Graduation season is here.
Several colleges, universities and schools throughout the Triangle have graduation ceremonies scheduled this month.Here’s a guide to help make the pomp and circ*mstance a little more manageable.
UNC graduation and commencement ceremonies
UNC’s commencement ceremony is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2024, at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Gates open at 6 p.m. Gates 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 will be open for guests. Clear bags are encouraged but not required.
Attendees are asked to arrive at 5:30 p.m. in the Loudermilk parking lot at 104 Stadium Drive in Chapel Hill.
The ceremony will be livestreamed on several platforms for virtual participation or viewing. The link will be posted the day of the ceremony.
The university announced a clear bag policy and other restrictions for Saturday's commencement ceremonies. All graduates will need to present their UNC One Card to enter the seating area in Kenan Stadium for Saturday's graduation ceremony.
Students are not required to register to attend in person and there will not be a ticketing process. Guest wheelchair seating will be ticketed.
The main commencement ceremony does not include graduates’ names being called or them walking across the stage. These both take place at the departmental ceremonies due to time constraints.
Regalia is encouraged but not required to attend commencement, which is expected to last between 90 minutes and two hours.
The commencement speaker is UNC alum and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman.
The graduate school’s hooding ceremony is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, May 11 in the Dean Smith Center. For more information, visit the graduate school’s website.
UNC enforces clear bag policy for graduation, will require graduates to show ID card
Duke University graduation and commencement ceremonies
Duke's 2024 commencement ceremony is set for 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 12, 2024, at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. The ceremony is expected to finish by 11 a.m.
Duke holds one university-wide commencement ceremony to celebrate the three graduating classes of that academic year – September 2023, December 2023 and May 2024. Graduates, from all 10 Duke schools are invited to attend. Graduates will be required to request tickets for their guests.
Legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld will be the commencement speaker. Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, are the parents of a Duke alumna and a current Duke student. They also serve as national chairs of Duke’s Parents Committee.
Jerry Seinfeld to speak at Duke graduation after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests
Campbell University graduation and commencement ceremonies
The ceremonies will take place May 9-12.
The College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
(Includes all undergraduate and graduate candidates in the CPHS including locations at Adult and Online Education and Main Campus for Clinical Research, Pharmaceutical Science, Nursing, Physician Assistant Practice)
Date and Time: 3 p.m. Friday, May 10
Location: Campbell University, Gore Arena in the John W. Pope Convocation Center, Buies Creek, NC
Tickets are not required for this event.
For more information, visit the CPHS graduation website.
The Divinity School
(Includes all graduate candidates in the Divinity School)
Date and Time: 7 p.m., Friday, May 10
Location: Campbell University, Hobson’s Performing Arts Center in D. Rich Hall, Buies Creek, NC
Tickets are not required for this event. Doors open to guests by 6 p.m.
Students of the Saturday ceremonies may check their specific ceremony time on the Application Received List section on the Apply For Graduation page.
The College of Arts and Sciences
(Includes all undergraduates in the CAS from Adult and Online Education and Main Campus)
Date and Time: 9 a.m., Saturday, May 11
Location: Campbell University, Gore Arena in the John W. Pope Convocation Center, Buies Creek, NC
Tickets are not required for this event. Students need to arrive an hour before the ceremony for check-in at the back of the Convocation Center dressed in their regalia. The wearing of the regalia will allow you entrance into the building. You will check in at the tables to be given your name card and seating assignment to find your seat. Further instructions will be given the day of the ceremony.
The School of Education & Human Sciences, The School of Engineering and The Lundy-Fetterman School of Business
(Includes all undergraduate and graduate candidates in the SEHS, SENG & LFSB schools from Adult and Online Education and Main Campus)
Date and Time: 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2024
Location: Campbell University, Gore Arena in the John W. Pope Convocation Center, Buies Creek, NC
Tickets are not required for this event. Students must arrive an hour before the ceremony for check-in at the back of the Convocation Center dressed in their regalia. The wearing of the regalia will allow you entrance into the building. You will check in at the tables to be given your name card and seating assignment to find your seat. Further instructions will be given the day of the ceremony.
Meredith College graduation and commencement ceremonies
The class of 2024 celebrations will be held Saturday, May 11, 2024, with two sessions: One at 8:30 a.m. and another at 11 a.m.
Students are able to register for one of the two ceremonies.
The ceremonies will be held in the courtyard area with Johnson Hall as the backdrop for these celebrations. Graduates may choose with whom they sit.
Each graduate will be eligible to receive six tickets for guests.
Meredith will provide a livestream of the ceremonies too.
Those attending the 8:30 a.m. ceremony should enter through the Hillsborough Street entrance and park in Lots 1, 2, 15, 16, 17 and 18.
Those attending the 11 a.m. ceremony should enter campus through the Faircloth Street gate and park in Lots 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Diplomas will be, or have been, mailed.
Shaw University graduation and commencement ceremonies
Shaw University’s commencement is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11, 2024, in the Raleigh Convention Center.
Shaw University graduates should arrive at the C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium by 8 a.m. to line up to walk to the Raleigh Convention Center using the McDowell Street entrance. The procession will begin at 9:15 a.m.
Guests do not need a ticket to attend the event. They can start filing into the Raleigh Convention Center starting at 9 a.m.
Guests can park in the McLaurin parking deck located on Lenoir Street for all events for a fee of $7 per day. UNCF President and CEO, Mr. Michael Lomax is the commencement speaker. UNCF is the nation's largest private provider of scholarships and other educational support to African American students and a leading advocate of college readiness.
This event will be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
William Peace University graduation and commencement ceremonies
Former Durham Mayor Bill Bell will be this year’s commencement speaker for William Peace University, the school announced last week.
The ceremony is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the university’s main lawn. The main lawn opens at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Commencement is expected to last about 75 minutes, the university said.
On-campus parking is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The university plans to livestream the commencement ceremony.
A professional from Photo Specialties will photograph each graduate as he or she crosses the stage during commencement. Photo Specialties will send free color proofs and ordering instructions to each graduate’s email and permanent mailing address.
If graduates do not receive this link or need additional information about ordering photos, they should contact Photo Specialties at info@photospecialties.com or 919-967-9576.
Former Durham mayor will give William Peace University commencement address
St. Augustine's University graduation and commencement ceremonies
St. Augustine's University’s 2024 commencement ceremony took place on Saturday, May 4, at George Williams Athletics Complex at 1315 Oakwood Ave.
The university said seniors will still graduate despite ongoing accreditation and financial issues at the university.
St. Augustine's students earn degrees as university battles financial crisis
NC State graduation and commencement ceremonies
The NC State class of 2024 graduated at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 4, 2024, at PNC Arena in Raleigh.
Nobel Prize-winning chemist David W. C. MacMillan delivered the commencement address.
Benjamin Poovey, who is earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, addressed his fellow spring graduates.
The ceremony wwas livestreamed via go.ncsu.edu/WatchCommencement and the NC State Facebook page.
North Carolina Central University graduation and commencement ceremonies
Commencement ceremonies took place at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 4, 2024, at McDougald-McLendon Arena (graduate and professional) and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4 (baccalaureate).
Both ceremonies were streamed on the university’s YouTube channel and website.
