University of Florida graduation Countdown

About University of Florida's commencement

UF holds separate college-by-college commencements across early-May weekends each year. Each year the date shifts slightly, so this countdown rolls forward to the next one automatically.

Planning around graduation

Commencement weekends book up fast, hotels, restaurants and flights around Gainesville, Florida fill months ahead. Share this countdown with family so everyone can plan the trip, and bookmark this page for your graduate's big day.

The O'Dome: christened by a buzzer, dubbed by students

The Stephen C. O'Connell Center — named for UF's sixth president — nearly stumbled before it started: cracks found in its precast concrete support beams delayed the $15.6 million project for months. It finally opened with a Gators men's basketball game on December 30, 1980, and students immediately nicknamed it the "O'Dome." A $64.5 million renovation in 2016 modernized the roughly 10,500-seat arena, now formally Exactech Arena, where thousands of new graduates cross the stage every spring.

Guests, livestreams, and getting a good seat

The college recognition ceremonies and the doctoral ceremony at the O'Connell Center are free and unticketed, with no limit on how many guests each graduate can bring — but arrive early, because doors open 90 minutes before each ceremony and seating is first come, first served. Family who can't travel don't have to miss the moment: the doctoral ceremony is livestreamed and many colleges stream theirs too, with links posted on the official commencement site about two weeks before graduation weekend.

Quick facts

• Founded in 1853
• Home of the Florida Gators
• College ceremonies across early May
• Held at the O'Connell Center
• O'Connell Center ceremonies are free and unticketed, with no guest limit
• The roughly 10,500-seat O'Connell Center opened in December 1980