Friday, May 3, 2024

The Ross Commencement will begin with a student welcome at 3:15 p.m. followed by the platform party processional, and the formal program commencing at 3:30 p.m. The ceremony is estimated to conclude by 5:45 p.m.

Crisler Center
333 E. Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Crisler Center is located on the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus.
 

DIRECTIONS:

Google maps

From Detroit Metro Airport and points east: Take I-94 west to Ann Arbor-Saline Road (exit 175). Turn right and follow Ann Arbor-Saline Road as it turns into Main Street, going north for approximately 1 1/2 miles. Crisler Center is located near the northeast corner of Main and Stadium Boulevard next to Michigan Stadium. Turn right immediately after Michigan Stadium onto E. Keech Avenue and turn right into the lot just past Michigan Stadium.

From Chicago and points west: Take I-94 east to Ann Arbor-Saline Road (exit 175). Turn left and follow Ann Arbor-Saline Road as it turns into Main Street, going north for approximately 1 1/2 miles. Crisler Center is located near the northeast corner of Main and Stadium Boulevard next to Michigan Stadium. Turn right immediately after Michigan Stadium onto E. Keech Avenue and turn right into the lot just past Michigan Stadium.

From Toledo and points south: Take U.S. 23 north to I-94 west. Follow directions from Detroit Metro Airport.

From Flint and points north: Take U.S. 23 south to I-94 west. Follow directions from Detroit Metro Airport.

Doors will open for students and guests at 2:15 p.m.  Students and guests are asked to be in their seats by 3:15 p.m.

Parking at Michigan Ross

The gates to all structures on Central Campus will open on Friday and remain open throughout Commencement weekend. Parking enforcement in these structures will be suspended until the end of enforcement hours on Sunday.

Thursday, May 2: U-M parking structures at Fletcher, Hill, and Thayer streets and Palmer Drive will be open at 9 a.m. for commencement guests.

Friday, May 3 – Sunday, May 5: All U-M parking lots and structures will be open to the public beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday through Sunday.

Note: Parking structures in the campus core areas fill to capacity each business day. It is highly recommended that guests pay to park in nearby city structures located on Maynard Street, Washington Street, William Street, and Library Lane.

If arriving by car, guests are encouraged to find parking early, as parking around Crisler Center is limited. Parking enforcement within U-M lots on the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus will be suspended on Friday. Ross Commencement guests are welcome to park in any available, unrestricted parking space around Crisler Center (blue, orange, and yellow lots). 

Limited first-come, first-served parking is also available at Pioneer High School located at the corner of Main Street and Stadium Boulevard (southwest of Michigan Stadium). 

• Oversized bags (anything that cannot fit comfortably under your seat)
• Containers of any kind (including coolers, thermoses, cups, bottles, cans, and flasks)
• Aerosol and spray cans
• Animals (except service animals for persons with a disability)
• Flags with flagpoles
• Food of any kind
• Alcoholic beverages
• Apparel and signage displaying profane or abusive language
• Camera with a lens longer than 6 inches
• Noisemakers (including but not limited to whistles, air horns, boom boxes, bull horns, kazoos, sirens, thunder sticks, vuvuzelas, etc.)
• Strollers
• Video cameras, tripods, and selfie sticks
• Weapons of any kind
• Seat cushions with backs/arms

The University of Michigan reserves the right to prohibit any item from being carried into the arena. Decisions on which items to prohibit will be made contingent upon security briefings by law enforcement agencies. Exceptions for medical or personal care reasons (e.g., diapers for a baby, medical prescriptions, etc.) will be addressed individually at the gates. The University of Michigan reserves the right to search or inspect such items, and persons carrying them are encouraged to carry them into the arena in a clear plastic bag. A continually updated list of prohibited items is available at the Crisler Center safety page.

No. Tickets are not required for the Michigan Ross ceremony. Tickets are required for the university-wide Commencement ceremony at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Please reference the website for more details.

A sign language interpreter will be present and real-time captioning will be included in the ceremony.

For graduates

Any graduates requiring ADA accommodations for themselves should contact rosscommencement@umich.edu.

For Guests

To ensure that all graduates and guests can participate fully in this celebration, Crisler Center Event Team members will be posted at the northeast and southwest entrances of Crisler Center to assist those with limited mobility and direct to accessible seating areas. These guests are encouraged to be dropped off at the northeast (main) entrance of Crisler Center.

