Southeastern holds commencement in the University Center at 800 West University Avenue in Hammond, a city of about 20,000 at the I-12 and I-55 crossroads, an hour from both New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The university names no hotels; Hammond's are a Courtyard, a Hampton Inn and a Holiday Inn on the south side, about three miles and six to seven minutes from the University Center, none with a confirmed room count. The December round is firm: Saturday 12 December 2026, on the commencement page. The spring round is one row on the registrar's calendar, Saturday 15 May 2027, and that calendar states "This calendar is subject to change." So: book December now, and book spring only on a rate you can cancel without charge. Covington and Mandeville on the north shore are 34 to 42 minutes; Baton Rouge, which hosts LSU's commencement the same week in May, is 57.
Get the alert when Southeastern Louisiana University’s booking window opens
We email you once, when rooms near campus start selling out (often 6–12 months ahead). No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Three hotels on the south side, none named by the university
Southeastern’s commencement page and its FAQ do not name a hotel. Hammond’s chain hotels sit on the south side of the city near the I-12 interchange, about three miles from the University Center at 800 West University Avenue.
Courtyard by Marriott Hammond, 1605 South Magnolia Street. About three miles and six minutes. No room count confirmed in an English-language directory, so none stated.
Hampton Inn Hammond, 401 Westin Oaks Drive. About three and a half miles and seven minutes. No count stated.
Holiday Inn Hammond, 1819 SW Railroad Avenue. About three miles and six minutes. No count stated. It has no map pin; its coordinate returned 404 on the map provider’s endpoint, and the pin is omitted rather than moved.
None of the three publishes a commencement-specific minimum stay or cancellation rule. No matched-window availability series has been run for Hammond, so this page publishes no count of what remains, and the size of Southeastern’s graduating class was not verified in the research.
December is firm; spring is a calendar row
Saturday 12 December 2026, University Center, per the commencement page, in two sittings: 10 a.m. for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences and Golden Grads; 3 p.m. for the College of Business, the College of Nursing and the College of Science and Technology. Each lasts about an hour. Book the Friday night now for the morning sitting; a 3 p.m. family could drive in from Covington.
Saturday 15 May 2027 appears once, as “Commencement | May 15” on the registrar’s academic calendar, and that calendar says of itself: “This calendar is subject to change.” The commencement office had not published the spring round at this check. The date is probably right. It is not confirmed, and this site’s rule for that situation is simple: book spring on a cancellable rate only. Free-cancellation rates at the three hotels above cost nothing extra to hold and nothing to release.
The north shore, then the two cities
Covington, 34 minutes east on I-12, the St. Tammany Parish seat. Mandeville, 42 minutes, on the lake near the Causeway. Both have lodging and both are closer than either big city.
Baton Rouge, 57 minutes west, has the deepest inventory in the ring. LSU’s commencement is the same week in May; if Southeastern’s spring date holds, Baton Rouge’s hotels will be answering two universities’ families. Slidell, 59 minutes east, is the I-10/I-12 market with New Orleans beyond it.
Drive times are off-peak road routes computed on 14 September 2026, not measured journeys.
Bag check at the door
The commencement page states that all attendees enter the University Center through bag check. Ticket rules for December were not stated on the main page at this check; the ceremony weekend logistics page tracks them and the assembly times.
Not claimed here
No availability count and no graduate count, because neither was measured or verified. No room counts, because none was confirmed. No claim that 15 May 2027 is confirmed; it is a calendar row with a disclaimer attached, and this page says so.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtyard by Marriott Hammondsourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Hampton Inn Hammondsourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Holiday Inn Hammondsource | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- Courtyard by Marriott Hammond: 1605 S Magnolia St, about three miles and six minutes south of the University Center. A room count was not confirmed in an English-language directory, so none is stated. No commencement-specific minimum stay, prepayment or cancellation policy was found, and none is claimed.
- Hampton Inn Hammond: 401 Westin Oaks Dr, about three and a half miles and seven minutes from the University Center. Room count not confirmed; none stated. No commencement-specific policy was found.
- Holiday Inn Hammond: 1819 SW Railroad Ave, about three miles and six minutes south. Room count not confirmed; none stated. No commencement-specific policy was found. No map anchor: its coordinate returned 404 on Stay22's embed endpoint; the pin is omitted rather than moved.
Opens live availability around campus via our partner Stay22. Several of the properties above take graduation bookings only by phone, mail-in form, or lottery, so treat this as a price check against the rules in the table, not a replacement for them. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The ring
| Town | Drive time | Typical availability | Rate vs. epicenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covington, LACheck rooms in Covington, LA → | 34 min | Not measured for this cluster. The St. Tammany Parish seat with a lodging and commercial base. | Not measured. |
| Mandeville, LACheck rooms in Mandeville, LA → | 42 min | Not measured for this cluster. A north-shore lodging centre near the Causeway. | Not measured. |
| Baton Rouge, LACheck rooms in Baton Rouge, LA → | 57 min | Not measured for this cluster. The state capital, with deep hotel inventory. | Not measured. Full range. |
| Slidell, LACheck rooms in Slidell, LA → | 59 min | Not measured for this cluster. An I-10/I-12 regional hotel market. | Not measured. |
Drive times are off-peak road routes to the University Center computed with OSRM on 2026-09-14, not measured journeys. No matched-window availability series has been run for any town in this ring.
“Check rooms” are partner links (Stay22), and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Live availability near campus
Map and booking links are provided by our partner Stay22. We may earn a commission on bookings made through this map at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotel is closest to the University Center?
The Courtyard by Marriott at 1605 South Magnolia Street and the Holiday Inn at 1819 SW Railroad Avenue are both about three miles and six minutes south; the Hampton Inn at 401 Westin Oaks Drive is seven minutes. None publishes a room count in an English-language directory, so none is stated.
Will Hammond sell out?
No matched-window availability series has been run for Hammond, so this page publishes no count. A city of 20,000 with three named chain hotels and no lodging list from the university is the structure; the graduate count was not verified. Book the December Friday now.
Should we book spring now?
Only on a cancellable rate. The 15 May 2027 date comes from the registrar's calendar, which says "This calendar is subject to change", and the commencement office has not yet published the spring round. A free-cancellation booking costs nothing if the date holds and nothing if it moves.
Where is the overflow?
Covington, 34 minutes east on I-12, and Mandeville at 42, the north shore's lodging base. Baton Rouge at 57 minutes has the most rooms and hosts LSU's commencement in the same May week; Slidell at 59 is the I-10/I-12 market with New Orleans beyond it.
Does Southeastern publish a hotel list?
No. Neither the commencement page nor its FAQ names a hotel. The three above are Hammond's chain properties by address.
Do we need tickets?
Not stated for December 2026 at this check. The commencement page states that all attendees enter the University Center through bag check. Ticket rules appear on the commencement pages nearer the round.
What about December?
Saturday 12 December 2026 in the University Center, stated in full on Southeastern's commencement page: 10 a.m. for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Health and Human Sciences and Golden Grads; 3 p.m. for Business, Nursing, and Science and Technology. Each about an hour. The Friday night for the morning sitting; the 3 p.m. sitting can be driven to from the north shore.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- Southeastern Louisiana University, Commencement ("Saturday, December 12, 2026"; 10 AM and 3 PM sittings by college; "University Center 800 West University Avenue"; bag check for all attendees)
- Southeastern Registrar, academic calendar ("Commencement | May 15" for Spring 2027; "This calendar is subject to change.")
- Southeastern Louisiana University, Commencement FAQ (no hotel list)
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