Commencement 2024

On Wednesday, June 5, BMCC will celebrate its 59th Commencement at the Barclays Center. The ceremony will also be Livestreamed.

Attention Graduates

All graduates must arrive by 7:30 a.m. and enter at

461 Dean Street entrance
Barclays Center

Travel Light to the Center: You will have to go on stage with everything you bring to Barclays.

All graduates must CONFIRM their attendance for the BMCC Commencement Ceremony by May 1, 2024. Keep checking for an email from commencement@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Cap and Gown Distribution

All graduates participating in the Commencement Ceremony must march in cap and gown. There is no cost associated with your cap and gown. Distribution of gowns will take place in the main lobby at 199 Chambers Street on the dates and times indicated below.

*Last Day of Distribution

Please bring your BMCC ID and these instructions when you pick up your cap and gown. Upon receipt of your cap and gown, you will be given a name card. Please save the name card, complete it and bring it with you to Commencement.

Guests with Disabilities

If you or one of your guests have a disability or need a sign language interpreter, please notify Office of Accessibility by calling (212) 220-8182 at least one week ahead of time. Students picking up tickets for guests with disabilities should also notify the box office. Guests in wheelchairs should arrive one hour before the event and enter the main entrance at Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. See Barclays Center’s Disabled Services A to Z guide.

Special Guests

For students who wish to invite family members from overseas to the BMCC 2024 Commencement Ceremony, please contact graduation@bmcc.cuny.edu between April 1 and May 1 with the full name of the family member (as it appears on their pass-port), and their relationship to you (the student) (father/sister/cousin/etc.).

Family/Guest Meeting Point

We strongly suggest that you prearrange a place to meet your guests after the ceremony.

Tickets

The Commencement Ceremony is for Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024 and Spring 2024 graduates. There are over 3,500 eligible graduates in the class of 2024.

As a graduate, you do not need a ticket for the Commencement Ceremony. Your cap and gown will serve as your entry ticket. However, each of your guests (child and adult) must have a ticket. Each graduate will receive up to five (5) tickets for his/her guests.

Graduates who have collected their cap & gowns during the week of distribution from May 13-May 17 will receive an email from on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 with up to five (5) e-tickets for their guests. On that day be sure to check your inbox and junk mail of your preferred email address listed in CUNYFirst.

Lottery for Additional Two Tickets

Graduates may enter a lottery for up to two (2) additional tickets on campus from Monday May 13, 2024 – Friday, May 17, 2024. Lottery winners will be notified on Thursday, May 31, 2024 and will then receive an email with two (2) e-tickets for their guests. Be sure to check your inbox and junk mail of your preferred email address listed in CUNYFirst.

Guest Seating

The doors open to guests at 8:00 a.m. All guest seats are unreserved. Guests may sit in the guest section of Barclays Center on a first-come, first-served basis. They should remain in their seats throughout the ceremony. Please let your guests know to bring a photo ID. All guests enter the main entrance at Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.

Diplomas

At Commencement, you will receive a letter of congratulations from the President in your diploma cover. It does not contain your actual diploma. The Registrar’s Office will send you a letter when your diploma is ready for pickup.

Mobile Phone and Personal Belongings

Please fully charge your cell phone before arriving at Barclays Center. There is no coat check, so please do not bring backpacks, large purses, etc. If you do bring coats or any other belongings, you need to give them to one of your guests to hold.

Children

Each child attending the ceremony requires a ticket and must be supervised by an adult. The commencement ceremony is at least four hours long. We strongly recommend that you do not bring infants, toddlers, and small children. They may become bored, restless, and noisy. Due to the length of the ceremony, everyone, especially children, should eat before arriving at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

2024 Yearbook

The 2024 Yearbook will be available for pick up for those students whose portraits appear in the book during the distribution of caps and gowns. For those without portraits, yearbooks will be available for pick up after commencement from Office of Student Activities in S-230, while supplies last.

Alumni Status

On June 5, you will officially be a graduate of BMCC. In honor of this moment, the Office of Alumni Relations would like to present you with an attractive BMCC Alumni lapel pin. Pins will be available when you receive your cap and gown. As an alumnus, you are eligible to join the Alumni ID program. To join, visit the Alumni website to learn about Alumni IDs, discounts, and programs.

Commencement Procedures for Graduates

Note: There is no dress rehearsal, so please read this section carefully.

• Report to Barclays Center in Brooklyn promptly (be sure to allow for adequate travel time).
• Due to security checks, you must go through screening with the following: cap, gown, BMCC ID and the GradPass you received from Marching Order.
• Graduates will march into Barclays Center in the order in which they arrive.
• Graduates will take a photo near the stage.
• Then graduates will show your GradPass to BMCC Production Assistant near the stage, so your name can be called.
• Dr. Anthony Munroe, BMCC President, and Dr. Erwin Wong, BMCC Provost will present you with a diploma cover.
• Graduates will then return to their seat.
• The formal speakers for the ceremony will begin.
• When your academic major is called, stand and celebrate.
• Please be courteous to your fellow graduates and guests.
• Refrain from leaving your seat during the ceremony.
  The most solemn moment of Commencement is the conferral of degrees. This takes place after the speakers’ remarks. The college president will then exercise the authority to grant your associate degree. Guests in the audience should remain quiet at this time.
• After the closing remarks, the Platform Party will leave Barclays Center.
• Graduates leave Barclays Center with their fellow graduates after the Platform Party leaves.
• Guests must remain in their seats until all of the graduates have marched out.

BMCC Production Assistants (staff dressed in black and white, with blue and orange sashes) will be available to assist you throughout the day.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Student Activities, Room S-230, or email commencement@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-8160. Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Congratulations and best wishes on this joyous day!