Guest Information

The University of Louisville’s May 2026, University-wide Commencement* ceremonies honoring certificate, bachelor’s, master's, and doctoral** graduates will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the KFC Yum! Center. 

Each ceremony lasts approximately two hours and culminates with the conferral of degrees and the turning of tassels. These events are non-ticketed, and graduates may invite an unlimited number of guests.

Ceremony #1 (10:00 a.m.)

Honoring graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences, Brandeis School of Law*, Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs, Kent School of Social Work & Family Science, School of Dentistry*, School of Medicine*, School of Nursing*, and the School of Public Health & Information Sciences.

Doors for Ceremony #1 will open to graduates and their guests beginning at 8:30 a.m., and the ceremony will last approximately two hours.

Ceremony #2 (3:00 p.m.)

Honoring graduates from the College of Business, College of Education & Human Development, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, and the School of Music.

Doors for Ceremony #2 will open to graduates and their guests beginning at 1:30 p.m., and the ceremony will last approximately two hours.

* UofL’s Professional Programs: Dental, Law, Medicine, and Nursing, will conduct their own ceremonies in May. Graduates from these schools are invited to participate in the University-wide Commencement, in addition to their school’s recognition ceremony. See Professional Programs Ceremony schedule below.

** Doctoral-level graduates will receive hooding ceremony information and instructions from their respective college/school.  The Doctoral Hooding ceremony will take place on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., and be held in the L&N Arena, located in the Swain Student Activities Center. Doctoral graduates are invited to participate in the University-wide Commencement, as well as the hooding ceremony.

Professional Schools’ Ceremonies:

Brandeis School of Law Commencement

Sunday, May 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

Louisville Palace Theatre

Questions? Email Dean Coel at crystal.coel@louisville.edu or call (502) 852-8956

School of Dentistry Convocation

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 4:30 p.m.

Louisville Palace Theatre

Questions? Email dentsa@louisville.edu

School of Medicine Commencement

Kentucky International Convention Center

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 4:30 p.m.

Questions?  Email Cynthia Morse at cynthia.morse@louisville.edu or call (502) 852-0954

School of Nursing Convocation

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 3:00 p.m.

L&N Arena, Swain Student Activities Center

Questions? Email Rebecca Barrett at rlcard02@louisville.edu or call (502) 852-1090

** Doctoral level graduates will receive hooding ceremony information and instructions from their school/college. More information to come.

Plan your visit to the KFC Yum! Center

There is parking available at the PARC arena garage located under the KFC Yum! Center. Event parking fees are set by PARC and collected upon entry. Additionally, there are numerous garages in the surrounding area including the Riverside Garage located at 101 West Witherspoon Street. Metered street parking is also available in the area. 

Please note that there will be traffic in the area. Other events, road closures, etc. may impact your drive time and parking availability. Please allow plenty of time for parking and traffic. The ceremony will begin promptly when scheduled.  

Grads and their guests may enter the main lobby of the KFC YUM! Center 90 minutes before the start of their ceremony. After passing through security, guests have access to purchase flowers at the Mortar Board table, and grads and guests may visit the UofL Alumni Association table nearby.

There will be two large banners on each side of the main lobby where guests and grads can take photos. There are also college-specific photo banners on the Mezzanine level, just up the escalators. Photos may be taken before and after the ceremonies.

Concessions will be available for purchase on the Mezzanine level.

Guests will find their seats from the Mezzanine level, while graduates must take escalators or elevators down to the event level to pick up their name call card and find their seat on the floor. Graduates are not seated by college, so they may sit with friends if they wish, but must arrive together. Seats will not be saved. Graduates will cross the stage in the order in which they arer seated on the floor.

Student Accommodations 

If you are graduating and need accommodations due to a disability, physical limitation, or other circumstance in order to participate in the Commencement ceremonies, please email the Commencement Staff .

ADA Seating

The KFC Yum! Center offers ADA accessible seating for guests at the top of sections 105, 106 109, 113, 116 and 117. Most of the upper bowl sections have ADA seating as well. There are approximately 300 ADA seats total. Sections 105, 106, 116 and 117 tend to have the best view of the stage and the video monitors located on each side of the stage and on the jumbotron. No seating is available on the floor for non-graduates, and all seating is on a first-come, first-served basis so we recommend arriving early enough to secure your seats. Doors open 90 minutes before each ceremony.

American Sign Language Interpreting Services 

Signing/interpreting services will be part of the Commencement Ceremonies. The live feed of the interpreters will be displayed on the video boards throughout the ceremony. Graduates needing individual signing/interpreting services may contact the Disability Resource Center at 502-852-6938.  

Wheelchair Assistance Escort Program 

A wheelchair escort service will be available for graduates or guests with mobility concerns. They may request a wheelchair escort upon arrival at the entrance.  This service will be available on a first come/ first serve basis, so please allow extra time if you plan to utilize this service. While attendees may not take the wheel chair themselves, the dedicated event staff will happily pick up and drop off the attendee to their destination in the arena. This service is limited to inside the arena only. Upon arriving at the entrance, attendees may request an escort with the gate supervisor if an escort is not waiting. Additionally, any event staff with a radio can call for the escort to meet the attendee. Please allow extra time upon your arrival should there be a wait for an escort.

Accessible Restrooms

The KFC Yum! Center has accessible restrooms located throughout the facility.

Emergency Medical Assistance

Emergency medical staff will be onsite during the Commencement Ceremony.

Signs which are hand-held and no greater than 11" x 17" in size are permitted. Signs may not be hung or fastened anywhere in the arena. Small signs should not be commercial or obscene in nature, nor promote violations of law or university policy, nor cause any disturbance. The KFC Yum! Center reserves the right to remove any banner at any time. Graduates may not carry anything onstage (flags, signs, objects etc.). Please also note that balloons are prohibited. 

All individuals arriving at the facility will pass through metal detectors upon arriving at the facility. Please allow a few extra minutes for entering the facility.  Per KFC YUM! Center policy, all bags are subject to search upon entry. Backpacks of any kind, including drawstring, fanny packs, computer bags, and camera bags are prohibited. Bags may be no larger than 14” X 14” X 6" and a clutch may only be 9” X 7”. 

Beverages and a limited selection of snacks will be available for purchase.

Gift a Cardinal the opportunity to literally wear their pride as they embark on their new journey as Louisville alumni!

Our Graduate Gift Boxes include exclusive Louisville Alumni-branded items that are not sold in stores, a personalized note from the buyer, and serve as a keepsake that they'll cherish forever.

Order here: http://UofLAlumni.org/GradGiftBox