Parking and traffic on the Fairfax Campus will be extremely busy during George Mason University Commencement and degree celebrations, May 15-18.
Please allow extra time when coming to and leaving campus.
To avoid the heaviest traffic, faculty and staff are encouraged to park on the north side of campus, including the Rappahannock Parking Deck, and use the University Drive and Shenandoah River Lane entrances to campus.
Disabled and special-assistance parking will be available in Lot A, adjacent to EagleBank Arena’s South Entrance.
Commencement will be at EagleBank Arena at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 17. Doors open for participants at 9 a.m. For the complete events schedule, visit the graduation website.
All campus parking lots will be available for complimentary guest parking during the degree ceremonies. Because the celebrations are scheduled at EagleBank Arena and Concert Hall simultaneously, parking on the southern end of campus, including lots A, C, J, K, L, and the Mason Pond Deck, will be extremely busy.
Disabled and special-assistance parking will be available in Lot A, adjacent to EagleBank Arena’s South Entrance. A portion of Lot A will be closed from Wednesday to Saturday to accommodate all ceremonies.
A portion of Lot A will be closed from Wednesday through Saturday to accommodate all ceremonies. Mason Pond Drive will be closed to traffic and parking on Friday for commencement exercises.
On Thursday evening, May 16, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren will speak at a campaign event on the lawn in front of Merten Hall on the Fairfax Campus. Complimentary parking will be available in the Rappahannock Parking Garage. Several roads around Merten Hall will be closed that evening, including Patriot Circle between George Mason Boulevard and Rappahannock River Lane, and the outbound lane on George Mason Boulevard. Chesapeake River Lane will be closed to all except disabled parking from 5-9 p.m. The Merten Hall short-term parking lot will be closed from noon-11pm on Thursday. Those needing short-term parking should use Rappahannock Deck or Finley Lot.
Shuttle service from Vienna Metro is available via the Mason-Metro, Metro Express, and City of Fairfax CUE (fare required without Mason ID). Schedules can be found at shuttle.gmu.edu.
For Mason Parking updates, follow @MasonParking on Twitter.
511 Virginia, a toll-free phone service (owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation) is available for real-time traffic conditions. Just dial 511. Follow @511northernva on Twitter for updates.
Contact Mason Parking and Transportation at parking@gmu.edu or 703-993-2828.
For general graduation questions, contact University Events at 703-993-2853.