Guest Information

We are taking security seriously. There will be security checks for all commencement participants and guests. Please review the policies for a complete list of all prohibited items and size limitations on bags and such.

Guests entering the facility are subject to screening for prohibited items. Screenings can include visual inspection, bag search, screenings by a magnetometer (metal detector) and pat-down search. Guests who refuse searches will not be allowed into the venue. To ensure the safety of all event attendees, guests who have left the building may not reenter.

Important Safety Policies

Our ceremony is truly an academic ritual; therefore, we ask that guests recognize that such an event requires a level of decorum be maintained. So that all families can hear the announcement of each graduate’s name, please limit the length and decibel level of celebratory response. The University reserves the right to escort from the building any individual or group creating inordinate noise that distracts from the solemnity of the program.

Admittance to the ceremony is by ticketed general admission; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. No saving of seats is allowed. All guests are asked to follow the directives of ushers and security staff.

To ensure the safety of all event attendees, guests who have left the venue may not reenter.

Each graduate is eligible for up to five tickets for the ceremony.

Graduates will request guest tickets through Tassel (formerly MarchingOrder) when they register for commencement. Claimed tickets will be made available in late April. At that time graduates can choose to email the tickets to their guests or print a copy for them. Each e-ticket will be affixed with a unique barcode that will be scanned for entry into the venue. Each ticket will only be able to be scanned once.

Each guest (including children over two years of age) will need a ticket to enter.

To ensure the safety of all event attendees, guests who have left the venue may not reenter.

Questions?

Please contact us at commencement@salisbury.edu.

Salisbury University has limited parking. Carpooling is recommended. There is no fee for parking at the venue.

Please refrain from parking in neighboring businesses' lots, as these lots may be subject to towing.

Parking map and Shuttle Service details are forthcoming.

There will be designated seating sections for guests needing special accommodations. Within the graduates allotted tickets, we offer special accommodations tickets. These are required for guests in a wheelchair, with limited mobility, or in need of sign language interpretation. If you would like the special accommodations guest to have a companion sit with them, you will need to include them in the number of Special Accommodation tickets needed. Special Accommodation ticketed guests and their companion will not be seated with the rest of your guests.

Additionally, doors will open 15 minutes early for special accommodation guests to ensure they are able to safely find seats.

The Salisbury University Alumni Office is acknowledging our legacy families with reserved seating during the 2025 commencement. If you graduated from Salisbury University and are a parent, step-parent, guardian, or grandparent of a 2025 graduating student, you are eligible for this reserved seating.  Graduates must indicate on Tassel (formerly MarchingOrder) if you are part of a legacy family.

Graduate Ceremony: Doors open at 5:00 p.m. for general admission, however family and guests are encouraged to arrive prior to doors opening to ensure ample time for parking and entrance into the venue. Families with special accommodation guests are permitted to enter starting at 4:45 p.m.. All guests must be seated by 5:45 p.m.. The ceremony is expected to last approximately 90 minutes.

Undergraduate Ceremony: Doors will be open 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. Family and guests are encouraged to arrive prior to doors opening to ensure ample time for parking and entrance into the venue. All guests must be seated by 8:45 a.m. The ceremony is expected to last approximately two and a half hours.

Professional photographers will take photos of graduates as diplomas are awarded. Graduates will receive graduation photo information from GradImages (www.gradimages.com). A proof with ordering details will arrive at your permanent address within two to four weeks after commencement.

Due to the large number of people attending Commencement, it is necessary to restrict access to the platform and the graduates’ seating area. Guests will not be able to walk or stand in the aisles to take photographs or video.

For a variety of options to local accommodations, please visit the accommodations page. To learn more about what the Eastern Shore has to offer, please visit the Discover Salisbury page.

As part of an ongoing effort to ensure a safe and enjoyable event, Salisbury University will adhere to strict policies regarding allowable items into the venue.  Please review these policies in advance, paying particular attention to bag and signage limitations.

View the list of prohibited Items

The ceremonies will be livestreamed. The broadcast may be viewed on the main Commencement page and will automatically start 10 minutes before the ceremony.

The Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will be held outside at Sea Gull Stadium, rain or shine. Heavy rain will not cause the ceremony to be cancelled.

The University will provide indoor locations on campus that will stream the event for guests who do not have a ticket or for guests who would like to sit inside to view and join their graduate after the ceremony. No tickets are required for the indoor viewing areas, located in the Main Arena of the Maggs Physical Activities Center and the Assembly Hall of Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons.