October 11 & 12 Commencement weekend in Austin.

The WGU Commencement in Austin is scheduled for Saturday, October 12, 2019.

Check-in location and times coming soon, please visit the commencement website for updates. Graduates will be able to download a WGU Commencement app, which will provide the schedule, protocol, and maps. (Available in App Store and Google Play).

You can bring as many guests as you like.

No, but you are required to register yourself and guest count on the ceremony rsvp form. You can RSVP here.

Generally, the commencement ceremony runs 1.5 - 2 hours. 

Only the names of graduates who physically attend and participate in the commencement ceremony will have their names read. 

Yes, here are the key deadlines:

August 16, 2019 – Speaker Deadline

August 19, 2019- Anthem Deadline

September 20, 2019- RSVP Deadline

September 26, 2019- Cap and Gown Deadline

Yes, however, due to limited aisle space, strollers are not permitted in seating sections or in the wheelchair cutouts. Space will be designated (via signage) for stroller parking.

Please arrive dressed in your cap and gown for the commencement ceremony. Due to the number of graduates and schedule, it is not practical to change into regalia at the venue.

Yes, the ceremony rsvp form is a separate process from the graduation application. The completion of the ceremony rsvp form reserves your seat at commencement and generates your name card for the announcer. 

The commencement photos are usually available 2-3 weeks after commencement. Those photos will be available for viewing at http://events.lifetouch.com/wgu.

Not at this time.

In order to participate in a commencement ceremony, a student must complete all degree program requirements before the scheduled ceremony.
Students who are enrolled in the final course(s) of their degree program may send an exception request to records@wgu.edu entitled, “Commencement Ceremony Participation Request” to walk early in a commencement ceremony. The Records Department will determine if the student is qualified to participate in a commencement ceremony prior to actual degree completion.

If the student is enrolled in the final courses of their degree program, the exception request will be approved.

If an exception request is approved, the student must also RSVP for the commencement ceremony.

Please review the commencement participation guidelines located in the student handbook, which outlines the eligibility for commencements. 

To RSVP to attend WGU Commencement Weekend, you must have submitted either:

1. Your graduation application

or

2. Received an approved Commencement Participation Exception from the WGU Records Office.

If you don’t currently meet this requirement, wait to RSVP until the requirement is met.

Review the Commencement Ceremony Participation guidelines.

If you have any questions, please contact via email at commencement@wgu.edu or by phone, 385.428.2085..

After a graduate submits the ceremony RSVP form, a confirmation email is sent to the email address listed on the completed RSVP form. Please check your junk box. If you do not see a confirmation email for your ceremony RSVP. Please contact us at commencement@wgu.edu with additional questions. 

Yes. There is not a time limit on when a graduate may walk in a commencement. However, graduates may only participate in one commencement ceremony per degree program completed.

https://www.wgu.edu/alumni/commencement.html

No, but you may watch the commencement ceremony for free on the WGU YouTube channel.

In order to participate in a commencement ceremony, you must RSVP as soon as possible and prior to the designated deadline.

For deadline information and to RSVP for the commencement ceremony of your choice, use one of the following links: 

• Click here to RSVP for Virtual Commencement
• Click here to RSVP for In-person Commencement

For bachelor’s degree, post-baccalaureate teacher programs, or endorsement preparation program (English Language Learning), you should order: cap, bachelor's gown, and tassel. For those earning a master's degree or endorsement preparation program (Educational Leadership), you should order: cap, master's gown, tassel, and a master's hood.

Oak Hall Cap and Gown is the official regalia vendor (caps, gowns, and hoods) for WGU. The official regalia color for graduates is navy. 

Visit the WGU-Oak Hall Cap and Gown website to place your order, or call 1-800-456-7623 and ask for the Web Department. 

You can order a tassel at the WGU-Oak Hall Cap and Gown website, or by calling 1-800-456-7623 and ask for the Web Department.

Yes, WGU graduates affiliated with an honor society may wear society pins or honor cords/sashes on their gowns. Teacher graduates affiliated with the WGU chapter of the international honor society of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) may order honor cords at http://www.kdp.org.   

