Congratulations CAS Class of 2023!
We are so proud and excited to celebrate YOU and your accomplishments!
Graduating seniors will hear from nyucas.bacc@ewgrp.net several times in the coming weeks as we guide you through everything you need to do to participate in the CAS Baccalaureate Ceremony. If you follow our instructions, you’ll be good to go! All these important communications will be sent to your NYU email.
Here is what you need to do now:
1. Save the date
CAS Baccalaureate
Radio City Music Hall
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
8 am – All Students Arrive (Professional grad portraits available, first come first serve, until 9am)
9 am – Doors Open for Guests
10 am – Ceremony Begins
On March 13th, eligible graduates received details about ordering in-person tickets for themselves and up to 2 in-person guests; toddler-age guests and older require a ticket to be admitted to Radio City Music Hall. Graduates are also encouraged to invite as many guests as they’d like to join us virtually for CAS Baccalaureate and participate from anywhere in the world, with the opportunity to tweet their congratulations and good wishes LIVE, in real time, during the ceremony.
Graduates and the guests they invite will need a Ticketmaster account to receive these free in-person tickets. Graduates must use their NYU NedID as their email address for Ticketmaster (netid@nyu.edu)
2. Graduates: order your cap, gown and tassel now
Graduates must have a cap, gown and tassel to participate in:
- The CAS Baccalaureate at Radio City
- The All-University Commencement at Yankee Stadium
- The World’s Largest Graduation Selfie at Radio City (more on this in item 4)
Advanced ordering of academic attire for CAS is now closed, but graduates can still order their attire during the general University ordering window.
3. Get ready for the World’s Largest Graduation Selfie
To hear your name called at CAS Baccalaureate, and have your own moment of recognition, graduates must send us a photo of themselves wearing their cap, gown, and tassel so that it can be shown on Radio City’s 90’ x 40’ video wall! Here’s how you make that happen:
- CAS graduates must order their attire by March 1 during the special window for CAS graduates (otherwise your order probably won’t arrive in time).
- Put on your cap, gown, and tassel and get creative with your photo. Want to include your family? Your friends? Your pets? It’s all okay. Want to go to a location that’s special to you for the shot? Do it. This is your history-making moment in the spotlight, so make it uniquely your own. Creating your triumphal image helps add to the entertainment value of the ceremony and represent our diverse graduating class, too.
- In mid-March, we’ll let you know where to submit your photo.
Over the last few years, CAS has embraced a special new tradition for recognizing graduates individually. Graduates no longer walk at Baccalaureate: in place of requiring each of the 2,400 eligible graduates to leave their seats, line up, and rush across the stage, each honoree is now introduced by name, and stands as they are able while their photo appears on Radio City’s mammoth video wall, as friends and family from all over the world celebrate them. This tradition (aka the World’s Largest Graduation Selfie!!) lets every one of our 2,400 graduates participate, be celebrated rather than hurried, and express themselves - no matter their physical ability or degree of stage fright.
4. Grads should check their email for their invitation ASAP
The official invitation to CAS Baccalaureate was sent to graduates’ NYU email on March 13th from nyucas.bacc@ewgrp.net. This message will tell you all about:
- How to request up to two in-person guest tickets for the CAS Baccalaureate at Radio City. Remember, you’ll also need to order an additional student ticket for yourself.
- Where and how to submit your photo and phonetic name pronunciation.
- All the deadlines you must meet in order to secure your proud participation in the ceremony.
All tickets to enter Radio City Music Hall will be digitally distributed via Ticketmaster, so it is crucial that you and your guests have active Ticketmaster accounts. If you or your guests do not have Ticketmaster accounts, please take care of that now. Graduates must use their NYU NedID as their email address for Ticketmaster (netid@nyu.edu).
FAQS
What if I want more than 2 guest tickets?
CAS is the largest school in the University, with over 2,400 proud graduates. In order to fairly honor all of our graduates on their special day, and keep within capacity of the largest suitable indoor venue available to us, each graduating CAS student who wishes to take part in the ceremony we plan for them is eligible to receive a ticket for themselves and up to two (2) general admission in-person guest tickets. Grads are also encouraged to invite as many guests as they would like to participate in the CAS festivities interactively from anywhere in the world!
Sometimes there is a ticket lottery for extra seats. Will there be one and how will that work?
If there are any unclaimed in-person tickets available at the end of the ticket ordering period, we will hold a lottery for those students who wish to obtain more than the allotted 2 tickets to each graduate. Details on how that would work will be sent later on, if that is the case.
What about students who try to sell the tickets they order? Is that even allowed?
PLEASE NOTE: Students who break University rules and attempt to take advantage of their fellow graduates by registering to receive and then attempting to sell free Baccalaureate tickets will have their ticket reservations CANCELED (both for themselves and their in person guests); they will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony, and they will be subject to further University disciplinary actions.
CAS has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on this unscrupulous behavior. It’s just not fair. Also, rather than supporting this bad behavior by purchasing these tickets, graduates who become aware of any attempt to profit by selling tickets to fellow students should notify us right away. Then, the tickets previously requested by the perpetrator will be immediately put into the pool of free tickets made available through our free and fair lottery system.
Why do I have to be at Radio City Music Hall at 8am?
All participating graduates must arrive at Radio City Music Hall by 8am in order to get checked in and seated, with appropriate regalia on, before we open the doors to guests. Additionally, there will be photographers present to take professional graduation portraits for our graduates, but only from 8am until 9am sharp. These portraits will be available on a first come first serve basis, and will stop when the doors open to guests. Proofs will be sent to the address provided to the photographer at Radio City in the days immediately following Baccalaureate.
Do I have to wear academic attire?
Yes. All participating graduates must be attired in the traditional time-honored regalia celebrating NYU College of Arts & Science graduates since 1832: a cap, gown, and tassel. Students are also invited and encouraged to personalize their mortarboards (hats) and gowns with decorations and adornments to make them uniquely their own. Graduates who show up to Radio City without their attire know that they have chosen not to participate, and will be turned away.
How do I receive my tickets?
Tickets will be sent digitally to the Ticketmaster account associated with your NYU NetID. Graduates have been invited to register for tickets, and will be required to provide the details for their Ticketmaster account (account email address – netid@nyu.edu, name, and phone number). All tickets – for graduates and their guests – will be distributed to the graduates Ticketmaster account, and graduates are responsible for subsequently transferring their guest tickets to their guests’ Ticketmaster accounts. These tickets will be distributed in early May.
Can parents or friends order tickets for themselves?
Unfortunately no, and here’s why: FERPA does not allow communication between the University and parents or friends about any student’s degree progress or graduation status, and we are not making the decision about who each graduate desires to have at Radio City. The College invites eligible graduates to participate in their ceremony, and they choose to invite the guests that they wish to have join them both in-person and virtually.
What if I want to invite Baccalaureate guests who require a visa to enter the country?
Please refer to the NYU Commencement Families and Guests page about guests requiring visas.
If graduates have any questions, they should write to us at nyucas.bacc@ewgrp.net with their full name, N-Number, and net ID included in the message!
What if one of my guests has ambulatory concerns or requires an ADA-compatible seat?
Once your guests who require a little extra assistance arrive to the queue at Radio City Music Hall, they should look for a uniformed Radio City guest services staff member. Here is the link to the completed information provided by the venue.