Fall 2026 Commencement
Fall 2026 Commencement will be held on Friday, December 11, 2026 at 2 p.m. in the Adams Center in Missoula, MT.
Degree candidates will line up in the West Auxiliary gym in the Adams Center beginning at 1 p.m. and the processional will begin at 1:45 p.m. The ceremony is expected to last approximately 2 hours, and will be livestreamed on YouTube. A link to this will be posted here in December. There will be no rehearsal for degree candidates for Commencement.
Please watch our video on what to expect as a degree candidate walking in Commencement.
For information on how to apply for graduation, please visit our Graduation Information page.
All official communications regarding Commencement will be sent via email. Please watch your @umontana.edu email for updates.
Regalia
Degree candidates can navigate to the Herff Jones ordering site here and select "Main Ceremony."
You will be asked to enter your email, you must use your first.last@umontana.edu to access the site. If you receive an error, please reach out to commencement@umontana.edu.
If you have not applied to graduate, you will not be able to access the order site.
Faculty: An email link with instructions on how to order regalia was sent out in the Academic Affairs Newsletter. You must order by 11/14/2026 and pick your regalia up in UC 225 during the regalia distribution the week of Commencement. Your regalia must be returned to UC 225 no later than 12/11/2026 by 5 p.m.
Cords and stoles will be available in the UM GoGriz Store located in the UC. The Registrar's Office cannot provide regalia for degree candidates.
Parking and Transportation
Guests and attendees will be permitted to park in Commuter/Day Pass/Employee permit and hourly pay areas, without holding a permit, on 12/11 beginning at noon.
Parking is not permitted in the following areas without proper permit: reserve lots, service areas, ADA parking will be available for guests and attendees with ADA permits. For pick-ups, deliveries and errands, quick stop 20-minute parking is available at convenient locations (please refer to our parking map). Vehicles are permitted one use per day in quick stop spaces.
More information can be found on UM's Parking webpage. We highly recommend carpooling to UM with those with active parking permits.
Guests and Attendees
At this time, no ticket or RSVP is required for guests to attend the Fall 2026 Commencement Ceremony. There is no limit on how many guests can attend. Doors will open for guest seating at 1 p.m. on December 11, 2026. For seating accommodations, please see an Adams Center Usher the day of the ceremony. Please note the Adams Center does have designated ADA seating, however they are unable to make seating reservations in advance. Adams Center Ushers are happy to seat guests with ADA accessible needs and their families as they arrive at the ceremony.
Regarding where to sit as an attendee- If you would like to be seated closest to the side where graduates walk on stage, it is recommended you sit in sections 208 through 210. If you would like to be seated on the side where graduates exit the stage, it is recommended you sit in sections 202 through 204. If you would like assistance finding ADA seating, please see an Adams Center usher on December 11. Sample seating maps of the Adams Center with section numbers, can be found here.
Information on parking will be posted in mid to late October.
Friends and family who cannot attend in person can view the event on our live stream link. This link will be posted in December.
Interested in buying flowers or other gifts for your graduates? The Commencement Group will be selling flowers the day of Commencement. You can pre-order now or purchase the day of. Pre-orders will be available for pick up in the foyer of the Adams Center prior to the ceremony
Accommodations
The University of Montana offers access to Commencement through the use of dual stage ramps, stadium elevators, sign language interpreters, real-time voice-to-text translation (captions) streamed and in-person, ADA seating for guests and students, ADA parking, and assistive listening devices (ALD's). Please list your specific accommodation requests not already provided by the University. To ensure timely and effective access to the ceremony, we ask that requests be made by December 1, 2026.
Accommodations for guests and audience members- Please note the Adams Center does have designated ADA seating, however they are unable to make seating reservations. Adams Center Ushers are happy to seat guests with ADA accessible needs and their families as they arrive to the ceremony. Please reach out to Brandon Kress in the Adams Center at brandon.kress@mso.umt.edu or by phone at 406-243-5357. Please visit our Accessibility and Special Accommodations page for more information.
Accommodations for students- If you have additional accommodations other than what is listed above, please include your request when you RSVP link.