Commencement Parking

Carolina Livery operates shuttles from designated public parking areas to Kenan Stadium Gate 6.

• Manning Lot
• Bowles Lot
• Cardinal Deck

Campus shuttles operate continuously from 5 p.m. until approximately 45 minutes after the end of the Kenan Stadium ceremony (approximately 9:30 p.m.). They provide return service to Manning Lot, Bowles Lot and Cardinal Deck for 45 minutes following the ceremony.

Public parking for students and graduation ceremony attendees is available in all lots designated as public parking located throughout campus. Shuttles are not provided from these locations. Weekday permits are not valid for campus lots for Commencement. Public parking lots include:

• Ehringhaus Lot
• Craige Deck
• Park Place
• Forest Theatre
• Graham Circle
• Nash Lot
• Jackson Deck
• Dogwood Deck

For information on the wheelchair seating option, which has an accompanying parking permit, please refer to the commencement website and contact Commencement Accessibility Services (access@unc.edu) with any additional questions related to seating.

For ADA shuttle service on Saturday Night, please see campus shuttle services for:

• Friday Center Park and Ride
• Bowles Lot
• Manning Lot
• Cardinal Deck

Taxi service, including Uber and Lyft, are not recommended for patrons with accessibility needs due to public safety and other operational concerns.

Taxi services (including Uber and Lyft):

• Must use designated drop and pick-up location along South Columbia bus lane between Manning Drive and South Road.
• In the interest of public safety and other operational concerns, other areas of campus have restricted traffic and road access, and taxi services are not allowed.

Directions to Kenan Stadium from drop-off location: Use the bridge (seven minute walk) on level four of the Bell Tower Deck to access elevators to ground level.

Certain parking areas on campus are not available for public parking and are reserved to accommodate disability parking requests and facilitate access to small department ceremonies. The following areas are permit-only parking:

• Rams Head Deck (reserved until 11:30 a.m.)
• Morehead Lot
• Stadium Drive Lot 
• Public Safety Lot 
• McCauley Deck 
• Undergraduate Library Lot 
• Swain Lot 
• Hanes Lot
• Bynum Circle Lots
• Emerson and Davis Drive Lots
• Cobb Deck (open at noon)
• School of Government (SOG) Deck
• Emergency Drive Lots (including Crescent Lot and Cancer Center Valet)
• Koury Lot
• Peabody Lot
• Bell Tower Deck
• Morrison Lot

Roads on campus may experience traffic delays approximately one and a half hours prior to ceremonies and one hour after each ceremony. Additionally, there will be several athletic events also taking place on campus. For operational and security reasons, some lots and roads will be restricted/closed.  Please plan accordingly.

Roads Closed for Through Traffic

Roads on campus may be blocked throughout the day to facilitate access and shuttle services. The following roads are impacted or restricted to bus traffic and reserved permit only parking areas:

• Raleigh Street (Cameron Ave. to South Road): 3 p.m. – 11 p.m.
• South Road (3 p.m. – 11 p.m.)
• Stadium Drive (7 a.m. – 11 p.m.)

Traffic Alerts

Expect congestion on Raleigh Road for the main ceremony as early as 3 p.m. To avoid traffic delays, use alternate routes to access campus or use park and ride lots located off campus and served by Carolina Livery. Recommended campus access is via the southern entrances from US 15-501 and S. Columbia St.

• Employees participating in Commencement Ceremony activities may present their UNC One Card to the monitor to access the Cobb Deck.
• Employees with or without permits or a UNC One Card may park in areas designated for public parking.
• UNC Hospitals employees reporting to work may park in Dogwood Deck.