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Commencement Day

Students participating in the Commencement processional should begin arrive by 7:30 a.m. for the ceremony. Since traffic will be heavy, please leave enough time to park and consider carpooling . The processional will begin promptly at the stated ceremony time. No one will be allowed to join the graduates once they are seated.

Graduate Parking

Student parking will be in the Sierra Mist Lot and should access from the Deacon Boulevard main entry at the Annex (see map for locations).

Honor Cords

The Honors designation in the Commencement program book will be based on the cumulative GPA earned through the previous semester.

Military Honor Cords

Are available for graduates who were honorably discharged U.S. veterans, are currently serving in the military (active duty, National Guard or Reserves), or are an ROTC student commissioning upon graduation as a way for the university to honor their service. 

Military cords will be included in the graduation packet and mailed to graduates.  Graduates who do not plan on attending the ceremonies will have their cords mailed with their diplomas.

Commencement Photographer

An official photographer will be on site. Gradimages will be taking photographs of all graduates at the Commencement Ceremony. They will be located as you exit the stage. You may pre-register your information prior to the ceremony at their website, GradImages, or you may order photographs after the ceremony either online or by call 800-261-2576. By registering early, photo samples will be provided to you as soon as they are available after the event and you can get a $5 off coupon on orders of $25 or more.

After Commencement

Degree Distribution

Degrees will be mailed within six weeks of the graduation date. If a graduate has any holds their record, the degree will not be mailed.

The degree will be mailed to the address provided on the application for graduation. Likewise the name that is printed on the degree the name entered on the application for graduation. If you wish to change your name or address, please contact the Office of the Registrar by email at Graduation_Services@wssu.edu. Diploma covers will be mailed upon request to those who do not attend the ceremony. Please notify the Office of the Registrar if you want a diploma cover mailed.

Degrees are shipped through the United States Postal Service. It is important you provide the mailing address on your graduation application that reflects where you will be living two months after graduation rather than where you are currently living.

If your degree is damaged in the mail or is incorrect, please email Graduation_Services@wssu.edu

Other Matters

  • All graduates must clear and be officially checked out of their residence halls by 12 noon on Saturday, December 14, 2024. Seniors living in the residence halls must communicate their intentions to stay to the residence hall staff.
  • The Office of Information Technology is happy to provide an extension to the use of some of the applications to which you have become accustomed. Please be sure to read communications from the Office of Information Technology for important changes regarding your access to WSSU IT resources and applications after graduation.

    We recommend that you create a new or use and existing personal email account for paying bills, applying for jobs, signing up for services, etc. to ensure you do not lose access to those services when your WSSU email access ends.

    Please visit the Technology Resources after Graduation page for more information.