General Information

Students who have completed the requirements for the JD, LLM, or BA in Law degrees and have diploma dates of February, June or August are eligible to participate in this Commencement Ceremony.

All prospective JD, LLM/BA graduates interested in participating in the School of Law Commencement Ceremony are required to register by March 3, 2026. If you do not register, you will not be able to participate in the ceremony.

If you do not register, you will not be eligible to participate in the ceremony.

The Commencement Registration Form includes voting for faculty/staff awards and hooders.  If you do not plan to participate in the ceremony, please complete the form, so that you are able to vote.

In addition to registering to participate in the ceremony, students MUST apply to graduate (degree conferral). Apply to graduate and registering to participate in the ceremony are not the same thing.

• For JD and LLM students, the School of Law’s Office of Records & Registration will submit the applications for those graduating in February, June, or August 2025. You do not need to take any further steps to apply to graduate.
• For BA in Law students, you MUST apply to graduate via the HUB Student Center.

For dual or collaborative degree candidates, (e.g. JD/MLS, JD/MBA, JD/MSW): if you choose to participate in multiple ceremonies, you will need to separately register for each ceremony with each applicable school.

If you need accommodations to enable you to participate in the Commencement Ceremony or should you or your guests require a sign language interpreter, please contact law-careers@buffalo.edu.

Graduating students are expected to be at the Center for the Arts Drama Theater no later than 11:30 a.m. to check-in. A photographer will be taking a class photo at 12:15PM. From there, we will line up and the procession will begin promptly at 12:45 p.m..

Everyone will be subject to bag searches upon arrival, no exceptions. Please only bring necessary items with you on the day of the ceremony.

The ceremony will last approximately two (2) hours. There will be a light reception following the ceremony, which is a great opportunity to take photos with friends, family, professors, staff and other school administrators.

The University requires all graduates wear the authorized University at Buffalo School of Law academic regalia. Caps and gowns can be ordered for rental or purchase through the University Bookstore, located on North Campus.

Information about placing your order, including pricing and a specific timeline, can be found on the University’s Caps and Gowns website.

• Click to order your cap and gowns by March 6, 2026

For dual or collaborative degree candidates, (e.g. JD/MLS, JD/MBA, JD/MSW): if you choose to participate in multiple ceremonies, you will wear your School of Law doctoral regalia (robe and cap/tam) at each ceremony. You will also purchase a Master’s hood, which you will wear for your Master’s ceremony. The University Bookstore staff can assist you with your requirements and options.

As part of Commencement, we offer graduating JD and LLM students the opportunity to signify their participation in various student activities by wearing “cords” during the Commencement Ceremony. Cords are provided compliments of the School of Law and instructions on obtaining them will be provided closer to the ceremony.

The below outlines common recognition items worn by graduates.  Any other additions or modifications to commencement regalia must be vetted with the Commencement Coordinators prior to the ceremony.

When registering to participate in the Commencement Ceremony, please indicate which cord(s) apply to you so that an accurate number can be ordered.

Student Group Recognition Items
We have received a lot of inquiries about individual student groups having their own, unique, regalia item for members to wear during the ceremony; including cords, stoles or pins.  Student groups that choose to do this will be responsible for purchasing these regalia items for their members.  So that we can facilitate this and provide proper recognition for each item while staying within University guidelines, we ask that you email law-careers@buffalo.edu. with the name of your student group, a description of your proposed regalia item and a picture of it no later than February 19, 2026.

Tickets
Tickets are required in order to attend the ceremony and will be distributed digitally via Ticketmaster. Graduates participating in the ceremony and children two and under, sitting on a ticketed guest's lap, do not need a ticket. Mainstage theatre tickets can be claimed on Ticketmaster. Screening room tickets will be emailed directly to you from Ticketmaster. You need to claim your mainstage theatre tickets on Ticketmaster by Friday, May 1st.

Based on venue capacity and fire code regulations, the maximum number of mainstage theatre tickets that any student can receive is seven (7). We will also have access to the screening room, which is a separate room in the Center for the Arts where the ceremony will be livestreamed. The maximum number of screening room tickets that any student can receive is five (5). The number of tickets you have been allocated is based on the number you requested when you registered for commencement; not all students will be receiving the maximum number of tickets.

For more information on claiming your tickets and transferring them to your guests, please visit the University’s mobile ticketing page by clicking here. You made also email the Center for the Arts Ticket Office at ubcfatickets@buffalo.edu.

Mainstage theatre doors will open one hour prior to the ceremony at 12:00PM. Seats are not assigned and are first-come, first-served.

Health and Safety
The University at Buffalo’s top priority is the safety of everyone in our UB Community. All New York State guidelines for a safe celebration to honor our graduates will be followed. Thank you for remaining flexible.

For more information, please visit UB’s Commencement webpage.

Directions, Parking, Prohibited Items and Accessibility
Up-to-date information for guests regarding directions, parking, prohibited items, and accessibility can be found on UB’s Commencement webpage for guests of the Center for the Arts.

Be sure your guests arrive with plenty of time to find parking as other ceremonies may be running concurrent to our ceremony. Handicap parking will be available.

Live Stream
For those unable to attend in person, the Commencement Ceremony will be available for live stream and post-ceremony viewing. More information including the link for viewing can be found on UB’s Commencement webpage.

A photographer will be present and will capture a photo of each student at the ceremony as well as each JD/LLM student as they are hooded. During registration, you will be asked to permit release of your email to the photographer who will contact you with details and purchase information after the ceremony.

The Office of the Registrar will mail a printed diploma, free of charge, to your permanent address approximately four to six weeks after the conferral date. Students are responsible for making address changes; these should be made by the term conferral date that you receive your diploma.

More information on how to update your permanent address can be found here.

Students who graduated June 2020 and later have the option to purchase a certified electronic diploma (CeDiploma) for $15.95. Notification will be sent to your UB email, from info@cecredentialtrust.com, approximately three to six weeks after your degree conferral date. More information about the CeDiploma can be found here.

All inquiries regarding the School of Law’s commencement ceremony can be sent to Jennifer Scharf, Vice Dean for Career Services, at law-careers@buffalo.edu.