Here’s when, where and how NC universities will host spring 2021 graduation ceremonies
North Carolina colleges and universities are planning in-person graduation ceremonies, giving 2021 seniors a bit of normalcy to end their unpredictable college careers.
Some have virtual commencement speakers, while others have special guests flying in from across the country. Student might not be able to walk across the stage, but most will be able to turn their tassels, as is tradition. Many of the events will be outdoors, and all will require face masks and social distancing.
And all of their plans could change because of COVID-19.
Schools are also offering virtual options for students, family and friends who can’t attend.
Here’s a round up of when, where and how NC universities are planning to host spring commencement ceremonies.
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University will host in-person graduation ceremonies at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 7, 8, 10, and 11 and at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 12 in the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone.
App State Chancellor Sheri Everts will deliver the keynote address, and each event will be live-streamed. Graduates are allowed to get tickets for two guests.
Visit appstate.edu/commencement/ for more details.
UNC-Asheville
UNC-Asheville will hold two commencement ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. and noon on May 8, on the Quad on campus. Each graduate can invite two guests.
Linda Earley Chastang, CEO for the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation Inc., will serve as the commencement speaker on behalf of the late Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights activist who died last summer.
Visit unca.edu/events-and-news/commencement/ for more details.
Campbell University
Campbell University will host a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 on May 9.
For 2021 graduates, the commencement ceremonies will be held at Barker-Lane Stadium on May 6 at 10 a.m., May 7 at 3 p.m., and May 8 at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., depending on the major. The ceremony for law school graduates will be at Red Hat Ampitheater in Raleigh on May 7 at 10 a.m.
All ceremonies will be live-streamed.
Graduates will be allowed to get four tickets for guests.
Visit campbell.edu/registrar/graduation/graduation-ceremonies/ for more details.
UNC-Chapel Hill
UNC-Chapel Hill graduates will hear virtual speeches from COVID-19 experts Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a UNC alumna, at in-person commencement ceremonies at Kenan Stadium.
There will be five ceremonies over May 14, 15 and 16 based on the school or college. Students are allowed to reserve up to four tickets for guests, but registration is now closed.
Visit commencement.unc.edu/spring-commencement/ for more details.
UNC-Charlotte
UNC-Charlotte will host multiple in-person graduation ceremonies at Jerry Richardson Football Stadium in May.
The ceremony for the Class of 2020 will be on May 13 at 6 p.m.
Ceremonies for 2021 graduates will be on May 14 at 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. and May 15 at 9:30 a.m., depending on the college or school. The ceremonies will be live-streamed and recorded.
Graduates can RSVP for up to three tickets.
Visit commencement.uncc.edu/ for details.
Duke University
Duke University is hosting an in-person ceremony at Wallace Wade Stadium from 9 to 11 a.m. on May 2.
Musician and actor John Legend is the commencement speaker. Undergraduate students who participated in COVID-19 testing will be able to attend and can bring two guests.
Visit commencement.duke.edu/faq/ for details.
East Carolina University
East Carolina University will host three in-person commencement ceremonies at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 7 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021.
UNC System President Peter Hans will deliver the keynote address
ECU has allocated four guest tickets to each graduate, and the events will be live-streamed.
Visit commencement.ecu.edu for details.
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City State University will host commencement on May 8 at 9 a.m. in the Robert L. Vaughan Center on campus. Anita Brown-Graham, ncIMPACT Initiative Director and PBS NC Host, will give the keynote address.
Graduates will receive four tickets for the socially distanced ceremony. It will also be live-streamed and recorded.
Visit ecsu.edu/academics/commencement/index.html for details.
Elon University
Elon University will host three in-person ceremonies at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 21, in the Schar Center on campus. Broadway star and Elon alumnus Daniel J. Watts will give the commencement address.
Graduates will get two tickets for guests, and the ceremonies will be live-streamed for those who can’t attend.
Graduate commencement will be held in multiple in-person ceremonies on May 18 in Alumni Gym.
Visit elon.edu/u/academics/commencement/ for details.
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University will host two commencement ceremonies on May 8, at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium on FSU’s campus. Graduate and undergraduate students will walk across the stage at 9 a.m. or 3 p.m., depending on their college. 2020 graduates will also be able to participate, as space is available.
Graduates will get two guest tickets.
Visit uncfsu.edu for details.
UNC-Greensboro
UNC-Greensboro will host multiple in-person commencement ceremonies on May 7 and 8 at the Greensboro Colliseum.
The ceremony for Class of 2021 undergraduate and master’s students will be May 7, at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Graduates from the Class of 2020 will have a ceremony on May 8, at 9 a.m.
Each graduate can bring two guests, and each ceremony will be live-streamed.
Visit commencement.uncg.edu/ for details.
Meredith College
Meredith College will host 11 events for graduates over three weekends in May in the courtyard behind Johnson Hall on campus.
Commencement ceremonies for 2020 graduates will be at 8:30 a.m. on May 1 and at 11 a.m on May 2. Ceremonies for doctoral program graduates will be throughout the day on May 8.
The ceremonies for 2021 graduates will be May 15, at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., and May 16, at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Visit meredith.edu/commencement for details.
N.C. A&T University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will have two commencement ceremonies May 9 at Truist Stadium on campus in Greensboro.
The first ceremony is for 2021 graduates at 8:30 a.m. and the second ceremony is for 2020 graduates at 4 p.m.
Emmy Award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown will be the keynote speaker. Two tickets will be available per graduate and the ceremonies will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person.
