Inclement Weather Plans for Commencement

Fall ceremonies

UNC’s graduate commencement ceremony (for those students obtaining their Masters, Specialist or Doctoral degrees) on Friday is held indoors at Butler Hancock Sports Pavilion, at 7:00 p.m. on the UNC campus. There are no additional inclement weather plans for this ceremony.

On Saturday, UNC hosts two ceremonies for undergraduate students and the time of these ceremonies 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. is based on the College that the student is graduating from. There are no additional inclement weather plans for these ceremonies.

Note: All ceremonies will be videotaped and available for purchase. In addition, remote viewing is available through the B2 Network.

Spring ceremonies

In the spring, UNC’s graduate commencement ceremony (for those students obtaining their Masters, Specialist or Doctoral degrees) on Friday is held indoors at Butler Hancock Sports Pavilion, at 7:00 p.m. on the UNC campus. There are no additional inclement weather plans for this ceremony.

On Saturday, UNC hosts one undergraduate ceremony outdoors at Nottingham Field beginning at 10:00 a.m. Northern Colorado’s weather in May can be unpredictable. This includes the possibility of snow, rain or other weather that is uncomfortable, but it is not an attendee safety risk. If weather were to worsen this may result in a delayed or shortened ceremony outdoor ceremony. When weather is questionable we encourage both students and guests to check for an announcement (see below). Please dress and plan accordingly for our outdoor ceremony. Visit our weather forecast page.

Note: All ceremonies will be videotaped and available for purchase. In addition, remote viewing is available through the B2 Network.

Spring undergraduate ceremony - Extreme weather

In the case of extreme weather and when attendee safety is a risk, the outdoor ceremony will be moved indoors to the Butler Hancock Sports Pavilion. This decision will be made by 10:00 a.m. the day before the ceremony and will not be reversed. Seating is available on a first-come basis and no tickets are required. Students will report to the Recreation Center prior to the ceremony for robing, line-up and processional. Ceremony line up will begin 45 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony

Once Butler Hancock reaches seating capacity, overflow seating will be available in the University Center ballrooms and the ceremony will be streamed to the ballrooms from Butler Hancock Sports Pavilion. Shuttle service (roundtrip) will be provided from Butler Hancock Sports Pavilion to the University Center.

Due to the size of our undergraduate classes our inclement weather plan requires that we split the colleges into two ceremonies:

10:00 AM

  • Monfort College of Business
  • College of Natural and Health Sciences
  • College of Performing and Visual Arts

1:00 PM

  • College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
  • College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • University College

Note: All ceremonies will be videotaped and available for purchase. In addition, remote viewing is available through the B2 Network.

What weather elements UNC considers to be Extreme

The University of Northern Colorado’s spring extreme weather decisions are influenced by attendee safety and the following factors:

  • Wind speeds greater than 30 mph
  • Lightning
  • Heavy or driving rain
  • Snow greater than 3 inches
  • Tornado

How we announce the Extreme weather plan

If extreme weather is expected, an announcement will be made by 10:00 a.m. on Friday, the week of Commencement. If the decision is made to move the ceremony indoors, this decision will stand even if the weather clears by commencement morning.

This decision will be posted via the following methods:

  • Weather Forecast
  • Webcast
  • Future Commencement Dates