Commencement for Students
The University-wide commencement ceremony for all undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students is on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
Two commencement ceremonies will occur at the Red Bull Arena on May 15, 2024. The first ceremony will begin at 10:00 am, and the second will start at 2:00 pm.
- 10:00 am: School of Business and College of Professional Studies
- 2:00 pm: William J. Maxwell College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and CAS/Education dual-degree recipients and Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education.
- Doors open at 9:00 am for the morning ceremony and 1:00 pm for the afternoon ceremony.
Reserve Parking
Parking information can be found on the Red Bull Arena website.
Click below for important notice about Red Bull Arena regulations and admittance.
Arrival information will be posted as we get closer to the ceremony.
Please note: Traffic is normally heavy during the morning rush hour on roads leading to the Red Bull Arena. Plan accordingly.
Arrival Times
- Doors open at 9:00 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 2:00 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony.
- All guests and graduates must be seated by 9:40am or 1:40pm.
- 10 a.m. Ceremony: All graduates from the School of Business and College of Professional Studies (Undergraduate, Graduate and Doctoral candidates).
- 2 p.m. Ceremony: All graduates from the William J. Maxwell College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and CAS/Education dual-degree recipients and the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education (Undergraduate, Graduate, and Doctoral candidates)
Entrances
Graduates will enter through the Horizon Gate (Gate B). Guests will enter through Gate C. Guests with disabilities will enter through Gate C1. See the map below for reference.
Cap and Gown
If you do not have your cap and gown, a representative from Josten's will be on-site to assist you. This will be on a first-come/first-serve basis, so please ensure you give yourself enough time to speak with them and receive a robe.
Getting to Red Bull Arena and Parking
(See Map For Reference)
Driving and Parking
- The Red Bull Arena is located at 600 Cape May St, Harrison, NJ 07029.
- Free parking will be available in the parking lots adjacent to the Red Bull Arena on Guyon Drive and S 5th Street. Spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- There are also metered parking spots and parking lots with a fee near the Arena.
PATH
Red Bull Arena is about three blocks from the Harrison PATH train station, one stop from Journal Square.
GPS Locations
Please refer to these GPS locations for various parking and drop-off points:
Parking
- S 5th Street Parking Lots (Free Parking): Guyon Dr. and S 5th Street, Harrison, NJ
- Harrison Parking Garage (Free Parking and Shuttle to Red Bull): 890 S 3rd St, Harrison, NJ 07029
- Harrison PATH Station (Parking with a Fee): 1000 Frank E Rodgers Blvd S, Harrison, NJ 07029
Drop Off
- Uber/Lyft/All Drop-Off: Pete Higgins Blvd, Harrison, NJ 07029
- ADA Drop-Off: 699-697 Cape May Street, Harrison, NJ 07029
Graduate Check-In and Line-Up Order
When graduates arrive at the Red Bull Arena, they will be checked in at Gate B by showing their GradPass. Grad pass information will be sent to your NJCU email within the coming months.
When graduates enter the Line-Up area, they will be directed to line up within their Academic School. The Academic Schools are:
- 10:00 a.m. School of Business and College of Professional Studies
- 2:00 p.m. William J. Maxwell College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and CAS/Education dual-degree recipients and Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education.
If you are unsure which school you belong to, please check your grad pass or visit Schools and Colleges.
Graduates are not required to sit with their Academic Schools and can choose to sit with peers from mixed academic programs instead. If you change schools, your school dean will not announce your name, it will be the dean you are sitting with.
There will not be any practice or rehearsal for the ceremony. There will be staff at the ceremony to lead you in the right direction. All you will need to do is follow their directions to get you to the right location and follow the person in front of you when marching to the stage.
Tell us about your post-graduation plans!
Congratulations on your graduation! We'd love to hear more about your next steps. This information helps us to not only see where you're going but also assists future NJCU students navigate their career paths.
If you are still trying to figure out what you want to do next, please know the Center for Career and Professional Development is here for you. Locate your career counselor to make an appointment. You don't have to do this alone.