July 16, 2022 Summer Virtual Commencement

The virtual commencement features a keynote address, graduate speeches, and a graduate’s moment in the spotlight (conferral of degrees). Graduates are invited to participate live or on their own time. Click here for a glimpse of a virtual commencement.

Graduates who participated in a virtual commencement due to COVID-19 in 2020 or 2021 are welcome to join us for an in-person commencement in the future. As of January 2022, graduates may participate in one commencement ceremony (in-person or virtual) per degree program completed.

Graduates who register and submit a video clip for virtual commencement will have their name announced while their name and degree is displayed on screen. 

Graduates who do not submit a video will have their names listed at the end of the conferral of degrees for their college. 

When you RSVP for virtual commencement, please note this in the comments section, or email commencement@wgu.edu with this request before the RSVP deadline.

No. After the livestream, the commencement will be organized by segments (e.g. welcome and opening remarks, anthem singer, graduate speeches, keynote speaker, reading of graduate names), allowing graduates to select which content they view. 

The link to watch virtual commencement is www.wgu.edu/virtual.

Communications are sent to the email address provided on the virtual commencement RSVP form. Graduates who register for virtual commencement will receive the following email communications: video clip instructions, deadline reminders, final details with instructions on how to view the virtual commencement, and a survey after commencement. If you have not received an email from us, contact commencement@wgu.edu.

Please check your WGU student email address for a copy of your confirmation email. If you have not received a confirmation email, please contact us at commencement@wgu.edu.

All graduates who submit a video clip for virtual commencement will receive a complimentary diploma cover via mail.

Graduates who RSVP for virtual commencement will receive instructions one month prior to the video submission deadline. If you have not received your video clip instructions, please contact commencement@wgu.edu.

Yes, as long your new video clip is submitted by the submissions deadline. 

Due to production schedules, late videos will not be accepted for virtual commencement. 

The Commencement team is happy to assist you with your video submission. Please email us at commencement@wgu.edu

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.

WGU graduate regalia can be ordered from Oak Hall Cap and Gown.  Please click on the “Virtual Ceremony” tab to place your order. 

We encourage you to wear a cap and gown, but this is not required to participate in virtual commencement. If you choose not to wear regalia or do not have regalia, business professional attire is encouraged.

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.