Commencement crowd seated on quad

Commencement

Celebrating the Class of 2024

Join the Live Stream of the Ceremony!

We are thrilled to celebrate our graduating students on Thursday, May 9 (Graduate and Doctoral) and Saturday, May 11 (Undergraduate), 2024, on our beautiful campus quad.

See details below. If you have questions regarding Commencement please review the FAQ section. If you can't find the answer to your question, please email commencement@mville.edu.

 

Masters and Doctoral grads can RSVP for the Thursday ceremony here.

Graduating seniors can RSVP for the Saturday ceremony here.  

Request an Accessibility Accommodation

 

Important Information

Commencement ceremonies will be held outdoors on the quad, rain or shine.   In case of severe weather, ceremonies will be held in the Chapel and seating will be limited to 2 guests. Viewing locations will be set up around campus for any other attendees.   Manhattanville will notify the graduates via email and add a banner to the web if the ceremony is being moved indoors with limited guests.  
Male doctoral student with diploma
Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 6 PM 

Graduate and Doctoral Commencement

Report Times - Please be punctual!

  • 5:00 PM - Family check-in on quad (first come, first served seating)
  • 5:00 PM - Student Check-in (East Room, above cafeteria)
  • 5:50 PM- Procession begins

Graduate RSVP link for 5/9/24

Speaker: Renowned Sports Producer Gina Hemphill-Strachan

Female undergrad in cap and gown
Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 10 AM

Undergraduate Commencement

Report Times - Please be punctual!

  • 8:45 AM - Family check-in on quad (first come, first served seating)
  • 8:45 AM - Student Check-in (East Room, above cafeteria)
  • 9:50 AM - Procession begins

Undergraduate RSVP link for 5/1124

Speaker: Award-winning author Megan Abbott

 

Reid Castle face with cherry blossoms
Book a Session (March 11-14)
Appointments for formal cap and gown portraits are available through Island Photography. There is a $10 session fee. Please come in business attire. Cap and Gown provided.  Get headshots for LinkedIn and other professional sites.  Contact custserv@islandphoto.com.
Mother and child cheering and photographing at commencement
We will be looking for undergraduates to serve as ushers for our two ceremonies. 

Commencement Student Assistants

Apply to be a Commencement Assistant.  

Additional Commencement Resources

In the event of severe and dangerous weather, the ceremony will be moved inside to the O'Byrne Chapel. 

Severe Weather Plan 

Each graduate will receive two PDF tickets via email, each with a unique barcode, allowing entry for two guests per graduate. There will be no exceptions to this policy. For those who have additional guests coming to campus, we have arranged streaming stations around campus where they can comfortably watch the ceremony.

 


Live Stream

All of our Commencement ceremonies are live streamed. Closed captioning is available on all of our Commencement live streams. Links to the live streams are available on our homepage at www.mville.edu. Ticketed guests at the ceremonies can access Manhattanville’s free WiFi – “Mville Wireless.” Each of our ceremonies are recorded and available to view after Commencement as well.

 


Directions to Campus

We are located close to exits off of 684, 287, and the Merritt/Hutchinson River Parkway

See our FAQ section below for instructions from your area.


Weather

In the middle of May, the weather is usually mild. Depending on the forecast, guests may want to bring water, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, and comfortable shoes. Both ceremonies will be held outside on our Quad lawn, rain or shine. 


Services

  • Complimentary programs will be handed out by volunteers.
  • Beverages will be sold prior to the start of the ceremonies.
  • Flowers are available for purchase on the Quad.
  • Staff volunteers are on site to provide assistance.
  • Restrooms including accessible and gender-neutral spaces are located in Founder’s Hall, the Reid Castle and Brownson Hall.
  • The College Ville’age Store will be open extended hours.

Seating

Seating at the ceremony is first come/first serve general seating. Volunteers will be available to assist individuals in wheelchairs and those with other special needs in order to be able to be seated with family and friends.

  • If you or a family member or friend is hearing impaired and requires an American Sign Language interpreter, please go to the commencement webpage, click “Accessible Information,” and then fill out the form.

Please call the Office of Student Accommodations at 914.323.7127 with any questions.

 

Commencement FAQs 

 

Graduates can now purchase their academic regalia through The Ville'age Store on campus.  Please use their website to order with in-store pick-up. In order to participate in Commencement, you must wear the proper academic regalia. For further details please contact The Ville'age Store by phone (914.323.7217) or by email:  villeagestore@mville.edu

 

The prices are as follows:

Bachelor package (cap, gown, tassel, hood) $86.00

Master package (cap, gown, tassel, hood) $91.00

Doctorate package (tam, gown, tassel, hood) $139.25

All tassels should be red and white for undergraduate students and black for graduate students. The color of the hood corresponds to the degree:
• Bachelor of Arts (BA): narrow white trim
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA): narrow brown trim
• Bachelor of Music (BMus): narrow pink trim
• Bachelor of Science (BS): narrow olive trim
• Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT): wide light blue trim
• Master of Science (MS): wide olive drab trim
• Master of Professional Studies (MPS): wide light blue trim
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA): wide white trim
• Master of Education (MEd): wide light blue trim
• Master of Education (MEd): wide light blue trim
• Doctor of Educational Leadership (EdD): powder blue trim

 

Gold honors cords are also available.  

