Rentals
Washburn is different from every other school on this list in two ways, and both matter for planning.
First, it is the only one with a clearly published December and May pattern and confirmed future dates. Second, it runs two venues simultaneously, split by school: Lee Arena (1901 SW Mulvane Street) and White Concert Hall (1700 SW Jewell Avenue), both on campus. Which building you want depends entirely on which degree is being conferred.
The dates
Fall 2026 (confirmed):
- Washburn Tech, Thursday December 10, 2026: 3 p.m. White Concert Hall, 6 p.m. Lee Arena
- Washburn University, Friday December 11, 2026: 1 p.m. White Concert Hall (Nursing), 4 p.m. Lee Arena (Business, Law, Applied Studies, Arts & Sciences)
Spring 2027 (times explicitly tentative):
- Washburn Tech, Thursday May 13
- Washburn University, Friday May 14 and Saturday May 15
Washburn Tech ceremonies are separate from Washburn University ceremonies and fall on a different day. Conflating the two is the single easiest mistake to make here. Check which one your graduate is in.
Accessible entrances by building
Washburn publishes this in unusual detail:
Lee Arena: "The accessibility entrance is located at the south end of the arena." Guests enter through the Southeast doors. The accessible entrances are directly from Parking Lot 5 (use the path around the tennis complex) and the doors at the northeast side, closest to Parking Lot 2.
White Concert Hall: "The accessibility entrance is located at the Southwest front door facing Jewell Avenue," and "The main entrance into White Concert Hall is accessible."
Seating is first come, and that is official
Accessible seating is in the east and west bleachers in Lee Arena, and the front row of White Concert Hall plus the midway aisle on each side.
Then the sentence to plan around: "These areas are also first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved in advance."
Washburn does state that "staff will be available on-site to assist guests with disabilities," and asks that accommodation or accessible-seating requests go to washburnpresident@washburn.edu at least two weeks before the ceremony. Note that is the President's Office, not a disability-services address, and there is no published phone for commencement accessibility, so email, and email early.
One more hard rule: doors open about 30 minutes before and close at the start of each ceremony. Combined with non-reservable accessible seating, the message is clear: get there early, and do not let the walk in be the thing that slows you down.
Parking
"Parking is free across Washburn University's campus." Then this warning: "With multiple ceremonies taking place at Lee Arena and White Concert Hall, increased traffic and congestion are expected. We kindly ask all graduates and guests to allow extra time."
- Lee Arena: lots 2, 3, 4, 16, and "Lot 5 – Reserved for ADA-accessible parking for graduates and guests."
- White Concert Hall: lots 9, 11, and "Lot 10 – Closest ADA-accessible parking for graduates and guests."
Lot 5 for Lee Arena, Lot 10 for White Concert Hall. That is the whole parking answer.
No shuttle and no designated passenger drop-off zone are published, which is worth knowing: plan to park and walk rather than assuming you can drop someone at the door.
Delivering to Topeka
Topeka is outside our usual Kansas City metro run, but we do deliver there for events like this. It needs more notice than a metro booking and delivery is quoted separately, so call us early. That goes double for a December ceremony, where daylight is short and the weather can make the walk in from Lot 5 considerably harder than it looks in May.
Washburn publishes a "Washburn Rate" list of Topeka hotels on its Visit page. The rates are undated and the list is not a commencement block, so treat it as a starting point for where to stay rather than a promise. Tell us the hotel and we will deliver there.
Booking
Tell us the date, the ceremony time and where you are staying, and we will have the equipment there, cleaned, charged and ready, before you need it. Commencement weekends are the tightest dates in our year, because every family in the same position is booking the same morning. Call as soon as you know the date rather than the week before.
KC Mobility Scooter Rentals is an independent rental company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking on behalf of any college or university, and we do not control any campus or venue policy. Details here were read from each school's own published pages in September 2026. Always confirm the current year's arrangements with the school before you travel.