The Westin-Waltham Boston 
70 3RD Ave 
Waltham, MA 02451 

Rooms are $309 per night and can be reserved here or by visiting the website or calling 781-290-5600. Please note that rooms are first-come, first-served, and the deadline to reserve a room is Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

Hilton Garden Inn
450 Totten Pond Road
Waltham, MA 02451
t: 781-890-0100  
Click here for 20% discount

Graduates must petition to graduate with the Registrar’s Office. For questions, contact the Registrar at registrar@bentley.edu.  

On campus regalia pick up is on Thursday, May 9 and Friday, May 10 from 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Back Bay Rooms of the Student Center. Please bring a student ID and if you are picking up on behalf of someone, please have something in writing. 

If you missed the regalia ordering deadline, there is a limited supply available that you are able to purchase on site during the regalia pick up days or on Commencement day. 

If you ordered and selected ship-to-home, you will receive an email when it is in progress with tracking information. 

If you have any additional questions about regalia, please contact them at customercare@oakhalli.com or 800-223-0429.

Graduates may decorate their caps as they wish. They may also wear stoles or cords to accompany their robes. Those are all organized and ordered through the various groups on campus who decided to wear them.

Yes, the Registrar will be handing out honor cords to students as they check in on Commencement day. Honors cords will be given to students that graduated in summer 2023, fall 2023 and May 2024, but not participants. 

If you have earned or will earn both an undergraduate and graduate degree this academic year (i.e. Advanced Standing programs), you are encouraged to order a master’s gown as it is the highest degree earned. 

International stoles are coordinated through Center for International Students and Scholars. Stoles are $51 and orders must be placed through this website by Friday, April 12. If you have any questions, please email GA_CISS@Bentley.edu.

An invitation letter which the graduate can write on behalf of their family, can be found on the Center for International Students and Scholars website . For additional questions, contact GA_CISS@bentley.edu.

If you need a status letter which includes your dates of attendance and expected graduation date, please complete this form, and email it to the Registrar's Office at registrar@bentley.edu. 

Bentley University is committed to providing an accessible, equitable and inclusive learning environment. If you require special accommodations, please complete this form by Wednesday, May 1.  

Yes, please view our Undergraduate Commencement Guide and/or Graduate and PhD Commencement Guide that explains what to bring, graduate expectations, stage-crossing instructions, and more. 

Yes, please view our ceremony map and use it as a reference.

If you are participating in the Graduate and PhD Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 17, please report to the Football Field by 2:45 p.m. If you are participating in the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18, please report to the Arena by 8:00 a.m.

If you are attending the Graduate and PhD Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 17, guests may enter the Arena as early as 3:00 p.m. If you are attending the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18, guests may enter the Football Field as early as 8:00 a.m.

Graduates may bring as many guests as they wish and there are no tickets required. Please note that seating is first-come, first-served. 

The ceremonies will be both livestreamed and recorded. The livestream will be accessible on our Commencement webpage and recordings will be available on our Bentley University YouTube Channel a few days after the ceremonies. The ceremonies will also be livestreamed on campus. 

The university will have a professional photographer at the ceremonies and those pictures will be available through Grad Images after the Commencement Ceremony. Photos will be available on the Grad Images website within a 5 to 7 days after the ceremony, but should there be any questions, please contact GradImages at 800-261-2576 or ecc.giservice@gradimages.net. Graduates and guests may not bring their own professional photographers. 

Guests of graduates should park on main campus. General parking is not available on lower campus by the ceremony site. All parking lots on main campus will be open. Shuttles will be available from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17 and from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. 

There will be options for grab-and-go food and drink items for purchase for both ceremonies. 

Backpacks, large bags, large signs/flags, balloons and umbrellas are not permitted. Guests may bring small bags, but they will be checked upon arrival. In case of rain, ponchos will be available the day of the ceremony. If you notice something suspicious, please contact University Police immediately at 781-891-3131. 

As a reminder, Commencement is a ceremony that recognizes and celebrates graduates’ many years of hard work and sacrifice. For many, it is the culmination of their academic journey to this point in their lives. Out of respect for graduates and their families, many of whom travel long distances to attend, anyone who disrupts commencement will be removed so the ceremony can continue honoring the graduates.

The Undergraduate Ceremony is outdoors, rain or shine, without a tent. In case of severe weather, it shifts to the Arena, with each graduate receiving two guest tickets. Livestream options at various campus locations are available. The university decides within 48 hours, communicating the activation of the severe weather plan if necessary.

The Graduate and PhD ceremony will be held indoors in the Arena. 

The Graduate and PhD Commencement speaker is Karan Dyson, Vice President, Global Process and Engineering from Procter & Gamble, and the Undergraduate Commencement speaker is Joe Preston, President and CEO of New Balance. Learn more about the speakers here.

Yes, a light reception for graduates and their guests will follow each ceremony. 

Diplomas will be mailed to graduates following the ceremony. Please note it may take approximately seven weeks to receive your diploma depending on your location. For additional questions, contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@bentley.edu.  

If you are interested in purchasing class rings, there are offerings on both the Balfour website and the Herff Jones website.

If you are interested in purchasing personalized announcements, you may find it on the Balfour website. General announcements will be available for purchase in the Bentley bookstore around mid-April.

If you are interested in purchasing a recognition chair or diploma frame, you may do so through the Bentley bookstore.

Your response to the Pulsifer Career Development Center survey is critical to strengthening the value of your Bentley degree in the marketplace.

• Undergraduates: If you complete this survey by Friday, May 10, you will be entered in a raffle to win a diploma frame. 
• Graduates: A survey link has been or will be emailed to you with the subject line Bentley Career Plans Survey: Post Graduate. If you complete the survey from the link in that email by Friday, May 31, you will be entered in a raffle to win a diploma frame.

Leave a legacy at Bentley by contributing to the Senior Class Gift! A minimum donation of $5 will not only help enhance the Bentley community but also ensure that future generations of students benefit from the senior class’s collective generosity. Plus, as a token of appreciation, senior class donors will receive a gold donor cord to wear proudly during graduation—a symbol of your commitment to making a lasting impact. You can use this giving link to make a gift online via credit card or to connect to your Venmo! You can email Ashlee Lindsey with any questions.

If you have a question about yearbooks, please contact yearbook@bentley.edu.  

If students have questions about the Bahamas trip, please contact GA_Bahamas@bentley.edu.