Yale’s 324th Commencement events to be held May 18 and 19

Yale’s 324th Commencement events to be held May 18 and 19

New Haven, Conn. — Yale’s 324th Commencement will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 19. The Right Honorable Dame Jacinda Ardern — who served as New Zealand’s 40th prime minister from 2017 to 2023 — will deliver the 2025 Class Day address on Sunday, May 18. 

The 2025 Joint ROTC Commissioning ceremony honoring the graduates of Air Force and Naval ROTC will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 19 in Battell Chapel, 400 College St.

RSVP: All members of the media must register for Class Day and Commencement credentials. Media credentials will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of the media will be notified via email from opac.media@yale.edu by Tuesday, May 13 if granted a media pass. 

Only those with credentials issued by Yale’s Office of Public Affairs & Communications will be allowed access to Old Campus to cover these ceremonies. All members of the media must display Yale press credentials when covering Class Day or Commencement and must cover the ceremonies from the news media platform. Media are not allowed in front of or on the stage on Old Campus. OPAC staff will be available to escort members of the media during the events. 

Due to expected high demand and limited space, we ask that media outlets only send one reporter or one photographer to the inauguration ceremony. Due to space constraints, news crew video cameras are not permitted inside Old Campus or on the media platform. A live feed will be made available. A BNC video feed from Yale’s dedicated camera in front of the stage will provide a head-on camera angle. 

Schedule of events:

Yale College Baccalaureate

Sunday, May 18, 10 a.m., Old Campus

The Baccalaureate service for Yale College seniors and their families will take place on Sunday, May 18. This one-hour ceremony will feature an address by President Maurie McInnis and remarks by Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis.

Class Day

Sunday, May 18, 2 p.m., Old Campus

Media Entrance: High Street gate, closest to Elm Street between Chapel and Elm streets.

Class Day events, highlighted by Ardern’s talk, will also include Yale traditions such as the planting of the Class Ivy, a recitation of the Ivy Ode, the awarding of student academic prizes, and the singing of Yale’s alma mater, “Bright College Years,” while waving a white handkerchief.

Commencement

Monday, May 19, 10:30 a.m., Old Campus

Media Entrance: High Street gate, closest to Elm Street between Chapel and Elm streets.

Joint ROTC Commissioning ceremony

Monday, May 19, 4:30 p.m., Battell Chapel, 400 College St. 

Watch the Class Day events and Commencement live on Yale’s YouTube channel. Visit the Yale Commencement page for a full schedule and more information.

BIOGRAPHY OF JACINDA ARDERN

Jacinda Arden served as prime minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023, during which time she was widely praised for her inclusive and empathetic approach to leadership and for successfully guiding her nation through unprecedented global and domestic challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ardern championed women’s empowerment and led the country in navigating significant challenges, including a live-streamed domestic terror attack targeting New Zealand’s Muslim community, a volcanic eruption, and a global pandemic. With a people-first approach grounded in kindness, she helped New Zealand achieve one of the lowest losses of life during the pandemic among developed nations; led an administration in which New Zealand reached a historic 50% representation of women in Parliament and on government-appointed boards; and secured historic international trade agreements. Ardern is also the second woman in history to have given birth while leading a country.

Today, Ardern is an active advocate for climate action, serving on the board of The Earthshot Prize and as a distinguished fellow at Conservation International, helping provide solutions to climate change and environmental challenges. She currently serves as the Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow, Hauser Leader at the Center for Public Leadership, and senior fellow of the Women and Public Policy Program, all at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is an active patron of the Christchurch Call to Eliminate Violent Extremism Online, which she created in 2019. In 2024 she founded the Field Fellowship for Empathetic Leadership.