December Commencement exercises are open to candidates for graduate and undergraduate degrees. All IU Bloomington schools that have December graduates are eligible to participate. The ceremony typically runs 90 minutes and includes the procession of degree candidates, an address by a Commencement speaker, induction into the IU Alumni Association, the hooding of Ph.D. and doctoral candidates, and the conferral of degrees.

Fred Luddy, information technology product pioneer and ServiceNow Inc. founder and chief product officer, will address graduates from his alma mater at Indiana University Bloomington's winter commencement.