Commencement Ceremony Tickets Q&A

It is the University's strong preference to hold the Commencement ceremony outdoors because tickets are not required and there is plenty of outside seating for all of our graduates and their guests. However, in the event the Commencement ceremony needs to move indoors, the seating in Brubaker Auditorium, where the ceremony is held, is much more limited. The University requires tickets for entry for the indoor ceremony so that all graduates are treated fairly and may have the opportunity to invite an equal number of guests.

Each graduate will be allotted five (5) tickets for guests to attend Commencement in Brubaker Auditorium, in the event that the ceremony is moved indoors due to inclement weather.

Yes, both indoor Commencement ceremonies ( 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.) will be live streamed.

• On campus:  All guests without a ticket for Brubaker Auditorium are invited to watch a live video stream of the ceremony in Parmer Hall, located in the Calvin and Janet High Center for Worship and Performing Arts. You will be able to view the ceremony on large projection screens in comfortable seating; guest shuttle service will be provided to this location.
• Off campus:  The same live web stream will be accessible online for both ceremonies so that guests can watch the commencement ceremony off-campus as well. View the live stream of the Commencement ceremony.

No. In the event that the Commencement ceremony is moved indoors due to inclement weather, the graduates are assigned to a specific ceremony time based on which academic school and department they are graduating from. Graduates will only be allotted guest tickets for the indoor ceremony to which they are assigned. 

No, graduates do not need a ticket for the indoor Commencement ceremony, only their guests.

Graduates may pick up their indoor ceremony "rain plan" tickets for Commencement, along with their tickets for Baccalaureate, at the Messiah University Box Office, located on the first floor Eisenhower Campus Center, on the following dates/times:

• Monday, May 6 - 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 7 - 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Wednesday, May 8 - 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Thursday, May 9 - 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Friday, May 10 - 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Saturday, May 11 (Commencement morning) - 7:30-9 a.m. Note: On Commencement morning, pick-up will be located in Hitchcock Arena, Sollenberger Sports Center. 

Residential and commuter graduating seniors, including December graduates, must pick up their Baccalaureate tickets and indoor Commencement tickets in person. You will be asked to show your student I.D. to verify that you are a graduate, and you will be asked to sign for the tickets to confirm that you have received them.

Indoor ceremony/rain plan tickets are designated for either lower-level seating or balcony level in Brubaker Auditorium. If you or your guests have accessibility issues that do not allow for climbing stairs in balcony seating, you will need lower-level seating, which includes bleacher seating and floor-level seating. Selection of lower-level or balcony level is first-come, first-serve. It is the graduate's responsibility to pick up tickets as early as possible if lower-level tickets are needed.

Yes, you must pick up your "rain plan" tickets in person (in the event that the Commencement ceremony is moved indoors due to inclement weather). However, if you are a senior who is studying at an off-campus location, or were a December graduate, and are not able to come to the Grantham campus until Commencement weekend, your tickets will be held for you until you can pick them up at the above dates/times.

Rain plan tickets are designated for either lower-level seating or balcony level in Brubaker Auditorium. If you call the Box Office at (717) 691-6036 starting the Monday before Commencement, you may request in advance which level seating you would like to have as availability permits.

If you are an adult degree program graduate, your indoor Commencement ceremony tickets will be mailed to you in April at the home address you have on file with the University. Rain plan tickets are designated for either lower-level seating or balcony level in Brubaker Auditorium. If you or one of your guests have a mobility issue that require you to have lower-level seating, you may request in advance which level seating you would like to have as availability permits. To make this request, call the Messiah University Box Office at (717) 691-6036 no later than April 1. 

It is extremely important to note that it is each graduate's responsibility to ensure that their guests receive their indoor ceremony tickets prior to the Commencement ceremony if it is moved indoors. Due to the numerous last-minute logistical changes that will be required if the Commencement ceremony is moved indoors because of inclement weather, the University will be unable to operate a "will call" window for distributing tickets to guests.

All graduating seniors are encouraged to pick up their tickets in advance of Commencement so that they may have plenty of time to distribute them ahead of time to their guests. Those graduates who are unable to connect with their guests until the morning of Commencement are encouraged to pre-determine a plan for how they would meet in the event that the ceremony is moved indoors due to inclement weather.

Yes. If you are not using all of your "rain plan" tickets for Commencement, you are able to give them away if you choose. However, graduating seniors are still required to pick up the tickets in person at the Box Office, to show student I.D., and sign for the tickets before giving them away. Messiah personnel are not authorized to give a graduate's tickets to someone else on their behalf, i.e., you will not be able to "leave a ticket" for someone to pick up.

Note: It is very important to remember that the tickets that you will receive will only gain entry for the indoor ceremony time you are assigned (i.e., either the 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. ceremony).

It is very important to note that all indoor ceremony "rain plan" tickets are non-replaceable, and cannot be re-issued if lost. To ensure fair circumstances for everyone, graduates and their guests are urged to keep their tickets in a safe place and be sure to bring them to the indoor ceremony. 

All indoor ceremony "rain plan" tickets are general admission for Brubaker Auditorium. So it is important for guests who would like to sit together to meet ahead of time and enter the auditorium together. It will be difficult to "save seats" for an extended period of time once inside the auditorium. 

No, indoor ceremony "rain plan" tickets will only be issued to graduates for use by their family and guests.

No; there is regrettably no additional supply of extra rain plan tickets for graduates. Tickets were assigned to allow for the maximum guest count per graduate in the event Commencmeent needs to move indoors. The Box Office will not be managing a "wait list" or a "will call" window for indoor ceremony tickets. The only option for graduates to obtain additional indoor ceremony tickets is to secure any unused indoor tickets from classmates who are assigned to their same ceremony time.

A decision regarding any changes to the schedule will be made no later than 6 a.m. on Commencement day. Important announcements regarding the schedule and any changes will be posted on the University's web site at www.messiah.edu.