Family, Friends and Guests

Doors will open at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., and seating is first-come, first served. Entry lines can be especially long at the Colorado Convention Center, so it is recommended that all guests come early. Plan for a minimum of 30 minutes to enter, navigate to the correct Hall, go through security and find seating.

If you need a wheelchair, please bring your own. The Colorado Convention Center does not provide wheelchairs for guests.

More information for reserved accessible and wheelchair access seating will be available here soon.

On Commencement Day, if you need assistance, please ask a volunteer wearing a red t-shirt or sweatshirt for help.

Family, friends and guests are not required to register in advance, and you are not required to have tickets. However, if you need accessible seating (for a wheelchair, for example) you must register in advance through your graduating student. There is no limit on the number of guests each graduate can bring.

The ceremony will be livestreamed to the Commencement homepage for guests who are unable to attend in person.

For the safety of all guests, attendees and their belongings are subject to inspection before entering the venue. Please have bags open and ready for inspection upon arrival.

Guests who appear intoxicated may be denied entry. Colorado Convention Center management reserves the right to make final decisions regarding prohibited items.

The following items are not permitted inside the venue:

• Outside food or beverages
• Glass bottles
• Weapons or objects that may be considered weapons, including: toy weapons, guns, knives, chains and studded jewelry
• Drugs or alcohol
• Laser pointers or noise makers
• Helium balloons
• Stickers or adhesive-backed decals
• Chewing gum
• Audio or video recording equipment
• Pets of any kind
• Qualified service animals are permitted
• Smoking of any kind, including e-cigarettes

To help maintain a safe and comfortable environment, the Colorado Convention Center has procedures in place for guests who need prescription medications during the event.

Bring only the amount of medication needed for the duration of the ceremony.
Prescription medication must be in the original prescription container with the patient’s name and dosage clearly listed.

Venue medical staff may verify that the medication matches the label and the guest’s identification. Guests carrying more medication than necessary may be asked to return excess medication to their vehicle.

To ensure the safety and smooth flow of the Commencement ceremonies, guests will not be permitted on or near the Commencement stage.

Our official ceremony photography vendor, The Grad Team, will capture photos throughout the event. Within approximately two weeks after the ceremony, each graduate will receive an email containing a personalized link to view their photos and purchase copies if desired. Photo purchases are completely optional.

The Tivoli Station Bookstore will be on-site at the Colorado Convention Center on Commencement-day and will be selling commemorative MSU Denver merchandise.

Printed English programs will be available to order here when they become available. Additionally, digital versions of the English and Spanish programs will be linked here at that time.