FAQs: What to know about attending a UNT or TWU graduation

Here’s a rundown of some basic but vital information grads and guests need to know:

Graduation vs. commencement: What’s the difference?

Graduation is about officially completing your degree plan by earning the required credits set by the university and earning a diploma. Commencement is the ceremony in which graduates walk the stage and receive recognition for earning their degree.

Graduation and commencement don’t always take place concurrently with a student’s graduation. At UNT, for example, a student can participate in commencement in May, but complete their degree in August since UNT doesn’t hold summer commencement ceremonies.

Where is the ceremony?

All UNT commencement ceremonies, with the exception of the College of Music, take place in the Coliseum (also known as the Super Pit). The College of Music ceremonies takes place in the Murchison Performing Arts Center. UNT does not require tickets and seating is first-come, first-served, so it is recommended that guests arrive early to find their seats.

All TWU ceremonies are held in the Kitty Magee Arena in Pioneer Hall. Note that TWU does require tickets and these must be printed and brought along to the ceremony. TWU instructs that guests must be seated at least 10 minutes prior to the ceremony.

When are the ceremonies? And how long?

UNT

Friday, May 12

Saturday, May 13

Sunday, May 14

TWU

Friday, May 12

Saturday, May 13

The length of each ceremony is largely dependent on the size of the college a student is graduating from. The number of students graduating from UNT’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is generally going to be greater than the number graduating from the College of Music, so the former ceremony will be longer. Generally, though, even the largest ceremonies won’t take longer than an hour or two.

Where do I park?

According to UNT, commencement parking on campus should be simple:

• Graduates should park in the west side of Lot 20. Access the west side of Lot 20 by entering the lot from the service road.
• Guests should enter campus via North Texas Boulevard off Interstate 35E and park in Lot 20, which is on the west side of the Coliseum.
• Guests using a rideshare service should be dropped off on Maple Street and Avenue D near the southeast corner of the Coliseum.

Earlier this year, UNT announced it would not be providing shuttles from the parking lot to the Coliseum, which could be a nearly 10-minute walk. Accessible parking, though, is available in Lot 27 along Highland Street.

All of UNT’s allotted graduation parking is free for guests. The university suggested that guests who require accommodations not provided simply watch a livestream, which notably spurred discussions about accessibility.

TWU provides a campus and parking map, which has marked which lots will be open for graduates, families and guests on Friday and Saturday:

Can I watch it online?

UNT will offer a livestream of every commencement ceremony online, which are linked in the university's schedule. TWU will do the same. Find their livestream link online.

What do graduating students need?

The best advice for any grad is to simply be prepared! Both UNT and TWU offer guides on what your experience with commencement will look like.

UNT asks that you arrive at least an hour early, and TWU asks that you arrive at least 45 minutes early. For any ceremony, you should ensure you have your regalia (cap, gown, tassel, stoles, cords) well in advance.

What can I bring as a guest?

According to UNT, the following items are not allowed in the seating area: balloons, beach balls, silly string, bubbles, glitter, Frisbees, confetti/confetti cannons, laser pointers, weapons of any kind, signs/banners, tripods/monopods/selfie sticks and artificial noisemakers (air horns, bullhorns, whistles, etc.).

Additionally, the presence of non-service animals, smoking, vaping and the use of chewing tobacco is prohibited, as UNT is a tobacco-free campus. Strollers are permitted for younger children but as a safety measure, these are not allowed in the seating area.

UNT also enforces a clear bag policy.