Ceremony Information

Winter 2025 Commencement

December 5, 2025 | Albany, NY

Empire State University will host two winter commencement ceremonies on Friday, December 5, 2025, at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Beginning in September and October, commencement-eligible students will receive an invitation via their student email to register for the ceremony of their choice.

Additional Communications

Information about registering to attend a ceremony and regalia will be sent via email to commencement-eligible students. If you have any questions, please email commencement@sunyempire.edu for assistance.

Streaming and Captioning

All ceremonies will be available to view via livestream at SUNY Empire Live. The livestream feed will begin approximately five minutes prior to the start of the ceremony and will end when the ceremony has concluded.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captions can be accessed during all ceremonies on your mobile device. For best results when viewing CART captions, switch the view of your device to landscape mode and select "Hide Chat" and "Hide Header."

A video recording of the ceremony will be posted to the Commencement Photography and Videos webpage in the weeks following the ceremony.

Follow Us on Social

Share your commencement celebration photos and quotes with @SUNYEmpire on social media! Post a selfie, photo of a grad you are proud of, or any other celebratory photo and be sure to tag @SUNYEmpire.

Notice of Photographic & Media Recording

When you attend an Empire State University commencement ceremony, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such photography, audio, and video recording and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for Empire State University’s promotional and marketing purposes now and in the future.