College Celebrations

For all College Ceremonies at Leader Bank Pavilion, graduates should arrive 90 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony, and guests should arrive 60 minutes in advance.

Leader Bank Pavillion is NOT on the Northeastern campus and is located in the Seaport (290 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210) leave yourself ample time to navigate Boston’s traffic and public transportation. Traffic can be unpredictable especially at rush hour.

More information about ticket registration will be emailed to students at their Northeastern email address at a later date, closer to the celebration date.

Traditionally, college celebrations were held on campus at the historic Matthews Arena. In 2026, Matthews Arena is undergoing construction with plans to build a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose athletics and recreation complex. Since there is no other facility on campus large enough to hold the large-scale graduation events, Northeastern will be hosting college celebrations at the Leader Bank Pavilion. This is a premier Boston venue about a 25-minute drive from campus, with beautiful views of the harbor, and multiple stores and restaurants to view after the ceremony.

We recommend that students only attend the college celebration of their primary college. All college celebrations will be similar in program and format, and attendance at both is not required. Students with a combined major will be eligible to attend both college celebrations associated with their degree.

No, all diplomas will be mailed directly to students 4-6 weeks after your conferral date.

For more information, see the Registrar Knowledge Base article, Diplomas.

As students are being recognized they will be photographed by a professional photographer from GradImages.  Students will receive an email post-ceremony with photo package options for purchase.

Yes, graduates should wear their regalia to their celebrations. Please note that students also need to keep their regalia if they also plan to attend the University Commencement Ceremony.

More information about ticket registration will be emailed to students at a later date, closer to the celebration date.

Our Bag Check container will be open right outside the main gates for both guests and graduates for $5 per item – guests will pay this fee

Bags exceeding size limits (12” x 12” x 6”) must be checked or returned to your vehicle.

Graduates are strongly encouraged not to bring personal items.

Concession stands will be available with food and beverage options and will remain open until 30 min prior to the end of each celebration.

College celebrations are approximately 2 hours in length. Timing depends on a number of variables such as size of college and number of speakers; some colleges celebrations may reach 3 hours.