The first Commencement of King's College, as Columbia University was originally called, was held on June 21, 1758, in St. George's Chapel on Beekman Street in lower Manhattan. Seven men were graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and four honorary degrees were conferred. According to an observation in the New York Mercury on June 26, 1758, in this first ceremony there was an address given on the "Advantages of a liberal Education" and a Mr. Treadwell demonstrated the "Revolution of the Earth round the Sun" using both astronomical observations and the Theory of Gravity. Apparently he was successful in defending his thesis.

These exercises were conducted almost entirely in Latin during the King's College period, and for yet another century classical orations formed a regular part of the program. These orations, usually in English, are now presented at the Columbia College Class Day.

The academic costumes worn during the ceremony can be traced back to medieval times, perhaps as early as the twelfth century. The hood and gown served a practical purpose for students working in unheated buildings. It appears that the King's College students were the first Americans to wear the costume while in residence.

During the pre-Revolutionary period, the Commencement procession passed through the city streets from the College building on Park Place to Trinity Church. When King's College became Columbia, in 1784, Commencement was held in various churches and halls throughout New York City. After the College moved to 49th Street and Madison Avenue in 1857, Commencement usually took place at the Academy of Music at Fourteenth Street and Irving Place. Since 1898 Commencement has been held on the Campus at Morningside, at first in the University gymnasium, and since 1926 outdoors on Low Plaza.

The eighteenth-century mace used in the ceremony also hearkens back to medieval times when the mace was used as a weapon. At that time it consisted of a stout club ending in a metal ball, usually spiked. The Columbia University mace was donated by Judge John Munro Woolsey, LL.B. '01, LL.D. '29. Historically, the mace was a symbol of authority displayed in British courts; Columbia's mace represents the authority vested in the University president to confer degrees on students and honorands and is carried in every commencement ceremony.