All seniors and degree recipients invited to 2021 Commencement Exercises

All 2021 graduating seniors and masters and Ph.D. recipients will be allowed to attend this year’s Commencement ceremony in person, according to an April 9 update to Princeton’s Commencement website.

Each student will be permitted a maximum of two guests.

“Guests will be required to wear face coverings while on campus and in Princeton Stadium, and to practice social distancing,” the website states. “Pairs of guests must maintain appropriate physical distance from other attendees.”

Guests will be required to comply with New Jersey state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel guidelines while traveling to and from campus. They will not, however, be required to provide proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results.

In the original Feb. 25 announcement, only undergraduate seniors living on-campus or locally who are taking part in the University’s asymptomatic testing protocol were guaranteed an invitation to Commencement. The University “hoped” to invite remote learners to campus, but had not yet made a decision.

Now, undergraduate seniors and advanced degree recipients who are currently studying remotely will be invited back. Those not currently enrolled in the asymptomatic testing protocol will be required to meet certain travel and testing guidelines, which are yet to be released.

Additionally, in line with the previous announcement, all undergraduate seniors living on campus or in the Mercer County/Plainsboro area who are participating in the University testing protocol will be permitted to attend — except those who have had their housing or campus access revoked due to Social Contract violations.

The ceremony will be live-streamed for degree recipients and guests unable to attend the in-person ceremony, as well as for faculty and staff not directly involved in the event.

“The University will continue to monitor the public health situation and state guidelines in the weeks ahead — while we hope this will not be the case, should circumstances change significantly, we may need to revise the plans for the ceremony,” according to the Commencement website.

Commencement 2021 will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 16, with an outdoor ceremony at Princeton Stadium. All other events, including Baccalaureate, Class Day, and the Graduate Hooding ceremony, will be held virtually.

This story is breaking and will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.