligible MBA degree candidates. Please contact apse@rice.edu if you have any issues or questions about the RSVP process.

Undergraduate Degree Candidates
Those receiving their bachelor's degree not planning to walk in the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony are asked to let their college coordinator know that they do not intend to participate.

Guest Ticket Claiming

Rice University’s commencement ceremonies are private, ticketed events. A ticket is required for entry to both the Tudor Fieldhouse and Rice Stadium ceremonies. Below is an important update about the ticket claiming process for all ceremonies.

• Each degree candidate can request up to fifteen (15) guest tickets. Requests for additional tickets should be sent by the degree candidate to commencement@rice.edu. Tickets are not transferable. Requests for additional tickets must be submitted by Wednesday, May 7, and will be approved if space permits.
• An email with details on how to claim tickets has been sent to each degree candidate’s Rice email address. It is the degree candidate’s responsibility to claim their guest tickets via the unique URL sent to them.
  • Doctoral Commencement Ceremony and Advanced Degrees Commencement Ceremony: Because participant RSVPs were required for these ceremonies, only those who have confirmed their intent to participate received the email to claim tickets.
• Once guest tickets have been claimed by the degree candidate, it is their responsibility to send the tickets to their guests. The system will provide an option to either email the tickets to guests or to print the tickets. Guests will need to either pull up the ticket on their mobile device or have a physical copy to gain entry to the venue.
• All guests over the age of 2 years old will be required to have a ticket for entry.
• Rice students, faculty and staff guests will be granted entry with their Rice ID.
• Re-entry into the stadium or fieldhouse will not be permitted after exiting.

Invitations to claim guest tickets will remain open until the conclusion of commencement weekend.

Sallyport Walk-Through (Undergraduate Commencement)

Upon first arriving to Rice, students participate in a decades-long tradition of walking through the Sallyport of Lovett Hall into the Academic Quadrangle to mark the beginning of their time at Rice. As the tradition goes, students are not to pass back through the archway towards Founder's Court until the day of graduation. The Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will include the Sallyport "walk through" as part of the official processional beginning at 5:30 p.m. Degree candidates will be asked to start assembling in the Academic Quadrangle at 5:15 p.m.

A livestream of the Sallyport walk-through will be displayed on the jumbotron in Rice Stadium for all to enjoy. We encourage all families and guests to claim their seats at Rice Stadium, since seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure the safety of graduating students, campus roads and sidewalks must remain free of congestion beginning at 5:00 p.m. We strongly discourage anyone from congregating near the Sallyport, but those who do must stay behind the barricades on Founder's Court and adhere to directions from officers on site.

After the Ceremony

Doctoral Degree Commencement Ceremony
Doctoral degree recipients and their guests will have the chance to congregate across the street from Tudor Fieldhouse in Alice Pratt Brown Hall foyer. Lemonade, coffee, and water will be provided.

Advanced Degree Commencement Ceremony
Advanced degree recipients and their guests will have the chance to congregate across the street from Tudor Fieldhouse in Alice Pratt Brown Hall foyer. Lemonade, coffee, and water will be provided.

Undergraduate Degree Commencement Ceremony
Following the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony, guests will be permitted to join their graduate on the field for pictures. The field will remain open for a limited time. An announcement will be made when the field is closing to the public. Please follow all directions from ushers and staff when entering the field and upon departure.

International Students

If your parents will need documentation from Rice University to secure a visa to attend Commencement ceremonies, a family member or friend often needs a letter for the US Consulate or Embassy in order to apply for a visitor’s visa. The Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) has prepared an invitation letter template to assist with this process. OISS can be reached by phone at 713-348-6095 or by email at oiss@rice.edu.

Class Rings

Graduating students wishing to order a class ring may place their order through Balfour. May graduates ordering Rice rings by March 14th will receive them at the New Alumni Block Party on May 7th. Orders placed after March 14th will be shipped to the address provided at the time of the order. For more information, visit balfour.com/rice or call the Campus Store at 713-348-2039.

Photography and Videography

A professional photographer will take two (2) photographs of each diploma recipient. To help ensure that your eyes are open in the photo, make eye contact with the university official shaking your hand after you receive your diploma tube. Information on availability of those images will be sent to each graduate’s email address at their permanent email address on file. Please provide your contact information by filling out our Selfie pre-registration thus allowing us to send you your gallery of images from your ceremony. (NOTE: Selfie used ONLY to ID you in the photos taken at ceremony). Links to the selfie pre-registration are below:

Jones School MBA Ceremony – regis.viewyour.photos/direct/41911/27275368
Doctoral Commencement Ceremony - regis.viewyour.photos/direct/41911/27275370
Advanced Degree Commencement Ceremony - regis.viewyour.photos/direct/41911/27275371
Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony - regis.viewyour.photos/direct/41911/27275372

Optional, complimentary Cap & Gown portrait sessions will be available at the following times:
May 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. - Farnsworth Pavilion, Ley Student Center
May 8, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. - Farnsworth Pavilion, Ley Student Center
May 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. - 2nd Floor Conference Room, Ley Student Center
May 10, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. - Room 1402, Alice Pratt Brown Hall

To book an appointment for a complimentary Cap & Gown portrait session, please visit rice2025capgown.youcanbook.me/. (Walk-ups are welcome if time allows.) If you have any questions, please contact grads@mnathanphoto.com or 281-549-2367.

Each ceremony will also be professionally video-recorded. These recordings will be available the week following Commencement on Rice’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/RiceUniversity.

Announcements

Graduation announcements can be ordered through Balfour.

Diplomas

The processing and printing at the diploma company will take approximately four weeks. The diploma will list your name, degree, and any applicable university honors (Latin Honors and/or the Distinction in Research and Creative Work). Completed majors, minors, and certificates are not listed on the diploma.

The name displayed on your diploma and the address to which it will be mailed can be viewed and edited by logging into ESTHER and navigating to: ESTHER > Students - General > Graduation > Verify Diploma Information > Diploma Name and Address.

Rice University diplomas are large in size and generally require framing by a professional framer. The dimensions are 17 inches wide by 23 inches tall. To purchase your official Rice University diploma frame, visit the Rice Campus Store or purchase online at ShopRiceU.com. For more information on diplomas, visit the Diplomas page maintained by the Office of the Registrar.

ESTHER

Accounts in the ESTHER system remain active indefinitely after Commencement. As a graduating student, you retain the ability to login and access your account any time at your convenience. You are encouraged to login to ESTHER to update your permanent address and contact information as necessary.

Association of Rice Alumni / The Rice Portal

Welcome to the Association of Rice Alumni (ARA)! The ARA was founded in 1919 to continue the relationship between the university and its alumni. 100 years later, the ARA has over 64,000 members worldwide. There are no membership dues to join the association; as a graduate of Rice, you are immediately part of this global community.

Wherever you are in the world, you can keep in touch with the university and your fellow Rice Owls! To view a calendar of all upcoming Rice alumni events, and to learn more about Rice alumni regional and affinity groups, visit alumni.rice.edu.

Through the Rice Portal, alumni can access a suite of online services that allows you to keep in touch with other Owls and engage with the university. You can sign up for your alumni email account, search for a classmate, register for an event, update your communication preferences, or share an update about your life or career — all through the Rice Portal.

To register for your personal account, visit alumni.rice.edu/connect and click on “New user registration.” Once you've signed up, don't forget to update your contact information so you don't miss out on the latest news and events taking place in your region.

Congratulations again, and welcome to the Association of Rice Alumni!