Graduation Flowers in NYC: A Campus-by-Campus Guide

Graduation in New York City means thousands of ceremonies across some of the world's most storied campuses — from Columbia's Morningside Heights to Juilliard at Lincoln Center, from Hunter College on the Upper East Side to Pratt Institute's Brooklyn studios. Alaric Flower Design has hand-designed graduation bouquets from our Upper West Side studio at 54 W 70th Street since 2006, delivering same-day across Manhattan and to ceremonies citywide.

This guide covers when each major NYC school graduates, what makes a great ceremony bouquet, and how to time your delivery for the moment.

When New York Graduates: 2026 Ceremony Windows

NYC's graduation season spans mid-May through mid-June, with most major schools concentrated in two intensive weeks:

• Mid-May (May 13–20) — Columbia University, NYU, The New School, NYU Stern, NYU Tisch, NYU Tandon
• Late May (May 21–29) — Hunter College and CUNY system commencements; Memorial Day weekend ceremonies for various private schools
• Early June (June 1–10) — Fordham University (Lincoln Center and Rose Hill), Pace University, Cooper Union, FIT, School of Visual Arts
• Mid-June (June 10–20) — Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, performing-arts conservatories, and most NYC high schools

Medical schools and law schools typically cluster in late May. Pratt Institute and other arts conservatories often hold their main commencements in late May to early June, with separate department-level ceremonies and recitals running throughout.

What Makes a Great Graduation Bouquet

A graduation bouquet has three jobs: it has to survive the day, look beautiful in the photo, and feel like a real gift — not a checkout-counter afterthought.

Durability for a long day

A ceremony day is long: pre-ceremony coffee, the ceremony itself, photos with family, and an evening dinner. The bouquet needs to hold up through all of it. At Alaric we pre-condition our flowers and use specific stem preparation so a graduation bouquet lasts from morning through dinner without wilting.

The photo matters

Every parent wants the cap-and-gown-with-bouquet photo. We design bouquets in proportions that work for held-at-chest-height photographs — not too tall, not too wide, with color that pops against a dark gown.

Easy to carry, easy to hand off

Bouquets that double as table centerpieces afterward (instead of being tied too tightly to ever unwind) tend to outlast the day better. We wrap loosely, finish with a satin ribbon, and pre-hydrate stems for transport.

Color choice and school colors

Bright, celebratory palettes work best — pinks, corals, yellows, whites with greens. If the graduate's school has strong color associations (Columbia blue and white, NYU purple, Cornell red, Fordham maroon, Pratt teal), we can match. For Juilliard, FIT, and Pratt students, we often see jewel tones and bolder palettes requested.

NYC Campuses We Deliver To

We deliver hand-designed bouquets same-day across Manhattan and provide scheduled delivery to Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Here is the comprehensive list of NYC schools we serve:

Major Manhattan Private Universities

• New York University (NYU) — Greenwich Village campus, including Tisch School of the Arts, Stern School of Business, Steinhardt, Gallatin, and Wagner. Main commencement traditionally held at Yankee Stadium.
• Columbia University — Morningside Heights and Manhattanville campuses, including Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia Business School, and Columbia Law.
• Fordham University — Lincoln Center campus (and Rose Hill in the Bronx); separate undergraduate, law, and graduate ceremonies.
• The New School — Greenwich Village campuses, including Parsons School of Design, Eugene Lang College, and Mannes School of Music.
• Pace University — Lower Manhattan campus near Brooklyn Bridge.
• Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art — East Village; small, prestigious ceremonies.
• Marymount Manhattan College — Upper East Side liberal arts.
• Yeshiva University — Washington Heights campus.
• Berkeley College — multiple NYC campuses.

CUNY (City University of New York)

• Hunter College — 695 Park Avenue at 68th Street, our literal neighbor. CUNY's flagship for liberal arts.
• Baruch College — Gramercy/Flatiron; CUNY's business school.
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice — Hell's Kitchen.
• City College of New York (CCNY) — Hamilton Heights; CUNY's senior college since 1847.
• Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) — Tribeca.
• Brooklyn College — Midwood, Brooklyn.
• Queens College — Flushing.
• Lehman College — Bronx.
• Medgar Evers College — Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Arts, Music, and Design Conservatories

• The Juilliard School — Lincoln Center; the world's preeminent performing-arts conservatory.
• Manhattan School of Music — Morningside Heights.
• Mannes School of Music at The New School — Greenwich Village.
• Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) — Chelsea; fashion, design, and merchandising.
• Tisch School of the Arts at NYU — film, drama, dance.
• School of Visual Arts (SVA) — Gramercy; fine art, illustration, animation.
• Pratt Institute — Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; architecture, art, and design.
• New York Academy of Art — Tribeca; graduate fine art.

