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169th Commencement | May 18, 2025

Phase I Ceremony

(Sunday, May 18, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.)

All Tufts schools participate in the All-University Commencement ceremony (Phase I). It includes the Academic Procession, the awarding of honorary degrees, the All-University Commencement address, recognition of faculty emeriti, presentation of degree candidates by school and the granting of degrees by the Tufts University Board of Trustees. Phase I takes place on The Green, between Ballou Hall and Bendetson Hall. (Maps and Parking)

All attendees will have to present a ticket or an access pass to attend Commencement events. More details will be posted soon.

Phase II Ceremony

Phase II of Commencement at Tufts consists of individual degree ceremonies and luncheons. Immediately following the Phase I All-University Commencement (Sunday, May 18), individual department and school ceremonies will take place. It is at these ceremonies that graduates’ names are announced and students are individually recognized. Phase II ceremonies for departments of the School of Arts and Sciences and for the undergraduates in the School of Engineering are held in three waves: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.  Please note that the ceremony for Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine will take place in Grafton at 3:00 p.m.  (Maps and Parking)

Phase II ceremonies follow the All-University Phase I ceremony. Please see the appropriate school commencement site below.

2025 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients

Photo by Marlayna Demond of UMBC

 

Freeman A. Hrabowski III, mathematician, education leader, and president emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2025.  Hrabowski’s research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. In 1988 Hrabowski co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, a national model, open to high-achieving students committed to pursuing graduate and professional degrees and research careers in STEM.  In 2012, President Barack Obama named him chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

 

In addition to Hrabowski, six other distinguished men and women will receive honorary degrees: Steven Boxer, chemist and educator; Ursula Burns, former CEO of Xerox and STEM advocacy leader; Peter Dolan, business leader, philanthropist, and Tufts Board of Trustees chairman emeritus; James O'Connell, president and founding physician of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program; and Nancy Schön, award-winning artist and activist.

Read more about our 2025 honorary degree recipients in TuftsNow.