In-person 2022 Commencement: What you need to know

Dear students,

Despite the fact that Covid-19 continues to require our vigilance and flexibility, I write with a very hopeful message about Commencement as we turn the page on the second consecutive year in which the pandemic prevented MIT from hosting a traditional Commencement ceremony.

Here’s what you need to know:

• MIT will invite all graduating students and their guests to celebrate Commencement in person on Killian Court.
• While the time of the OneMIT Commencement Ceremony will be announced soon, the date – Friday, May 27, 2022 – is set.
• There are important format changes and new traditions for this year’s graduating class (and future classes).

I encourage all students to read on for more information.

New OneMIT Ceremony on Killian Court for all graduates: Friday, May 27, 2022

All Class of 2022 graduates and their guests will be invited to a 90-minute ceremony on Killian Court on the morning of Friday, May 27, featuring many capstone moments:

• The Academic Procession;
• President Reif’s Charge to the Graduates and the address by the to-be-announced Institute Commencement speaker; and
• The turning of the Brass Rat.

After the OneMIT ceremony concludes, graduates and guests will be invited to a luncheon reception; details will follow in the spring.

Bachelor’s degree ceremony: Friday, May 27, 2022

Following the luncheon reception, all graduating seniors will assemble on Briggs Field for a degree conferral ceremony. This celebration will be marked by the traditional reading of graduates' names, with photos taken as they cross the stage to receive their degrees.

Advanced degree ceremonies

Graduates of all master’s and doctoral programs will be recognized (and have their photos taken) during in-person school and college-specific ceremonies. Guests will be welcomed at these celebrations and hoods will be presented to doctoral candidates. Ceremony times and locations are expected to be released in January; for now, the schedule is as follows:

• School of Architecture and Planning: Thursday, May 26, 2022
• School of Engineering and Schwarzman College of Computing: Thursday, May 26, 2022
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: Thursday, May 26, 2022
• School of Science: Thursday, May 26, 2022
• Sloan School of Management: To be determined. The school’s in-person ceremony schedule will be shared directly with its graduates at a later date.

Celebrating the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021: Saturday, May 28, 2022

As promised, we are inviting recent graduates back to campus so that we can recognize their accomplishments with the in-person, on-campus events and revelry that the pandemic postponed in 2020 and 2021.

You can learn more about the planning for all of these ceremonies in the graduate FAQ.

I sincerely hope that Covid-19 does not require adjustments to our Commencement plans, but it’s important to acknowledge that significant shifts in the public health landscape – like the one we wrote to the community about yesterday – could prompt us to pivot from our in-person celebrations. At this moment, we are carefully monitoring the situation and planning (and hoping) for the best in May 2022.

Please join me in setting our sights on a restful Winter Break, and a spring that will see us all gathered together again to give our graduates the wonderful send-off and celebration they deserve.

Sincerely,

Melissa Nobles, Chancellor