General Information

Students who have completed the requirements for the JD, LLM, or BA in Law degrees and have diploma dates of February 1, 2024, June 15, 2024, or August 31, 2024, are eligible to participate in this Commencement 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).  Applying to graduate and registering to participate in the ceremony are not the same thing.

• For JD and LLM students, our Records, Registration & Financial Aid Office submits the applications for those graduating in February, June, or September 2024. You do not need to take any further steps to apply to graduate.
• For BA in Law students, you MUST apply to graduate (degree) 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.

Eligible students will appear in the program book. Legal name as it appears in HUB will be used with the exception of those who request use of their Preferred Diploma Name. If you do not plan to participate in the ceremony, please complete the registration form, so that we know how to list your name in the program book. To do so, there is an option to select your preferred name within the registration form. Program book content will reflect the data available in HUB as of March 1st.

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

Please note the following University policy: Only graduating students may participate in the graduation ceremony, including walking in the processional and crossing the stage. The University will make limited exceptions when a graduating student requires assistance due to a disability.

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

Theater doors open at 11:45 a.m. for seating. We ask that guests are assembled in the theater no later than 12:45 p.m. for the academic procession. All guests MUST have a ticket to enter the theater. Students are responsible for ticket distribution to their guests and tickets cannot be replaced or re-issued.

The ceremony will last approximately 2 hours. There will be a light reception following in the CFA lobby, which is a great opportunity to take photos with friends, family and professors.

The University requires all graduates to 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 the North Campus.

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

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.

Commencement Cords

The School of Law recognizes the following Commencement Cords:

• Blue and White Cord, for students who participated in one or more student social groups.
• Burgundy Cord, for students who participated in the Buffalo Law Review.
• Green Cord, for students who participated in a specialty journal.
• Purple Cord, for students who participated in moot courts and trial teams.
• Royal Blue Cord, for students who participated in one or more law affinity groups.
• White Cord, for students who exhibit a strong commitment to pro bono services while in law school, having delivered more than 400 pro bono hours, or engaged in other extraordinary pro bono service.

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

Academic Recognition Items

In addition to the above Cords, the School of Law also recognizes the following academic recognition items bestowed by the School of Law or the University:

• The Coif Disk, awarded to JD/LLMstudents who are graduating in the top 10% of the class.
• The Grey and Red Stole, provided to graduates of the University Honors College.
• The Kente Stole, provided to participants in the ALANA Celebration of Achievement.
• The Rainbow Tassel, provided to participants in the Lavender Ceremony.
• The Red, White and Blue Cord, provided to participants in the Veterans and Military Recognition.

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-studentlife@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 16, 2024.

BA in Law Graduates

Our BA in Law graduates who achieve Latin Honors are recognized by a gold cord, which is provided compliments by the School of Law.  Full detail about Latin Honors eligibility is outlined below under the Latin Honors section.  If you believe you are eligible for Latin Honors and are interested in wearing the gold cord, please contact Vice Dean Melinda Saran to verify your eligibility and for instructions on obtaining your cord.

Tickets

Each graduate may claim up to six (6) tickets for guests, which you will request when you register to participate in the ceremony.  You do not need a ticket for yourself as graduates will be seated in a special section.

All guests will require a printed ticket to be admitted into the Center for the Arts. Physical tickets will be distributed to students closer to the Commencement Ceremony.  Students are responsible for distributing their tickets to their guests. Tickets cannot be replaced or re-issued.

If venue capacity and health and safety guidelines permit, additional tickets may be available and will be distributed via a lottery to students who have requested additional tickets.  Lottery determinations for additional tickets will take place after the registration window has been closed.

Health and Safety

The University at Buffalo’s top priority for our 2024 Commencement Weekend 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 the UB’s Countdown to Commencement webpage for additional information.

Directions, Parking, Prohibited Items and Accessibility

Up-to-date information for guests regarding directions, parking, prohibited items and accessibility can be found on the Countdown to Commencement Guest Information website.

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.

Disruptions

Deliberate disruption or prevention of the peaceful and orderly conduct of classes, lectures, events, meetings and other University activities is strictly prohibited.

Live Stream

For those unable to attend in person, the Commencement Ceremony will be available for live stream and post-ceremony viewing.  You can find more information, including the viewing links, at the Countdown to Commencement Ceremony Streaming website.

A photographer will be present and 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.

• Jamila Lee, Vice Dean, Office of Student Affairs
• Michael Hilburger, Associate Dean, Office of Student Affairs

Please email general commencement questions to law-studentlife@buffalo.edu.