Students who ordered tickets will be able to pick them up on May 21–25 and May 29–31 between 9 am–4 pm at the Career Center (123 Dyer Street, second floor).

Seating is open and available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you or your guests have accessibility concerns for your family, contact us at commencement@risd.edu.

Caps and gowns will be available for pickup at the RISD Store on May 29–31 between 8:30 am–6:30 pm, and on June 1 between 8:30–10 am for graduate students and 8:30 am–3 pm for seniors. You’re encouraged to embellish your Commencement regalia with bold, creative decorations of your very own.

If you have questions about your cap and gown, email risdstore@risd.edu.

Rehearsal for Commencement is Friday, June 1 in the Convention Center at 9:45 am. All graduating students who wish to participate in the ceremony must attend rehearsal in order to ensure that everything goes smoothly on Saturday. After rehearsal students will receive their design diploma and many also pick up their RISD alumni card.

On the day of Commencement students need to arrive at the Dunkin Donuts Center at 9:15 am in order to line up for the ceremony.

Every graduating student receives an academic diploma designed by the late John Howard Benson, a distinguished sculptor and calligrapher who taught at RISD from 1931-56. Each spring Experimental and Foundation Studies faculty member Alba Corrado BFA 60 PT handwrites the names in calligraphy on each graduate’s diploma.At the commencement ceremony, you will be handed a scroll of paper in lieu of your official Benson Diploma, which will be available for pickup immediately following the ceremony until 2 pm at the registrar’s table in Exhibition Hall D and at the Registrar’s Office on June 4–6 during regular business hours.

The senior gift this year is the Class of 2018 Scholarship Fund. By contributing to this important piece of the graduating class’ legacy, you will help make another RISD student’s life a little bit easier next year.

If you wish to help grow this scholarship fund, make a gift of whatever dollar amount is meaningful to you by visiting support.risd.edu. No matter the size, every contribution makes a difference and increases the financial impact the scholarship will have on the life of a current RISD student.

Each year graduating seniors create an original design for the RISD Yearbook. If you pre-ordered a yearbook, you will receive an email your copy arrives in May.

Please email csi@risd.edu with any questions.

risd:store offers a variety of diploma and picture frames, ornaments, jewelry and other accessories to commemorate your achievement. You may also visit the store’s commencement page to order personalized announcements, thank you cards and other custom items.

RISD does not offer an official class ring, but several alternative options are available at RISD WORKS.

Each year two students—one undergraduate and one graduate—share their message with the RISD community by delivering speeches at Commencement. To propose a speech, complete the application to speak at Commencement 2018 by April 4 for full consideration.

Running from May 27 through June 1, CommenceFEST is a series of events that brings graduating students together in celebrating one another and the collective success of the Class of 2018. These social gatherings also help students discover resources that will aid them in achieving their goals as RISD’s newest alumni.

In concluding their unique academic experience, all Brown | RISD Dual Degree graduates give capstone presentations demonstrating the connections they’ve made between different fields of study and how the pursuit of a dual degree has advanced their work and learning.

Presentations will be held from 12–4 pm on Tuesday, May 29 and Wednesday, May 30 at the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts’ Martinos Auditorium, located on the nearby Brown University campus. All presentations are free and open to families, the Brown and RISD communities and the general public.

If you live on campus, your housing will automatically be extended through Commencement week. All graduating students must move out by noon on Sunday, June 3.

If you live off campus and your lease ends on June 1, you can sign up to stay in the first-year quad through Commencement. Housing will be available from June 1 through June 3 and must be reserved by May 1 by completing the Commencement housing form.

All graduating student meal plans will be extended through June 2.

Questions about housing? Contact Residence Life at housing@risd.edu or 401 454-6650.

Guests can rent short-term accommodations in Providence through Airbnb, the global hospitality marketplace founded by RISD alumni Brian Chesky 04 ID and Joe Gebbia 05 GD/ID.

For families seeking an affordable space on campus, there will be limited accommodations in traditional-style residence halls. Please email housing@risd.edu for more information.

Restaurants in Providence feature a wide variety of cuisines and dining experiences, many within a short walk of RISD’s College Hill campus and the downtown area surrounding the Commencement venue. Just a short drive away, the historic Federal Hill and eclectic West End neighborhoods offer even more popular dining options. Tables fill up fast throughout the city during Commencement week, so be sure to plan ahead as soon as possible.