— Graduation guides · Coast Guard
What families should know before graduation at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, Cape May, New Jersey. Checked against official sources in September 2026.
— The basics
Official information: Graduation information, Base access. Schedules and rules change, so check there before you travel.
— Getting on base
— On the day
— Questions families ask
Training Center Cape May sits at the southern tip of New Jersey in the town of Cape May, a resort town, so summer graduations compete with beach season and rooms go early. The base has guest quarters and a campground, but they are only for eligible MWR patrons or guests sponsored and escorted by base personnel, so most families stay in town. Book as soon as your recruit's graduation date is confirmed, and check the drive to the main gate before you book. Source
Attendance is capped at 4 guests per recruit. Your recruit sends the invitations in the last few weeks of training and confirms the guests during graduation week; slots cannot be traded between recruits. There is no online pre-registration for guests. You are processed through security at the main gate, which opens to graduation guests at 8:15 a.m., and then have escorted access to the graduation areas only. Source
The main gate opens to graduation guests at 8:15 a.m., and the training center says do not try to enter before then. Have every ID out as you approach the gate or you are sent to the back of the line. Park in the designated graduation areas and follow security personnel; you will walk to most locations. The speed limit is 25 on Pennsylvania and Delaware Avenues through housing on the way in and 20 on base, and cars stop for morning colors at 8 a.m. Source
Everyone 18 and older must show a valid photo ID from a state or federal agency, such as a state ID, driver's license, passport, Veteran ID or immigration credentials. Since May 7, 2025, unescorted access needs a REAL ID, but graduation guests are escorted once processed, so a valid state ID still gets you in. Have the ID out and ready at the gate; guards turn cars around if it is not. Drivers need an unexpired license, registration and proof of insurance. Minors 16 and under must be with an adult. All vehicles are searched. Source
Graduations are normally Fridays at 11 a.m. and run about an hour. The gate opens at 8:15 a.m. An optional family breakfast at the Harborview runs 8:30 to 9:45 for $10 a person. From roughly October to early May the ceremony is indoors in the Flores Gymnasium, with the company march at 10:05 and a pre-ceremony video at 10:25. From early May to October it is outdoors on the Parade Field, with guests seated by 10:25 and the company fly-by at 10:53; bad weather moves it indoors at the same times. A Thursday family dinner is offered, but recruits are not at the breakfast or dinner; your first chance to see them is the ceremony, and they are free to leave right after. Source
Leave bags, purses and suitcases of any type in your car; do not carry them to the ceremony. Firearms, marijuana and other drugs are prohibited and vehicles are searched. Pets are not allowed. Photographing your graduate is encouraged, but photographing recruits in earlier weeks of training is prohibited. Recruits depart right after the ceremony with orders in hand, so gifts wait until you are off base together. Source
Recruits get a brief arrival call and then write letters; the first letter home carries the company and mailing address. The base's official Facebook page, U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, and the training center website are the only official information sources. For a true family emergency, contact the American Red Cross Hero Care line at 877-272-7337 any time, and they deliver the message through the recruit's company commander. Source
For indoor-season graduations the training center makes every effort to stream on Facebook Live at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. It is a courtesy and can be cancelled, and outdoor ceremonies are not promised a stream. Source
Request your Official Military Personnel File free from the National Personnel Records Center at vetrecs.archives.gov or by mailing Standard Form 180. Coast Guard records list your recruit company by letter and number. With that, company photo archives on the Coast Guard Historian's site and veteran groups on Facebook, named by company such as Alpha-123, are the way most shipmates find each other. Source
— The photos
Every photo from Cape May becomes a numbered keepsake card, front and back, with the unit, the base and the date. You get a video and one page the whole family can open, and every card has a code on the back that opens it. Graduated a while ago? It is not too late.
— Sources
Checked in September 2026 against these official pages. CardMyService is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or any branch.