Commencement: Frequently Asked Questions

Graduates and guests can park in the Babbio Garage and in River Lot for the Awards Ceremonies (invitation only). No hangtag is needed, and there is no charge for parking. Cars must be removed from these lots by 11 pm each night.

Students graduating with a PhD are invited to attend the PhD Hooding, taking place on Monday, May 19 in Stevens’ DeBaun Auditorium in Hoboken, NJ. Each PhD student will receive 4 tickets for the PhD Hooding.

These tickets are separate from the tickets offered for the Commencement ceremony. PhD students may attend the Graduate Commencement Ceremony on May 21 and the PhD Hooding Ceremony on May 19.

PhD students will receive more information about the number of tickets closer to the event date. Tickets are event-specific for the individual ceremonies.

Faculty are required to RSVP for Commencement. If a faculty member indicates on the RSVP form that they require regalia rental, they will receive information for ordering regalia immediately after submitting their Commencement RSVP.

Information regarding Regalia pickup and return will be shared as the event date approaches.

No, there is no formal dress code for under your academic attire. Business casual is recommended. We recommend you wear comfortable shoes as you will be standing prior to the ceremony, and you will need to use the stairs to reach the stage. We strongly recommend you do not wear high heels if you are not accustomed to wearing them.

Gradfest is a celebration of our graduates held on the Stevens campus. Graduates are welcome to bring guests to enjoy an evening connecting with friends, faculty and staff on the evening before the Commencement ceremonies. Dessert food and music are provided, as well as photo opportunities and fireworks over the Hudson River. Dress is casual.

The PNC Bank Arts Center is located at 116 Garden State Pkwy, Holmdel, NJ 07733.

Parking lots are available at no cost to Stevens Commencement attendees and staff. There is plenty of parking on-site at PNC Bank Arts Center. Parking staff will direct you. Parking is first come-first served. No saving of parking spaces is permitted.

Accessible Parking is located to the right of the main gates. Let the parking staff know that you need accessible parking, and they will direct you to this lot. Guests must have an accessible placard or license plate to park in this lot. Please be advised that parking is limited. If you do not absolutely need accessible parking, please park in the general lots.

Yes, there will be shuttle buses transporting graduates and guests from the outer parking lots to the front entrance of the venue.

Ride-share pickup and drop off is in Lot #10 at PNC Bank Arts Center. Shuttles will be offered between Lot #10 and the venue entrance.

Guests are permitted to bring in one (1) factory-sealed bottle of water up to one liter in size. Empty aluminum bottles and refillable plastic water bottles are permitted. Camelbacks are not permitted. Water refill stations are available at the North and South Plazas. One (1) clear gallon-sized bag for snacks is permitted. There will be a wide variety of food and beverage options available for purchase on-site.

The PNC Bank Arts Center concession stands will be open for your convenience. The concession stands sell hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, french fries, nachos, pretzels, popcorn, and cheese cups. Beverages include water, soda, Red Bull, and coffee.

All bags are subject to search upon entry. Guests have the right to refuse a bag search and the venue has the right to refuse entry. If you have any items that are not allowed (see lists of permitted and prohibited items below) into the venue, please return them to your vehicle.

Please note that PNC Bank Arts Center requires either a bag with a maximum size of 12" x 6" x 12".

• No bags bigger than 12"x6"x12” will be allowed inside.

• Cameras – nonprofessional only, no detachable lenses

• Food – in a clear, 1-gallon ziploc bag

• Water – an empty water bottle OR up to 1 liter of water in a factory sealed bottle is permitted

• Diaper bags are okay to bring but will be thoroughly searched. Please use the ADA entrance.

• Small, personal umbrellas.

• Folding lawn chairs. Only soft-sided folding camp chairs no larger than 32” deep, 25” wide and 34” high will be permitted. In order to accommodate security checkpoints in a timely manner, the chair carry bag must be removed and left in your vehicle.

Please note that all guests and personal belongings must go through a metal detector as they enter PNC Bank Arts Center.

• Signs, banners, and flags larger than 8.5 X 11 in are not permitted. This size is a standard sheet of paper. PNC Bank Arts Center does not permit banners or signs that are larger than this due to the potential to block other guests' view of the performance. All signs must be appropriate in nature and not be a distraction to the graduates.

• Bags larger than 12” x 6” x 12”

• Lawn chairs that do not meet the specifications listed above

• Balloons

• Weapons of any kind - knives, guns, mace, pepper gas or any other item deemed a potential weapon.

• Alcohol

• Illegal drugs/substances

• Glass, metal, cans (regardless of contents)

• Hard/soft coolers

• Average sized bags/backpacks

• Pop-up tents or tents of any kind

• Large umbrellas or awnings (only small, personal sized umbrellas are permitted)

• Laser pointers

• Balloons

• Animals (except ADA approved service animals)

• Fireworks or other incendiary devices

• iPads/tablets

• Selfie sticks

• Spiked rings or collars

• Go Pros

• Strollers are NOT permitted on the lawn; they will be ticketed and held next to the seating areas until after the ceremony.

• Any other item that may pose a threat to other guests and staff.

Please note that all guests and personal belongings must go through a metal detector as they enter PNC Bank Arts Center.

Service animals are permitted inside the venue during events. Only registered working animals are permitted.

Like many venues and other large places of assembly, PNC Bank Arts Center has a “no pets” policy. However, PNC Bank Arts Center/Live Nation’s policy explicitly permits guests with disabilities to use dogs as service animals. PNC Bank Arts Center's policy, consistent with ADA’s revised guidelines, defines “service animal” as limited to a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the individual’s disability.

PNC Bank Arts Center requires, consistent with the ADA, that service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents him or her from using these devices. Individuals who cannot use such devices must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective methods.

Yes, baby strollers are permitted inside the venue, but strollers will be held by PNC Bank Arts Center staff immediately outside of the seating area during the ceremonies; babies will need to be positioned on an adult’s lap during the ceremonies.

The Office of International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) at Stevens offers the following information regarding inviting someone to the U.S.: Inviting Someone to Visit You.

Summer and Fall graduates: It is critical that you update your secondary address in order to get all of your Commencement information. If you are within 90 days of your conferral date, you can update your secondary address on Workday. After the 90 day period, you must update you secondary address in MyStevens.

Alumni Email Forwarding (Stevens Student Support Portal) Instructions

All questions regarding Commencement can be emailed to [email protected].