September 23 & 24 Commencement Weekend in Indianapolis

The WGU Commencement in Indianapolis is scheduled to take place on Saturday,  September 24, 2022. 

A commencement guidebook will be emailed to each graduate with check-in details, parking, map, and much more.

Graduates may bring up to 8 guests. Please note, venue seating capacity is subject to change due to the fluid situation of COVID-19 and as mandated by state and CDC guidelines. 

Depending on the location, tickets may be required. Please check your commencement guidebook for details.

Generally, the commencement ceremony lasts 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:

Speaker Deadline – Friday, July 29, 2022

Anthem Deadline – Friday, August 5, 2022

Cap & Gown Deadline – Friday, September 2, 2022

RSVP Deadline – Friday, September 2, 2022

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.

wgu.edu/2022indianapolisweekend

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

Did you know that WGU Alumni have access to hundreds of discounts? Log in to BenefitHub to search for deals on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more.

Graduates who wish to participate in an in-person or virtual commencement ceremony must complete two steps. 

1. Submit either your Graduation Application or be enrolled in and only have your final course remaining, such as capstone, final certification, or demonstration teaching. 
2. Submit an RSVP via the commencement web site (available at wgu.edu/commencement).  

To RSVP, you must have either your Graduation Application submitted to the Student Records department or be enrolled in your final course, such as capstone, final certification, or demonstration teaching. If you don’t currently meet this requirement, wait to RSVP until the requirement is met.

Students who are enrolled in their final course may submit an email to commencement@wgu.edu with "Final Course" in subject line along with desired commencement ceremony. 

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

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.

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. 

No. Once registration has closed, no late additions, including day of (walk-up) will be permitted.

Click on the RSVP button on this page.

Please visit the upcoming commencement web page.

Graduates may walk in one commencement ceremony per degree. As of January 2022, a graduate may participate in one ceremony per degree, either a virtual or in-person ceremony.

Yes. WGU will host a virtual commencement on July 16, 2022, simultaneously with the WGU Commencement in Seattle.

Photos from each commencement ceremony will be available for purchase through our photography partner The Grad Team in the week following each commencement. All photos can be viewed on their website here.

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

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

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 while master's degree graduates wear their tassel on the left for the entire commencement ceremony.

A graduate should wear academic attire appropriate to the awarded degree. The master's gown differs 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 a cap, tassel, master's gown, and hood. 

WGU graduates who are veterans or active-duty military will be provided with a military honor cord. 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.

Graduates are permitted to decorate their caps and wear sashes with their regalia. Take into consideration the following if decorating your cap or wearing a sash for commencement: 

WGU does not allow content on caps or sashes that is considered, in WGU’s sole discretion, obscene, vulgar, defamatory, hateful, inappropriate, profane or that might disregard another’s copyright or third-party rights. All decorations must lie flat on the cap.

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, but it also more importantly supports a legacy that will last for future generations of WGU.

Graduates can receive a philanthropy cord by making a gift of $25 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 donate, 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 $25 in honor of WGU’s 25th anniversary! 

For in-person commencements, philanthropy cords may be picked up by visiting the WGU Advancement table at the Alumni Celebration or during graduate check-in before commencement. If the in-person commencement is canceled, philanthropy cords will be mailed to participating graduates following an official cancellation notice.

For virtual commencements, philanthropy cords will be mailed to the graduate prior to the ceremony date.

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.

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. 

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