Each ceremony will be streamed live on the University’s main webpage and social media platforms. The ceremonies will also be available through YouTube for future viewing.

 

The commencement ceremony includes: The academic procession, invocation, the national anthem, greeting from the president, student greetings (UG), presentation of candidates for honorary degrees, honorary degree recipient and keynote speaker, (graduate/doctoral ceremony has the addition of presenting doctoral candidates and hooding), presentation of college honors, presentation of candidates for degrees, conferring of degrees, alma mater, and the recessional. 

All degree requirements must be completed and degrees must be conferred before a diploma can be ordered. Diplomas are available approximately 6 weeks after degrees are conferred. Graduates will be emailed additional information regarding diplomas.

Manhattanville 

2900 Purchase Street
Purchase NY 10577

By Car:

From New York City
Deegan Expressway/New York State Thruway (I-87) north to exit 8. Right to Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287), east to Hutchinson River Parkway. North on Hutchinson River Parkway to exit 16 (in New York, not Connecticut) at Route 120 (Purchase Street). Left on Purchase Street to campus.

From Long Island

Throgs Neck or Whitestone Bridge north to Hutchinson River Parkway north to exit 16 (in New York, not Connecticut) at Route 120 (Purchase Street). Left on Purchase Street to campus.

From Upstate New York and Northern New Jersey
Tappan Zee Bridge East to Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287). East to Hutchinson River Parkway (Exit 9 north). North on Hutchinson River Parkway to exit 16 (in New York, not Connecticut) at Route 120 (Purchase Street). Left on Purchase Street to campus.

From Putnam and Dutchess Counties
South on I-684 to exit 2. Follow Route 120 south (Purchase Street) to campus (about 4 miles).

From Connecticut
Merritt Parkway South to Hutchinson River Parkway south to exit 16 in New York (not in Connecticut). Turn right onto Route 120 (Purchase Street) and follow to campus on left.
- or -
New England Thruway South to Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287) west to Hutchinson River Parkway north (exit 9). Hutchinson River Parkway north to exit 16 at Route 120 (Purchase Street). Left on Purchase Street to campus.

By Public Transportation or Plane:

Train or Bus
Metro North Railroad from NYC Grand Central Terminal. Harlem Division Line to White Plains.
- or -
Anderson Hill Road bus (Bee-Line No. 12) or Taxi to the campus.

By Plane
Manhattanville University also is easily accessible from all New York City area airports: Westchester County Airport, Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark International Airport.


Manhattanville University has obtained special rates at local hotels to help accommodate families who are visiting campus. Please mention Manhattanville University when making reservations for any special deals.

Courtyard Marriott
631 Midland Avenue
Rye, NY 10580
Phone (914)-921-1110

Cambria Suites - White Plains Downtown
250 Main Street
White Plains, NY 10601
Phone (914)-681-0500
www.cambriasuiteswhiteplains.com 

Other Area Hotels:

Doubletree Tarrytown 
455 South Broadway
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Phone (914) 631-5700

HYATT House
101 Corporate Park Drive
White Plains, NY 10604
Phone (914) 251-9700
 Please request Manhattanville University rate

Undergraduate ceremony: You are eligible to participate in the undergraduate ceremony if you earned your bachelor’s degree in August 2023/January 2024, or if you are projected to complete your undergraduate degree requirements in May 2024.

Graduate/Doctoral ceremony: You are eligible to participate in the graduate/doctoral ceremony if you earned your master’s degree, doctoral degree, advanced certificate, or professional diploma in August 2023/January 2024. For masters, doctoral, advanced certificate, and professional diploma students projected to complete program requirements in May 2024, you are also eligible to participate in commencement (note: doctoral students must also successfully defend their dissertations prior to the ceremony to be eligible to participate).

Remember: if you’re completing requirements during the Spring 2024 term, you must apply to graduate on ServiceHub.

Note: students who have applied to graduate in August 2024 are also eligible to participate in the appropriate May 2024 Commencement ceremony while remaining requirements are pending (apart from doctoral students).

Residential graduates should complete the move out process by Sunday, May 12, by 12 noon.  Please contact Residence Life for more details.  

 

 

Commencement Events