Central Michigan graduates on SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2026 at McGuirk Arena, in three ceremonies: 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for undergraduates (by college) and 4:00 p.m. for graduate students. Spring 2027 is a Friday-Saturday pair, 7-8 May, with no times published yet. CMU publishes unusually far ahead: 17-18 December 2027 and 5-6 May 2028 are already listed. A Saturday morning ceremony in a fourteen-hotel town is the case for booking Friday night; the 4:00 p.m. graduate ceremony is the one where Saturday night is the question.
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One Saturday, three ceremonies
Central Michigan is unusually good at the long view, and it has now filled in the short one.
The dates are published years out:
| Round | Dates |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Saturday 19 December 2026 |
| Spring 2027 | Friday 7 to Saturday 8 May 2027 |
| Fall 2027 | Friday 17 to Saturday 18 December 2027 |
| Spring 2028 | Friday 5 to Saturday 6 May 2028 |
Every round at McGuirk Arena. December 2026 is the exception to the Friday-Saturday pattern: CMU’s Future Commencement Dates page now lists only the Saturday.
The December schedule is out. CMU’s Commencement page lists three ceremonies on Saturday 19 December:
| Time | Who |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. | College of Business Administration; Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions; College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (undergraduate) |
| 12:30 p.m. | College of the Arts and Media; College of Education and Human Services; College of Science and Engineering (undergraduate) |
| 4:00 p.m. | Graduate ceremony |
Not published yet: Spring 2027 times and the college split across 7 and 8 May.
What the schedule does to your booking
The December question used to be “which day”. It is now “which session”.
If your graduate walks at 9:00 a.m., a family driving in from out of town is deciding about Friday night, because the morning leaves no slack. That is our reading of the schedule, not something CMU says, and it holds in a town with fourteen bookable properties and nearest alternatives thirty and forty-five minutes away that are no bigger.
If your graduate is in the 4:00 p.m. graduate ceremony, the pressure moves to Saturday night, because the ceremony and the reception afterwards run into the evening.
Twice a year, on a ladder with no depth
Worth carrying across from the lodging side, because it affects how early “early” needs to be.
Central Michigan graduates in December and May, so Mount Pleasant’s market is compressed twice annually rather than once. And that market is unusually flat: Mount Pleasant 14, Saginaw 16, Midland 12, with Alma and Clare holding three each.
There is no deep city on this ladder. Driving forty-five minutes to Saginaw gains you two properties over staying put. The where to stay page sets that out in full, and the conclusion is the same on both pages: book early, because there is no retreat.
Absent rather than estimated
Not published at the time of writing: the Spring 2027 ceremony times and college split, doors times, parking and accessibility provision for either round, and livestream details. We did not summarise CMU’s guest-ticket page.
McGuirk Arena is named because CMU names it for the December ceremonies, not because it has been carried forward from a previous round.
Nothing here has been advanced from a past ceremony to make the page look more complete than the university’s own is.
Live availability near campus
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Frequently asked questions
When exactly does CMU graduate?
Saturday 19 December 2026, and Friday 7 and Saturday 8 May 2027. CMU's Future Commencement Dates page lists only the Saturday for December, and its Commencement page shows the schedule for that one day. (When we first read the page in August it listed Friday 18 and Saturday 19 December; the Friday is no longer there.) CMU graduates twice a year, in December and May.
How far ahead does CMU publish?
Further than most universities on this site. Alongside the two rounds above, its page lists Friday 17 to Saturday 18 December 2027 and Friday 5 to Saturday 6 May 2028. If your student is a sophomore you can already book against a committed date.
What time is the ceremony?
Three ceremonies on Saturday 19 December 2026: 9:00 a.m. for the College of Business Administration, the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (undergraduate); 12:30 p.m. for the College of the Arts and Media, the College of Education and Human Services and the College of Science and Engineering (undergraduate); and 4:00 p.m. for the graduate ceremony. Spring 2027 times are not published yet.
Which session is my graduate in?
The one for their college, as listed above. All three are on the same Saturday, so the question is no longer which day but which session. A 9:00 a.m. start is the one that most often turns a drive-in morning into a Friday-night booking.
Where is it held?
McGuirk Arena, John G. Kulhavi Events Center, 360 East Broomfield Road, Mount Pleasant. CMU names it on its Commencement page for the December ceremonies.
Do guests need tickets?
CMU's commencement section has a Commencement Tickets page. This page has not summarised it, and will not guess a policy from what comparable universities do. If your party is large, read it before you invite everyone.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- Central Michigan University, Commencement ("Saturday, December 19, 2026"; 9:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m.; McGuirk Arena, 360 East Broomfield Road)
- Central Michigan University, Future Commencement Dates ("Saturday, December 19, 2026"; "Friday, May 7 - Saturday, May 8, 2027"; "Friday, December 17 - Saturday, December 18, 2027"; "Friday, May 5 - Saturday, May 6, 2028")
This page is verified in two stages. Every fact is checked against the primary sources listed above, then the page is reviewed and signed off by our editor, A. Hassan. Corrections and enquiries: hello@graduationstay.com