Location & Parking

The commencement ceremony will take place at the Colorado Convention Center (700 14th St., Denver, CO 80202) and will be held in Exhibit Hall D. Graduates will line up before the ceremony in Exhibit Hall C. 

To enter: Use Entrance F off of 14th street on the east side of the Colorado Convention Center building (near the "Big Blue Bear" statue). 

The following items are prohibited:

• Large bags of any kind
• Outside food and/or beverages
• Glass bottles
• Weapons (e.g. toys, guns, knives, chains, studded jewelry) and/or objects that may be considered a weapon
• Drugs and/or alcohol
• Laser pointers and/or noise makers
• Helium balloons, stickers, adhesive backed decals, and/or chewing gum
• Audio/video recording equipment
• Pets of any kind. Qualified service animals are permitted.
• Smoking of any kind (including e-cigarettes)

Please contact the Commencement Office for more information. 

Graduates should arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. at Exhibit Hall C in the Colorado Convention Center, which is located on the 2nd floor on the Speer Blvd. side of the building. We know this is early, but it takes some time to check in more than 1,000 graduates! Come dressed in your regalia. Undergraduates wear tassels on the right side of the cap until instructed during the ceremony to move the tassel to the left side. Master's degree candidates wear hoods. Doctoral candidates drape hoods over their left arms until they are hooded during the ceremony.

A limited number of free parking spaces are available in the Maple and Nutmeg lots on the Auraria Campus (it is approximately an 15-minute walk from these lots to the Colorado Convention Center). Click here to view the Auraria Campus Parking Map.

Rates for parking around the Colorado Convention Center area can be found on the convention center's website. Due to multiple events taking place and an expansion project at the Colorado Convention Center, the parking garage capacity is limited. You can also find alternative parking in the many lots and garages around the Colorado Convention Center and Denver Center for the Performing Arts. We highly encourage allowing plenty of time to find parking and walking to the Colorado Convention Center. 

All students and guests will be required to go through a magnetometer upon entrance in to the ceremony. The following items are prohibited:

• Large bags of any kind
• Outside food and/or beverages
• Glass bottles
• Weapons (e.g. toys, guns, knives, chains, studded jewelry) and/or objects that may be considered a weapon
• Drugs and/or alcohol
• Laser pointers and/or noise makers
• Helium balloons, stickers, adhesive backed decals, and/or chewing gum
• Audio/video recording equipment
• Pets of any kind. Qualified service animals are permitted.
• Smoking of any kind (including e-cigarettes)