A limited number of handicapped parking spaces are available at Crisler Center. Handicapped parking spaces will not be able to be reserved. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, as parking is first-come, first-served.

If you have any specific ADA guest requests, please email rosscommencement@umich.edu.

Seating is available around the lower bowl of Crisler Center. Events Team members will greet guests upon arrival and will usher those requiring wheelchair seating to the appropriate areas. Crisler Center has a very limited number of wheelchairs available for use. Please keep in mind if a guest needs to use a Criser Center wheelchair, they will only be escorted from the entrance to their seat. The wheelchair will then be removed in order to assist other guests. We highly recommend renting a wheelchair from an outside vendor in order to ensure guests will have a wheelchair to use.

Wheelchairs for use on commencement day can be rented at the below locations. We recommend calling as early as possible to reserve a wheelchair.

Advanced Medical Solutions
5333 McAuley Drive #1106
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
734-528-2522
 

Mitchell Home Care
2770 Carpenter Road #100
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734-477-0202
 

All graduates must wear academic attire. Beginning in January 2024, this can be ordered online at herff.ly/umross.

Academic attire may also be purchased at Ann Arbor locations; additional information

The caps and gowns for the Ross Commencement are the same as for the university-wide Commencement.

Some students have asked about purchasing "honor cords." While honor cords may be purchased through our academic attire vendor, be advised that final honors calculations are not computed until all grades are submitted (after commencement).

This means that students who wish to purchase honor cords are doing so based on their own unofficial calculations, and wearing these honor cords does not carry any official recognition.

Herff Jones academic attire sales will be on site in the Davidson Winter Garden for the convenience of graduates. The 2023 on-site dates are:

Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 18th from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

There are several options available for you to purchase your attire at a store in Ann Arbor or online.

Ann Arbor stores

Barnes & Noble at the Michigan Union: Undergraduate and graduate attire and commemorative tassels in stock. Attire may also be purchased online. 

Michiganensian Yearbook: Undergraduate attire and commemorative items in stock. Additional items are available online. 

Online

Herff Jones’ website: Undergraduate and graduate attire, as well as announcements, can be ordered online and shipped directly to your home.

There is no specific dress code for guests.

As information becomes available, it will be added to the Speakers & Award Winners page.

A full list of all commencement-related events for the various program teams is being created. All commencement-related events will be posted to the overview page. 

Please visit the U-M Commencement website to see the full calendar of the University of Michigan commencement ceremonies for all U-M colleges/schools.

All graduates and candidates of the winter term 2024, spring/summer term 2024, or fall term 2023 (who did not participate in April 2023 ceremony) may participate. 

Individuals who are unsure of their eligibility to participate in Spring Commencement should contact the Ross Registrar's Office at 734-647-4933 or at rossregistrarsoffice@umich.edu.

Follow these steps:

1. Log on to Wolverine Access at https://wolverineaccess.umich.edu and select "Student Business," then go to your "Student Center".
2. Use the drop down menu on the left and select “Apply for Graduation.” Please follow the on-screen instructions carefully.
   • Select Fall for December graduation, Winter for April/May graduation, or Summer for August graduation.
   • Indicate how you would like your name to appear on your diploma.
   • Provide an address to which your diploma should be sent. You can change your address in Wolverine Access until the deadline to apply for graduation. After the deadline, please contact the Registrar's Office. You may choose to list the address of a trusted family member or friend if you are not sure of your new permanent address.
3. Watch for an automated email confirmation after you have successfully applied for graduation.

No. Neither commencement ceremony is required for graduates to attend. They may also choose to attend one and not the other or both ceremonies if they would like. The Ross Commencement ceremony will only be open to Ross graduating students, and the U-M Commencement ceremony includes graduates from all colleges/schools of the University of Michigan. Please keep in mind that while tickets are not required for the Ross Commencement, tickets are required for the U-M Commencement ceremonies.

Diplomas for Ross graduates will be mailed between July and early August of 2023.

Tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 4, 2025

 Per the University of Michigan guidelines, masks are not required. Review the full list of the University of Michigan’s COVID-19 policies

Yes. Commencement will be livestreamed in Robertson Auditorium, adjacent to the Winter Garden in the main Ross building. Doors to Robertson will open at 3 p.m.