The following hoods are available for purchase at the WGU-Oak Hall Cap and Gown website:

Education - blue
Business (all MBAs) - drab
Information Technology - gold
Nursing – apricot
Integrated Healthcare Management - salmon
Master of Health Leadership - sage green

Prior to the conferral of degrees, bachelor's degree graduates wear the tassel on the right side while master's degree graduates wear their tassel on the left side for the entire commencement ceremony.

A graduate should wear academic attire appropriate to the awarded degree. The master's gown is different from a bachelor's gown. If you already have a cap and tassel, you can order a master's gown as an individual item on the WGU-Oak Hall Cap and Gown website. Please note that the academic attire for a master's graduate includes: cap, tassel, master's gown, and hood. 

WGU graduates who are veterans or active-duty military will be provided military honor cords. For virtual commencements, cords will be shipped to the address provided on their RSVP. For in-person commencements, cords will be picked up at graduate check-in. On your RSVP form, please mark that you are a veteran or on active duty.

The WGU Philanthropy Cord is a blue and gold cord for graduates to wear with their cap and gown on commencement day. The Philanthropy Cord is not only a physical symbol of a graduate’s commitment to WGU, it more importantly supports a legacy that will last for future generations of WGU.

Graduates can receive a Philanthropy Cord by making a gift of $24 or more to WGU’s Fellow Night Owl Scholarship, a fund established to help current WGU students facing financial hardship cross the finish line to graduation. To make a donation, graduates can text “WGUCord” to 41-444 or visit this link.

All WGU Philanthropy Cord donations support WGU’s Fellow Night Owl Scholarship, a fund established to help current WGU students facing financial hardship cross the finish line to graduation. We are asking for $24 in honor of WGU’s 24th anniversary! 

If you are participating in a virtual commencement, your philanthropy cord will be mailed to you.

If your commencement is in-person, philanthropy cords can be picked up by visiting the WGU Advancement table at the Alumni Celebration or during grad check-in before commencement.

If your in-person commencement is canceled, your philanthropy cord will be mailed to you following the WGU Commencement team's official cancelation notice.

WGU founded WGU Advancement in 2018 as its official fundraising arm dedicated to attracting, allocating, and putting dollars to work so more students have access to an affordable, quality education. WGU Advancement’s operation is the next step in WGU’s ever-growing obsession with students’ success, and a way for the increasing number of WGU graduates, donors, and partners to pay it forward.

Thank you for your generous support! You can donate to the Fellow Night Owl Scholarship by texting “WGUGrad” to 41-444 or by visiting this link. 

Yes, students may send an email to records@wgu.edu with the family member's full name, relationship to the student, and foreign address. Once provided, the Records Department will prepare documents containing information about the commencement and student's earned degree. These prepared letters will then be sent to the student to forward them to the correct parties. It may take 5-10 business days for the letters to be mailed to the student.

Please visit the WGU page on the Jostens site. Jostens is the current provider for commencement announcements. 

Visit the graduation application page in the student handbook for the most current information on how to apply for graduation. 

Graduates attending a commencement ceremony in person will be recognized individually at commencement. Your diploma and official transcripts will be mailed to you within 2 weeks of receipt of your application for graduation, assuming you have no outstanding financial obligations. If you have any questions, please contact records@wgu.edu. Read more here. Use your WGU credentials to login.

No, the records department compiles the list of graduate names from processed graduation applications for the graduate name book.

Graduates who complete their degree during one of these periods will be published in one of these books.

May 27 - December 31, 2017 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from May 27 to December 31, 2017. 
January 1 - June 30, 2018 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from January 1 to June 30, 2018. 
July 1 - December 31, 2018 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from July 1 to December 31, 2018.
January 1 - June 30, 2019 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from January 1 to June 30, 2019. 
July 1 - December 31, 2019 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from July 1 to December 31, 2019.
January 1 - June 30, 2020 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from January 1 to June 30, 2020. 
July 1 - December 31, 2020 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from July 1 to December 31, 2020.
January 1 - June 30, 2021 Graduate Name Book: This book includes graduates from January 1 to June 30, 2021. 

If you prefer to not have your name listed in the graduate name book, you have the option to opt out by sending an email to graduation@wgu.edu.