As the trees begin to blossom, and a new university administration finds its footing, graduating seniors at Eastern Michigan University may have change on their minds. With the May 2, 2026, commencement on the horizon, however, some students have expressed confusion and frustration over ticket logistics. Here's what students need to know about requesting additional ceremony tickets.
In past years, each graduate was typically given six guest tickets for friends and family to attend the ceremony. This year, EMU President Brendan Kelly has taken a different approach.
"Graduates, we are thrilled to celebrate you and with all of your loved ones that will be there to support you," Kelly said in a video posted to EMU's YouTube channel April 1. "Your achievement is an important one. Therefore, we are going to make certain to provide each of you with the number of tickets that you need to ensure that your entire fan club can be there."
Twelve days later, seniors received an email stating that they would be able to claim up to four guest tickets, with an additional bullet point three lines down stating, "If you need additional tickets, please contact or visit the ticket office for assistance."
A portion of the email sent from the Eastern Michigan University Ticket Office to graduating seniors on April 13, 2025 with the subject line "2026 AM Spring Commencement Ticket Information."
Chloe Grodi, a student employee who works at the EMU Ticket Office, confirmed to The Echo April 15 that graduates can call to request more than the initial four that can be claimed online starting April 20. Grodi explained that while there isn't necessarily a limit for additional tickets, there would likely need to be approval from a supervisor for larger requests. Grodi gave 20 as an example of such a number.
After the March 13 email was sent to graduates, multiple students interpreted it to mean that they would be unconditionally limited to four tickets. On the EMU EagleApp, posts from students offering to pay for extra tickets continued, despite multiple attempts by employees of the Holman Success Center to bring clarity to the issue.
"You have the option to get more than four graduation tickets," said Holman Success Coach Grant Saba in a post April 13. "The reason you only get four at default is so unneeded tickets don't go to waste."
On April 15, Grodi's roommate and fellow 2026 graduate Isabella Moses told The Echo that the logistics of graduation have been easy for her so far.
"It's all pretty straightforward," she said. "We get emails about what forms we need to do the second you have enough credits to graduate."
Grodi, a double-major in psychology and health administration, said that she did not personally expect to need more than four tickets based on her plans for graduation day.
When asked about her thoughts on graduation and EMU in general, Moses said, "I do know it's in the process of changing with the new president; I'm actually really excited to see what happens. Obviously, since it's the first year it's implemented, there will probably be a couple kinks, but I'm really excited to see what they do with the program and how EMU gets to improve after I leave."
Two commencement ceremonies will take place May 2, one at 9:30 a.m. for graduates of the College of Business, GameAbove College of Engineering and College of Health and Human Services, and one at 1:30 p.m. for graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education and the Individualized Studies Program. Commencement is held at the George Gervin GameAbove Center at 799 N. Hewitt Road, Ypsilanti, with a livestream of the ceremony on the EMU website and YouTube channel.
