The University will hold in-person commencement ceremonies for 2021 graduates, March LSU Online graduates and all 2020 graduates, Interim President Thomas Galligan and Provost Stacia Haynie announced in an email Wednesday.

Commencement ceremonies for 2021 graduates will be held on Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8. The Vet School will hold a ceremony on Monday, May 10, and the Law Center will hold a ceremony on Saturday, May 15. All 2020 graduates from last May, August and December will be able to walk the stage at an exclusive ceremony on Friday, May 14.

Each senior college will also hold a diploma ceremony for their respective graduates and will follow all state and university guidelines regarding maximum capacity restrictions, physical distancing, and mask wearing.

All ceremonies will be streamed online for those unable to attend in person.

Here’s what students can expect if they attend a ceremony:

• Each graduate will be allocated four guest tickets. More information on tickets will be provided in late April.

• Graduates will be seated in physically distanced seats and will be invited to walk across the stage when their names are called.

• To minimize contact with others, graduates will not shake hands or pose for photos with anyone while on stage. Instead, graduates will be able to pose for professional photos just after they descend from the stage.

• Graduate students will not be hooded as part of the ceremonies. All graduate hoods/stoles, University honor cords, University Medals and the like will be distributed in advance so graduates can wear them to the ceremonies.

• To ensure the safety of graduates, guests, and staff, there will not be a printed commencement program. Graduates’ names and accomplishments will be made available in print and online via several outlets. Details will be forthcoming.

• The platform party and LSU faculty attendance will be minimal in order to reduce the density of people at the ceremonies and accommodate as many guests as possible. Consequently, there will be no faculty processions at any of the ceremonies.

• Professional photography will be available to all graduates to take photos on campus from March 29 – April 1 at a designated Grad Pop Up Photo Station. Graduates will be required to reserve an available time slot in advance. For more information, visit https://sugeni.us/W6dW. This opportunity is available to all graduates, whether they attend a ceremony or not. This is in addition to the professional photography that will be available at each college’s in-person ceremony.

The University requests that those planning to attend the ceremonies on May 7, May 8 or May 14 RSVP through a questionnaire, which can be found here, by Friday, April 9 in order to determine the capacity of each event. The University will not accommodate late submissions or day-of walkups.
Further updates about LSU’s commencement ceremonies can be found here.