Commencement

Requests for accessible seating and individual services are managed by Disability & Access Services.

The event will be live streamed with closed captioning for those who cannot attend.

For the in-person ceremony, live captioning via CART broadcasting (speech to text) is accessible on your personal phone or tablet at go.bu.edu/wba.

Doors will open at 3:00PM.

Please enter Walter Brown Arena from the 285 Babcock Street entrance unless you have discussed an alternate accessible entry plan with the BUSSW planning team.

BUSSW staff will be present to guide guests to their destination.

Please note that bag size will be limited to 12″ x 12″ x 6″ for all guests, graduating students, faculty and staff, and all bags will be physically inspected prior to entry. Additional information about BU security protocols is available here.

MSW Faculty Hooders

PhD Faculty Hooders

Faculty Marshals

Staff Marshals

Diplomas & Transcripts FAQ

Will I receive my actual diploma at Commencement?

On May 14 you’ll receive a diploma folder.  The actual completed diploma will be mailed to you in July once balances are paid and exit counseling has been completed,

When will the transcript show that I graduated?
For those graduating in January, it will appear on your transcript around 1/25, for those graduating in May it will appear around 5/20 and for those graduating in August, it will appear around 8/25 of the year you graduate. View the graduation calendar here.

When can I request a certificate of completion?
Once you are designated an official graduate by the Registrar’s Office, you can request a certificate of completion which states that you have completed all the requirements for the degree and your official graduation date. Once the graduation date has passed, your graduation information will appear on your transcript and you’ll be able to order a certificate of graduation.

How do I request a certificate of completion?
A certificate of completion can be ordered by emailing or calling the BU Office of the Registrar at registrar@bu.edu or 617-353-3612. As soon as you see all your grades posted on MyBU Student under transcript preview, contact the School of Social Work Registrar at swreg@bu.edu to ensure that your degree requirements have been met. Then the SSW Registrar can approve your request for a certificate of completion to the University Registrar.

When can I request a certificate of graduation?
A certificate of graduation can only be obtained after the graduation date has passed. More information on how to order a certificate of graduation can be found here.

I have questions regarding ordering my transcript and/or my diploma. Who should I contact?
Questions regarding ordering transcripts should be directed to the Office of the University Registrar at registrar@bu.edu or 617-353-3612. Transcripts can also be ordered in the MyBU Student portal. Those with questions regarding diplomas should email diploma@bu.edu or call 617-353-3604 or diploma@bu.edu. For more information, visit the University Registrar’s Diplomas & Graduation webpage and the Ordering a Transcript webpage.

When will my diploma be mailed?
For information on when your diploma will be mailed or when you can pick it up, please check the University Registrar’s Office for their Diploma Ordering/Mailing Schedule.

The Walter Brown Arena is a large venue, so no tickets are needed for guests. Doors to the arena will open at 3:00pm.

Please note, when graduating students proceed across the stage to receive their diploma, it is in random order, not alphabetic.

If you and/or your guests need hotel accommodations, visit BU’s Accommodations webpage here.

Please be sure to book your stay as soon as possible – overnight accommodations in Boston and surrounding areas fill up quickly due to high demand.

Questions about where to stay? Contact commencement@bu.edu.

There will be two types of photography taking place at the event:

• Handshake photos of students receiving their diplomas are handled by Geskus Studio and managed by the University (not BUSSW). These are available for purchase by graduates.  You can find all necessary details and contact info here.
• Promotional images by a separate photographer are managed by the BUSSW Marketing team and are used for the website, social media, etc. These are not available for purchase or sharing.

There will be a Pre-Commencement Reception held before the commencement ceremony at the 808 Gallery on 808 Commonwealth Avenue from 12:00-2:00 PM EST.

This reception is for graduates of the Online Program, Off Campus Program, and Hybrid Program, as well as their guests. If you are a graduate of those programs and haven’t received emails about this reception, please reach out to sswolp@bu.edu (Online Program), or sswocp@bu.edu (Off-Campus and Hybrid Programs).

Student regalia is handled by the University. A selection of items will be available for purchase (or rental, if doctoral) through BU.

Go to the University regalia webpage to order your cap and gown and find the most up-to-date information on deadlines, prices, pickup, and more.

Please contact regalia@bu.edu with any questions.

Please note BUSSW does not apply Latin Honors to graduate student records but students are welcome to wear their own cords at the ceremony.

Guest Speaker

Danielle Ferrier (SSW’99), Chief Executive Officer of Heading Home

MSW Student Speaker

Marcus Shaw, On-Campus (Boston-CRC)

PhD Student Speaker

Yibin Yang

• Graduating students will line up in random order under the tent behind the arena. After going through the bag check in the lobby, proceed straight through the lobby to the tent located behind the venue. Follow the guidance of the student services staff once you enter the tent.
• How to Hold Your Hood
  • Hold hood in front by point
  • Black material facing out
  • Velvet trim on right side
  • Drape over left arm
  • Wide end on outside

For public transportation and parking information, please visit BU’s transportation page here.

Information specific to 2026 commencement activities – including available parking lots, accessible parking, BU Shuttle service and more – will be posted here.