The WVU College of Creative Arts Commencement ceremony will be held on
Friday, May 11, 2024, at 9 a.m. in the WVU Coliseum.
Students: register to walk at the College of Creative Arts Ceremony by April 15.
Candidates should arrive promptly at 8 a.m. (one hour prior to the ceremony) and report to the Basketball Practice Facility, where you will receive instructions and line up for the academic procession. No one other than the graduate will be permitted into the check-in area.
At this time, you will receive a reader card that you will hold onto until someone collects it as you process up onto the stage to have your name read. There will be a line-up number on the card to assist with lining up all of the graduates for the procession. When you pick up the card, please doublecheck to make sure your degree is listed correctly, and your name is listed as you wish it to be read.
Students must RSVP to walk in the ceremony by April 15. Tickets are not required for this event, and there are no restrictions on the number of guests a graduate may bring. The ceremony is expected to last approximately two hours.
The College’s May Commencement ceremony includes a processional of graduation candidates and speakers. Candidates will walk across the stage to be greeted and congratulated.
Please note that diplomas will not be given out during the ceremony, but will be mailed after all grades are finalized and certified by the WVU Office of the Registrar approximately three weeks after the ceremony. Graduates will, however, receive a commemorative diploma cover, featuring the seal of the University, as they cross the stage for their congratulations.
All graduate students who have earned hoods will be hooded at the ceremony. Hoods will be carried in, draped over the left arm. Graduate students should wear their tassels to the left side while processing in. Hooders should process in and sit with the graduate they are hooding. Faculty are required to wear regalia to participate.
Undergraduate students should wear their tassels on the right side while processing in prior to the conferral.
Please note: Invitation to or participation in the ceremony is not confirmation that the student is certified to graduate. Graduation certification is completed after final semester grades are released.
As a courtesy, the College also invites prospective August 2024 graduates to participate in the ceremony. *Please note that this invitation is not confirmation of your graduation status. Graduation certification is completed after final semester grades are released.
Additional Information
Regalia: Participating candidates are required to wear caps and gowns. These can be purchased online from Herff Jones or in person from the WVU Bookstore. Undergraduates who are graduating with Latin Honors will receive an email about honor cords. Cords can be picked up in the Records Office, Room 3119 of the Canady Creative Arts Center.
Photography: WVU has contracted with GradImages to provide quality graduation photos of each student. Proofs will be emailed to the student within 48 hours of the ceremony. Families of graduates are welcome to take photographs during the ceremony.
Programs will now only be available online and can be accessed at this link once available: Programs | Graduation | West Virginia University (wvu.edu): Students who applied for May graduation by the deadline will be listed in the ceremony program. Although August 2024 graduates are invited to participate in the May ceremony, their names will not be included in the May 2024 Commencement program. Their names will be listed in the December 2024 Commencement program.
Families and Guests: Tickets are not required for admission and seating is open, except where reserved for degree candidates. Guests should be in their seats before the academic procession begins sharply at 9:00a.m. Free parking is available at the Coliseum and overflow parking will be available at the Canady Creative Arts Center.
Accommodations for Guests and Graduates with Disabilities: Commencement volunteers will be on hand to assist as needed. For further information, visit the Accessibility Services website.
More Information: Further details about the graduation ceremony will be sent to graduates via email and eNews throughout the Spring semester.
General WVU Information: Additional information regarding graduation is available at WVU’s Commencement website.
Questions? Contact the Office of University Events at graduation@mail.wvu.edu.
Congratulations, and have a wonderful Commencement experience!