FAQs

Baccalaureate will take place in the Chapel at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 17.

Graduates will receive the Line-Up Instructions during Senior Week, May 12–16.

Trinity’s Commencement ceremony is held outdoors on the Main Quad rain or shine. Degree candidates may invite an unlimited number of guests; no tickets or registration  are required, and ample seating is available for general audiences.

In the event of extreme weather conditions that threaten personal safety (such as a severe thunderstorm), the Commencement ceremony may be held in the Koeppel Community Sports Center (175 New Britain Avenue). In the unlikely event that the ceremony must be held indoors, seating will be limited to two guest tickets per graduate. Extreme weather tickets will be distributed to degree candidates at Commencement Packet Pickup on May 12 between noon and 4:00 p.m.

Several indoor locations will be open for additional guests to view a livestream of the ceremony.

Yes. A live video of the Commencement ceremony will be available online beginning at 10:30 a.m. Check the Commencement homepage for the live broadcast.

Please send the following information​ to Katie Clair, associate director of international students and scholars, at [email protected]: names of family members, their relationship to the student, approximate dates of travel, home country, and where they will stay while in the United States​.

Trinity’s Commencement ceremony is held outdoors on the Main Quad rain or shine. To manage high heat and humidity, guests are encouraged to bring bottled water. Water stations will also be available throughout and after the ceremony.

Graduates may invite an unlimited number of guests; no tickets are required and  ample seating is available for general audiences.

In the event of extreme weather conditions that threaten personal safety (such as a severe thunderstorm), the Commencement ceremony may be held in the Koeppel Community Sports Center (175 New Britain Avenue). In the unlikely event that the ceremony must be held indoors, seating will be limited to two guest tickets per graduate. Extreme weather tickets will be distributed to degree candidates at Senior Packet Pickup on May 12 between noon and 4:00 p.m. in the Mather Hall, Cave Community Room.

Several indoor locations will be open for additional guests to view a livestream of the ceremony. Indoor viewing locations are:

• Albert C. Jacobs Life Sciences Center, Boyer Auditorium
• Clement Chemistry Building, Cinestudio
• Austin Arts Center, Goodwin Theater
• McCook Academic Building, McCook Auditorium
• Mather Hall, Washington Room

If changes are required due to extreme weather conditions, details will be communicated by 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 18.  An email will be sent to the campus community, and a notice will be posted on the Trinity website.

A limited number of parking spaces are available in the Jarvis lot, and people must have a College-issued accessibility parking pass in order to park there for Commencement. Wheelchair seating will be available on the Main Quad.

To request accessible parking or wheelchair seating, please fill out this online form.

A number of places in the Hartford area offer wheelchair rentals, and you can find them online. Trinity College does not endorse or recommend the use of one rental place over another.

You may pick up your cap and gown as part of your senior packet on May 12 from noon to 4:00 p.m. in the Mather Hall Cave Community Room.

Pro Pics has been retained by the College to photograph the graduates as they cross the stage and after they walk off the platform. Graduates will receive proofs via email and may purchase photos at that time.

A translation of the diploma can be found here. The translation for degrees conferred December 2023 or earlier can be found here.

Latin honors are determined after all grades have been submitted and finalized. Students may monitor their cumulative grade point average online. Degrees are conferred with honors based on the student’s final cumulative grade-point average. Honors are conferred as follows:

• summa cum laude—3.900 and higher
• magna cum laude—3.800 to 3.899
• cum laude—3.667 to 3.799

The College hosts a Post-Commencement Celebration on the Grass Practice Field following the ceremony. The College tent offers refreshments, entertainment, and more. Graduates, their families, and guests are encouraged to attend and bid farewell to faculty and staff, friends, and classmates.

In addition to the College reception, tent rentals are available for private parties hosted by graduates and their families. Read more about sponsoring an individual post-Commencement celebration.

The bookstore will be open 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, and 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on Commencement Day.

Residential communities close promptly at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18. ID card access will be terminated from all buildings on campus at this time.

Requests from students to remain on campus beyond this date will not be approved. For more information, please contact [email protected].

If you did not find the answers to your questions here, please email [email protected].