Medical, Law, and Graduate Schools

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — Upper East Side.
• Weill Cornell Medical College — Upper East Side.
• NYU Grossman School of Medicine — First Avenue.
• Cornell Tech — Roosevelt Island.
• Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva — Greenwich Village.
• Fordham Law School — Lincoln Center.
• Columbia Business School — Manhattanville.
• NYU Stern School of Business — Greenwich Village.

Religious and Theological

• Jewish Theological Seminary — Morningside Heights.
• Union Theological Seminary — Morningside Heights.

Outer-Borough Universities

• Manhattan College — Riverdale, the Bronx (yes, despite the name).
• St. John's University — Queens.
• NYU Tandon School of Engineering — Downtown Brooklyn.
• Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn — Downtown Brooklyn.

NYC High Schools

High school graduations are equally important moments. We frequently deliver to:

Public specialized: Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, Hunter College High School, Beacon, Bard High School Early College, Brooklyn Latin.

Private: Trinity, Dalton, Spence, Brearley, Horace Mann, Chapin, Riverdale Country, Collegiate, Friends Seminary, Nightingale–Bamford, plus many others throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Timing Your Order

Most NYC graduations are morning or early-afternoon ceremonies. The cleanest delivery patterns:

• Order by 2:00 PM ET for same-day Manhattan delivery. We deliver directly to the ceremony venue when given the address, OR to the post-ceremony location (home, restaurant, dorm) for the surprise reveal.
• Order 24–48 hours ahead for time-specific delivery (e.g., “must arrive by 11:00 AM before the 2pm ET ceremony”). This is the safest approach for once-in-a-lifetime moments.
• Outer-borough scheduled delivery — Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx accept scheduled deliveries with 1–2 days' notice. Delivery fees vary by neighborhood ($25–$35).

Surprise vs. hand-off

If you want the graduate to be genuinely surprised, send to their home or dorm with a specific time window. If the bouquet is for the post-ceremony moment (when they walk off stage and you hand it over), order early and we'll prepare it for venue pickup or hand-carry transport.

What to Write on the Card

Every Alaric order includes a free hand-signed card. Some prompts our customers reach for:

• “So proud of you. The hardest part is done. The best part starts now.”
• “Class of 2026 — you earned every petal.”
• “From your first day of school to today. Look at you.”
• “Cap, gown, and the rest of your life. Go get it.”
• “Today is the moment. Tomorrow is the rest of it.”
• “Of all the things to be proud of — being your parent tops the list.”
• “For the next chapter — and you're the author now.”
• “Onward.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you deliver directly to the ceremony venue?

Yes. We deliver to any NYC venue with a valid address — campus chapels, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Apollo Theater, and any of the dozens of school venues across the city. Just include the venue address and a contact phone number at checkout. We'll coordinate timing so the bouquet meets the moment.

Can the bouquet be carried during the ceremony?

Yes — graduation bouquets are designed to be held. We wrap them with a satin ribbon and pre-hydrate the stems for hours of carry. The bouquet can sit on a chair during the procession and be picked up after.

Will it last through the photos and dinner after?

Yes. Our pre-conditioning means a graduation bouquet typically holds its full shape for 12+ hours from delivery — more than enough to cover ceremony, photos, and an evening celebration. To extend further, we recommend a fresh-water re-cut and vase the same evening. The bouquet then continues for 5–7 days.

Can you match school colors?

Yes. Columbia blue, NYU purple, Cornell red, Fordham maroon, Pratt teal, Juilliard rose — we work from your description or a school color chart. Specialty stem availability varies by season, but we'll match the closest seasonal stems available and confirm with you before designing.

What if I'm sending from out of town?

That's most of our graduation orders. Tell us the delivery address (campus, dorm, home, or restaurant), the time window, and the recipient's phone. We handle the rest. If you want a specific time confirmation, we'll text you when the bouquet is on the way and again when it's delivered.

Can I include a personalized card?

Always — and always for free. Add your message at checkout. We hand-sign it in our studio. For longer notes, we provide a larger gift card option at no charge.

What's the minimum order?

Our graduation bouquets begin at $100 (Aurora, Designer's Choice). The most-ordered range is $135–$200 — the price point that works for the moment without overshooting.

Shop the Graduation Collection

Explore our hand-designed bouquets curated for the graduate in your life. Same-day delivery across Manhattan, scheduled delivery to outer boroughs. Order by 2pm ET.

Shop Graduation Bouquets →

Designed by Lena Yelagina from the Alaric Flower Design studio at 54 W 70th Street, New York. Family-owned, hand-designed since 2006.