University of Minnesota will no longer host high school graduations

The University of Minnesota will no longer hold high school commencements at any campus venue, putting the kibosh on the 20-plus events held at 3M Arena at Mariucci each spring and leaving Twin Cities schools scrambling to find another site.

The hockey rink has become a hot spot for suburban high school graduation ceremonies because it can accommodate more than 6,000 people in an indoor, air-conditioned space, more than many high schools have space for. Last school year, 24 high schools held their ceremonies there — sometimes three or four in one day, paying thousands of dollars to the U.

But on Tuesday, leaders decided to stop holding such events on campus, which also includes Northrop Memorial Auditorium and Ted Mann Concert Hall. Holding so many commencements over a short period is just too much stress, U officials said in a statement.

Safety concerns may also be a factor. On May 30, the university had to boost security measures and police presence after a shooting injured two people outside Mariucci after Wayzata High School’s graduation event. The two people shot were treated and released from the hospital within two days.

The U had long required Mariucci attendees to go through a metal detector and have their bags searched as they entered to ensure safety inside.

In this week’s statement, the U said “hosting more than 20 outside events with thousands of attendees over a two-week period represents a significant strain on the university’s limited resources that is no longer sustainable.”

Northrop has about 2,800 seats, meaning Mariucci is the only indoor venue at the U that seats over 3,000 people.

“I think we were surprised, we were disappointed and it does put us in a tough spot,” said Shawn Hogendorf, spokesperson for the South Washington County district, which held three of its high school graduations there last year for the first time.

Last year, Craig Flor, Mariucci’s director of operations, said the venue was nearing its limit by holding 24 commencements.

“Capacity-wise, I think we’re pretty tapped out,” he said then.

He said that 2024’s 20 graduations brought in about $200,000 for the U.

Some metro-area high schools give graduating seniors a limited number of tickets to commencement that family and friends must redeem to attend. Others, including many that held ceremonies at Mariucci, didn’t require tickets because it’s such a large space. Several spokespeople said their schools didn’t want to have to hand out tickets.

“The district was fully expecting to utilize Mariucci Arena,” said Jim Skelly, spokesperson for the Anoka-Hennepin district. “It’s a real challenging situation.”

Blaine High School, the largest high school in the district, has 750 graduates, which creates a crowd of 4,000 to 5,000 family members and friends at commencements, Skelly said, adding that there are few places in the metro that can handle those numbers.

Andover, Blaine, Champlin Park and Coon Rapids high schools want to keep their graduations off-site, Skelly said. Anoka-Hennepin spent $55,000 in 2025 on renting Mariucci for the day, with the four high schools having their ceremonies on that Sunday, three hours apart.

“We want to make the right decision [for the community] on this, too,” Skelly said.

At Wayzata High School, district spokesperson Amy Parnell said the principal learned of the change Tuesday and is exploring options. Wayzata is the state’s largest high school and previously held the ceremony at Target Center, which remains an option for this spring.

At South Washington County schools, Hogendorf said Mariucci allowed all three graduations to be held the same day. The district is considering Allianz Field in St. Paul or the University of St. Thomas’ new hockey facility. If three separate spots are required, costs could triple.

Janet Swiecichowski, spokesperson for Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan schools, said the district is disappointed because Mariucci was great, with experienced staff. It allowed for four high school graduations on the same day; the district is seeking a non-district site where that can continue.