Preparing for The Citadel Class of 2023 commencement ceremonies

On May 6, more than 1,000 cadets and students from the Class of 2023 will graduate from The Citadel.

Approximately 600 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets will receive their diplomas during a 9 a.m. ceremony. At 3:30 p.m., The Citadel will also celebrate the commencement of about 450 undergraduate and graduate students. Both ceremonies will be held in McAlister Field House.

South Carolina native, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham is the speaker for the morning ceremony. Member of The Citadel Board of Visitors and Citadel Graduate College alumna, Allison Dean Love is the afternoon ceremony speaker. Click here to learn more about each of these speakers.

Tickets, parking, security and overflow viewing on campus

For the security of all in attendance, only clear bags will be allowed inside the auditorium. Metal detection and scanning devices will be in place at the entrances.

Additionally, no boxes, alcohol, weapons, firecrackers, noise makers, camera bags, video cameras, umbrellas, backpacks, large handbags, coolers, thermoses or similar items will be allowed in the field house. Food is prohibited. Please see the Campus Event Security Screening Policy for more information.

Parking will be extremely limited on campus Saturday. To reduce traffic for both ceremonies, please be prepared to arrive early and park near Johnson Hagood Stadium, as campus lots will fill quickly. Accessible parking areas are behind Jenkins and LeTellier Halls, or in any other marked spot. An extensive golf cart shuttle service, with pickup and drop off points marked on the map below, will move visitors closer to McAlister Field House. All parking on campus is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The doors to McAlister Field House will open for guests at 7:30 a.m. for the morning ceremony and at 2:30 for the afternoon ceremony.

Graduates participating in the morning commencement ceremony can request up to six tickets through “Marching Order”; graduates will provide the tickets to their guests. Tickets are not required for the afternoon ceremony.

For family members and friends who do not have a ticket to attend the morning ceremony inside McAlister Field House, The Citadel will be broadcasting a live stream of the entire commencement event in Grimsley Auditorium, which can be located on the college’s virtual map, at position number 15. Tickets are not required to watch the ceremony in the Grimsley Hall locations, which are located on the first floor. Please note that space availability is limited.

Professional photographers who are not contracted by the college are not permitted to work inside McAlister Field House. Graduation photos will be made available to graduates later in May through GradImages. News media outlets must have an escort from the Office of Communications and Marketing.

All other, on-campus SCCC commencement events and instructions can be found here. Find more about CGC events here.

How to watch commencement and the joint military commissioning ceremony remotely

Those who cannot attend the commencement ceremonies in person can view them remotely via livestreams hosted by the college. Both ceremonies will be available live on YouTube as well as via Facebook.

The commencement ceremonies follow three days of related activities that include a joint military commissioning ceremony, which will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 5, in McAlister Field House and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.

Watch the South Carolina Corps of Cadets Commencement ceremony live