Frequently Asked Questions

Graduates standing in a line
General Ceremony Information:

Yes! All ceremonies will be livestreamed.

There will not be a separate Honors Convocation ceremony. Students eligible for Honors recognition at Commencement will have their Honors designation read with their name as they cross the stage. Students will be able to pick up their cords and stoles when they line up for the ceremony.

FAQ Presentation

Check back for the updated 2024 presentation in the Spring.

Graduate Information:

A student's graduation date and their ceremony date may be different. The graduation date is the same for all students and is the date that will appear on your diploma. Because the university holds multiple commencement ceremonies, some students may have a ceremony on a different date.

Yes, registration is required for all graduates planning to walk in the ceremony. Registration here.

Yes! All students will be able to walk across the commencement stage and have their name read. Students who receive academic honors will also have their honors designation read along with their name.

All graduate students (Masters, PhD, or Doctoral candidates) should plan to walk in the Graduate School ceremony on Friday evening.

While students are eligible to attend both ceremonies in this case, we do recommend choosing one ceremony. There will be many aspects of each ceremony that will be identical.

We work with an outside vendor to provide students with their caps and gowns. Graduates should begin ordering their gowns now

Students should plan to arrive 1 hour prior to the start of their ceremony. Line up will take place in the Hamel Recreation Center.

Graduates will be seated alphabetically during the ceremony.

Diplomas are mailed to the graduate 6-8 weeks after the ceremony. Diplomas are not handed out during the ceremony.

Yes, each student will have their photo taken as they cross the stage by an external company called GradImages. They will contact all students directly in the weeks following the ceremony with a coupon for a free photo as well as a link to purchase additional copies.

Guest Information:

At this time, tickets will not be required for guests and there will be no limit to the number of guests each student can invite to the ceremony. We are monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 pandemic and may need to make adjustments to these plans as we get closer to the ceremony.

Seating will be available 1 hour prior to the start of the ceremony. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Please note, depending on your time of arrival, another college's ceremony may be taking place. We ask that you be respectful of those graduates and their families, and wait to enter the Whittemore Center until 1 hour prior to the start of the ceremony.

Parking is available for all guests in Lot A. Guests with an ADA placard for their vehicle will be welcome to park in the Elliott Alumni Center parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis.

We anticipate that the ceremonies will be approximately 1. 5 hours. We would encourage guests to plan for time to return to their vehicles and navigate the traffic in determining a time for post-event reservations.