Commencement 2026

Contact the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) with any questions.

Graduation Date

International students in F-1 status: If you will not be graduating by your expected graduation date, make sure your immigration Form I-20 is valid at least until your new graduation date. If not, you must request an extension from the ISSO. If you intend to apply for post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) work permission, please review the ISSO webpage for tips on the timing and steps required for your application.

International students in J-1 status: If you will not be graduating by your expected graduation date, make sure your immigration Form DS-2019 is valid at least until your new graduation date. If not, you must request an  from the ISSO. If you intend to apply for post-completion Academic Training (AT) work permission, you must submit an application prior to your program completion date. See the ISSO webpage for timing and steps required to apply.

You must submit your extension request to the ISSO at least one month in advance of the end date on your I-20/DS-2019 to ensure you will receive the extension before your current document expires.

Students who graduate on August 25 must be enrolled for the summer semester. The GSDM Registrar’s Office will enroll students. Please ensure that there are no compliance holds on your student account by visiting the My BU Student Portal.

Medical Insurance

If you are enrolled in the University’s insurance plan through Aetna, your insurance will end August 14.

Students graduating in August who will not be registered as a BU student for the following Fall term may email insmed@bu.edu to request gap student health insurance coverage effective August 15 through August 31 (17 days) at additional cost. Contact insmed@bu.edu before August 1.

If you have questions regarding your Aetna Student Health insurance coverage or require proof of your coverage termination date, visit www.aetnastudenthealth.com, or contact a representative at 800-966-7772

If you are staying in MA, visit www.mahealthconnector.org to look for individual coverage plan options.

Disability Insurance After Graduation

(DMD and Advanced Standing students only)

All registered pre-doctoral students are automatically enrolled in a disability insurance plan through the University. Graduating students who are interested in continuing coverage should contact InsMed Insurance Agency, Inc. via their website or phone at 800-214-7039.

For additional information, please see:

• Summary of Portable Benefits (PDF)

Email and Email Forwarding

Please be advised that BU Information Services & Technology (BU IS&T) will be reaching out closer to graduation with details regarding your email account.

Your preferred name that appears in your NameCoach account on April 1 is how your name will appear in the Commencement program. Please review your NameCoach account to ensure that your name and recording match your preferred name exactly, so it will be printed correctly in the program and announced properly at the ceremony. We will reach out to anyone who has not yet recorded; if you need to re-record, please do so before April 1.

These events are not ticketed, and there are no guest limits. You can invite as many people as you’d like.

Yes! The ceremonies livestream will be available here on the website on the day of commencement.

Yes! There will be a reception immediately following your ceremony for you and your guests.

Please see the notary services document for a list of available notary services, including locations, contact information, and availability.

For more information about accessibility services and how to request accommodations for Commencement events, please visit the Boston University Disability & Access Services webpage.