On Thursday, June 8, BMCC will celebrate its 58th 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.
- No Balloons
- No Re-entry
- No Food or Drinks
All graduates must CONFIRM their attendance for the BMCC Commencement Ceremony by May 1, 2023. 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.
| Monday, May 15, 2023 | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Tuesday, May 16, 2023 | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday, May 17, 2023 | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Thursday, May 18, 2023 | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Friday, May 19, 2023* | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
*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 are a graduate with a disability and are requesting a reasonable accommodation, please notify the Office of Accessibility by calling (212) 220-8182 at least one week ahead of time.
If one of your guests has a disability or needs a sign language interpreter, please refer to Barclays Center’s Disabled Services A to Z guide or contact Barclays Center Guest Services at (917) 618-6111 or guestservices@barclayscenter.com
Special Guests
For students who wish to invite family members from overseas to the BMCC 2023 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 passport), 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 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023 and Spring 2023 graduates. There are over 4,000 eligible graduates in the class of 2023.
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 four (4) tickets for their guests.
Graduates who have collected their cap and gowns during the week of distribution from May 15 to May 19 will receive an email from Ticket-master on Monday, May 22, 2023, with up to four (4) 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. You will have until Friday, May 26 to open and view your guest e-tickets before they expire.
Lottery for Additional Two Tickets
Graduates may enter a lottery for up to two (2) additional tickets on campus from Monday May 15, 2023 to Friday, May 19, 2023. Lottery winners will be notified on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, and will then receive an email from Ticketmaster on May 30, 2023 with two (2) 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. You will have until Friday, June 2 to open and view your two (2) guest e-tickets before they expire.
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.
2023 Yearbook
The 2023 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.
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 trav-el 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 all the graduates have received their diploma covers and the program of speakers is complete. 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!
