Class of 2026 Commencement

Eligible students will be invited to register their attendance for the ceremony. This registration indicates your intent to graduate, provided you fulfill all degree requirements as confirmed by the Registrar’s Office.

Students who do not fulfill all degree requirements will be automatically removed from the ceremony list.

During registration, you can apply for guest tickets and specify any special seating or access needs for yourself or your guests.

Each commencement ceremony will lasts approximately two hours and will include brief addresses from distinguished speakers, the conferral of degrees, and a recessional.

The ceremony will commence promptly with the academic procession and the entry of graduates. The official party will be seated on stage, while graduates and their hooders will be seated in the audience facing the stage. Each graduate will be presented on stage, receive their hood, cross the stage to receive a replica of their diploma and then return to their seat.

If you have a hooder, they will accompany you, at all times, throughout the ceremony.

The stage party and faculty will lead the recessional, followed by the graduates. At the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates will have one hour to take photos with their guests, faculty, and fellow colleagues outside in the plaza of the venue.

Commencement is a significant milestone. Let us celebrate your achievement while remembering the contributions of those who supported you. We kindly request that you conduct yourself with respect for all guests, fellow graduates, and the occasion itself. Thank you for your help in making this day meaningful for all.

To participate in the Commencement Ceremonies, graduates must wear the appropriate academic regalia. St. George’s University will cover the cost of your regalia when ordered before the deadline. These items are yours to keep. A credit card is required for the purchase of any additional items.

All items will be shipped to the address you provide and once you place your order you will receive an email confirmation. If you do not receive a confirmation within 24 hours, please contact customer service at 1 (800) 837-4235.

**You are responsible for bringing your regalia on the day of the ceremony. Caps and gowns will not be provided on the day of graduation**

To request guest tickets, students must first register to attend the ceremony. When registering to attend the ceremony, students should specify the number of guest tickets required. Each graduate is eligible for 8 guest tickets, in addition to their own. Additional tickets may become available, but this is not guaranteed.

All attendees require a ticket, including children aged 3 and above, and hooders. However, children under 3 years old are welcome to sit comfortably on an adult’s lap and will not need a ticket.

Tickets will be distributed electronically before the event. If additional guest tickets are needed send an email to regmail@sgu.edu with the subject line “ADDITIONAL GUEST TICKETS”.

The commencement ceremony is a free ticketed event. There is no charge for attending, and university policy strictly forbids selling commencement tickets for any commercial value or monetary gain. Violations of this policy will result in serious consequences.

Graduates may select a parent, spouse, or sibling who is also an SGU medical graduate to hood them during the ceremony. The chosen hooder must possess an MD degree. To request a hooder, please submit a copy of their medical license or diploma with your request before the communicated deadline. We will not accommodate hooder requests on the day of the ceremony. Please note that hooders will require a guest ticket to attend the ceremony.

Please note that you will not receive your official diploma on the day of the ceremony. The ‘diploma’ presented to you on stage is a replica for photo purposes.

Once the Office of the University Registrar confirms your graduation, your official diploma will be sent to you electronically via Parchment to your SGU email account. You will also receive a physical copy of your diploma in the mail within a few weeks.

It is important to understand that your graduation completion date, diploma date, and the date of the commencement ceremony are separate and may not necessarily align. If you have any questions regarding your completion date or when you will receive your diploma, please contact the Office of the University Registrar directly by emailing rblair@sgu.edu.

School of Medicine Honors

There are different designations for which graduates will receive honor cords: SGA representative, Gold Humanism Honor Society member, Iota Epsilon Alpha Honor Society member, Scholarly Activity and Research Designation. Click here to gain more details from the Office of Research.

Graduates who have achieved the following distinctions will receive honor cords on the day of ceremony:

• SGA Representative
• Gold Humanism Honor Society Member
• Iota Epsilon Alpha Honor Society Member
• Scholarly Activity and Research Designation

For more information on Scholarly Activity and Research Designation, please click here to visit the Office of Research website.

All students who have met all graduation eligibility requirements will have their names published in the program. Commencement programs will be available for download on graduation day. If for any reason a student cannot attend graduation, they can download a copy on the day of the ceremony on the commencement website.

We partner with Island Photography to provide graduates with their commencement ceremony photos. On the day of the ceremony you will be photographed as you are hooded and when you receive your “diploma” from Chancellor Modica. Your “diploma photo” image as well as a class group photo will be delivered to you free of charge as a graduation gift from the Chancellor.

Graduates need to provide their contact information to Island Photography. All other photographs will be available for purchase through our official graduation photographer Island Photography. If you have any questions regarding these photos, please contact Island Photography directly.

Island Photography
PO Box 70 / 139 Haven Avenue. Port Washington, NY 11050
P: 516.767.1234 / F: 516.304.5660
1-800-869-0908
www.islandphoto.com

For friends and family who cannot attend, the commencement ceremony will be live streamed, with a link to the stream posted on the commencement website the morning of the event. The stream will go live 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.

Requests for visas for you or your guests must be arranged in advance and should be sent to regmail@sgu.edu. Please include the title VISA LETTER in the subject line. When making a request please be sure to include the following:

• Full name (as it appears in passport)
• Date of birth
• Citizenship
• Gender
• Relationship to the graduate

We strive to accommodate the accessibility needs of all students and their guests. Please note that we do not provide wheelchairs and cannot guarantee the specific location of accessible seats as wheelchair-accessible seating is provided at the venue.

To request special seating arrangements for those with mobility please send an email to graduationinfo@sgu.edu with title “SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS” in the subject line at least three weeks prior to the ceremony with the following information:

• Name of graduate
• Name and number of guests requiring handicapped accessible seating
• Notes on accommodations needed (For example, walks with difficulty, uses wheelchair, uses motorized scooter, etc.)

We will do our best to accommodate your request and persons requiring special seating arrangements will be allowed to enter the venue prior to general seating.

Graduands and guests should arrive to the Infosys Theater at MSG using the main entrance to Madison Square Garden, located on 7^th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, New York City.

There are numerous ways to reach MSG using public transportation. Parking in the area may be limited, so please plan accordingly and prepare to arrive on time for your ceremony.

Full directions for how to get to Madison Square Garden are available here.