Visit ncat.edu/registrar/commencement/index.php for details.
N.C. Central University
North Carolina Central University will host two in-person commencement ceremonies for 2021 graduates in O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium
One ceremony will be on May 7, at 8 a.m. for for graduate and professional students and the second ceremony will be on May 8, at 8 a.m. for undergraduates.
No guests will be able to attend the graduation ceremonies, but the events will be live-streamed online.
Visit nccu.edu/commencement for more details.
N.C. State University
North Carolina State University is hosting two in-person ceremonies at Carter-Finley Stadium at 7 p.m. on May 14 and at 9 a.m. on May 15.
NFL quarterback Russell Wilson will give the commencement speeches. Students won’t be walking across the stage, but they can RSVP for up to four tickets for friends and family.
Visit commencement.ncsu.edu/ for details.
UNC-Pembroke
UNC-Pembroke will host two in-person commencements on campus in the Quad between Livermore Library and Old Main. The events will also be live-streamed.
The ceremony for graduate students is at 5 p.m. on May 21 at 5 p.m. and for undergraduate students at 9 a.m. on May 22. Each graduate will receive two guest tickets and everyone is instructed to arrive early to get seated before the event.
The keynote speaker will be Sheila Cummings, who is the founder, president and CEO of Cummings Aerospace, Inc., a Native American woman-owned business.
Visit uncp.edu/resources/commencement for details.
UNC School of the Arts
UNC School of the Arts will have in-person high school and university commencement ceremonies at Truist Stadium in Winston-Salem. The graduation ceremonies for the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be at 4 p.m. on May 22.
Alumnus and award-winning actor Stephen McKinley Henderson will be the commencement speaker for both events.
Graduates will be allotted four guest tickets, and the ceremony will be live-streamed.
Visit uncsa.edu/mysa/current-students/academics/college-graduate-academics/commencement/index.aspx for more details.
St. Augustine’s University
Saint Augustine’s University will hold an in-person commencement ceremony on May 1 at 9 a.m. for the classes of 2020 and 2021. The event will be in the George Williams Athletic Complex with Raleigh City Manager Marchell Adams David as the keynote speaker.
Visit st-aug.edu/commencement/ for more details.
Shaw University
Shaw University is hosting its 2021 Commencement exercises at the Raleigh Convention Center on May 8. The ceremony for School of Business and Professional Studies graduates is at 9 a.m. and the ceremony is at 12 p.m. for School of Divinity graduates.
Graduates will get six tickets for their guests.
The commencement speaker is Emmy-award winning producer Travis Mitchell, who grew up on Shaw’s campus.
Visit shawu.edu/Commencement for more details.
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University will recognize the Class of 2021 on May 16 at Truist Field in Winston-Salem.
The ceremony for undergraduates will run from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and students can register for two guest tickets.
Graduates will hear pre-recorded messages from Condoleezza Rice, the first African American woman to serve as both secretary of state and national security advisor, Pete Buttigieg, the United States Secretary of Transportation, and Kendall Hinton, WFU alumnus and Denver Broncos quarterback.
Visit https://commencement.wfu.edu/ for more details.
Wake Tech Community College
Wake Tech Community College will have a hybrid graduation ceremony on May 8 that will be live-streamed.
There will be a virtual ceremony that’s pre-recorded and includes graduate photos and video speeches. There will also be an event for graduates to walk across the stage at the clock tower at Wake Tech’s Scott Northern Wake Campus in Raleigh.
There will be no guests and no seating at the in-person graduation ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., depending on the college.
Visit waketech.edu/student-services/registration-student-records/graduation/spring for details.
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University will host five in-person commencement ceremonies on May 14, 15 and 16, depending on the students’ college. The ceremonies will be held at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center in Cullowhee.
Graduates can get two tickets for guests, and the ceremonies will be live-streamed.
Visit wcu.edu/learn/academic-services/registrars-office/graduation/index.aspx for details.
William Peace University
William Peace University in Raleigh will have three socially distanced, in-person ceremonies on the Main Lawn campus for the classes of 2020 and 2021.
Commencement for the Class of 2020 will be on May 7 at 5 p.m. with Mitchell Silver, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks, as the speaker.
Commencement for the Class of 2021 will be on May 8 at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. with Robert Ingram, general partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, as the speaker.
Graduates can reserve tickets for up to four guests.
Visit https://peace.edu/student-life/commencement/ for more details.
UNC-Wilmington
UNC-Wilmington will have four commencement ceremonies on May 7 and 8 in Trask Coliseum.
Graduates and one guest each will hear commencement speeches from the chancellor, provost and the senior class president.
UNCW will also have a virtual ceremony at 1 p.m on May 7 that will feature a slideshow of graduates and will be available to view for one year.
Visit uncw.edu/commencement/ for more details.
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University will host four in-person commencement ceremonies at the intramural practice field on WSSU’s campus.
Class of 2020 undergraduate and graduate students will have a ceremony at 9 a.m. on May 20. The ceremony for 2021 master’s & doctoral graduates will be at 6 p.m. on May 20.
All undergraduates will attend ceremonies at 9 a.m. or 6 p.m. on May 21.
Each student will get two tickets for guests or they can opt-in to the virtual commencement for all graduates at 12 p.m. on May 21.
Visit wssu.edu/admissions/registrar/commencement/index.html for details.
This story will be updated as more schools announce their graduation plans.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Here’s when, where and how NC universities will host spring 2021 graduation ceremonies."
