four students in cap and gown, seen from behind

Commencement

2024 Commencement Events and Ceremonies

Westminster University’s 149th commencement ceremonies will be held May 10 and May 11, 2024, on Dumke Field.

  • Graduation ceremonies are rain or shine, outdoor events. Please come prepared for the weather and be mindful of how the weather may affect guests with special needs.
  • Ceremonies will be broadcast in the Vieve Gore Concert Hall in the Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory for late arriving guests and those who prefer a climate-controlled viewing experience with wheelchair accessibility and nearby restrooms.
  • If you or your guests require ADA accommodation or support for wheelchairs for the ceremony, email commencement@westminsteru.edu at least 5 business days before the ceremony you plan to attend.
  • Questions? Email commencement@westminsteru.edu.


Graduate Information

Graduates are required to arrive for check-in 1 hour before your ceremony in Richer Commons. Graduates should already be dressed in their cap and gown. Please leave personal items with family members and do not bring children, purses, or other personal items onto the field during the ceremony.

Regalia for undergraduate and graduate students will be provided at the Grad Fair on April 11 and April 12 at the Kim T. Adams Alumni House. This is when you pick up your gown, cap, cords (if applicable), and hood (if applicable). The deadline to order your regalia is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 23.

All students participating in graduation must order a cap and gown. Check with program administrators (i.e. Honors or Athletics) for specialty cord, stole, or pin pick-up instructions.

ORDER YOUR REGALIA

After graduation certification has been completed (about 6 weeks after commencement), you will be notified by email that your diploma is available to pick up in the Registrar's Office free of charge. A photo ID is required and all holds with the school must be cleared in order to release your diploma. You may also choose to have your diploma mailed to you by completing the Diploma Mailing Request Form. To ensure that your diploma arrives safely, all diplomas are mailed via certified mail; there is a $20 fee associated with this service.

Your cap, gown, and diploma will be released only if your account with the university is in good standing. Be sure all financial and academic holds with the university are cleared.

Be sure to update Self-Service with any changes to your address or phone number. Your access to Self-Service will continue for 1 year after graduation at which point you can contact the Registrar’s Office with any changes to your personal information.

Honors are awarded to undergraduate students who complete 60 hours of coursework with letter grades at Westminster and meet the following criteria:

Honors Level Criteria
Summa Cum Laude Top 10% of eligible students
Magna Cum Laude Second 10% of eligible students
Cum Laude Third 10% of eligible students

The grade point averages necessary to meet honors criteria are based on the previous year's graduating class grade point averages (GPA). The GPA required to receive honors for graduation is determined after the entire class has graduated in August and is published during the fall semester.

Based on the above policy, the Registrar's Office has determined the following GPA cutoffs for graduating with honors:

2023–24 Honors GPAs

  • Summa Cum Laude: 3.945
  • Magna Cum Laude: 3.901
  • Cum Laude: 3.822

Honors noted in the online commencement program are based upon the grade point average at the end of the fall semester. Anticipated honors designations are noted in the program for spring semester and summer term graduates. They are subject to change based on the calculation of final grade point averages for students attending summer term. Grade point averages are not rounded in order to achieve honors.

Be sure any external transcripts of pre-approved transfer credit, CLEP scores, etc. reach the Registrar's Office by May 15 (if finishing in May) or August 15 (if finishing in August) for timely graduation processing.

"I was reminded of just how grateful I am that as a school, you all put so much effort into adapting policies and our learning so that we could come to school in 2020. For the class of 2024, this will be our first real graduation. Most of us have never walked across a graduation stage! "

Issie O'Gara (She/They)
'24

Guest Information

Each undergraduate participant may bring up to 6 guests with them to watch the undergraduate ceremony. There is no guest limit for the graduate ceremony. Tickets will not be required. Overflow seating will be located in the Vieve Gore Concert Hall in the Jewett Center for the Performing Arts and Emma Jones Conservatory when capacity at Dumke Field has been reached.

Guests are encouraged to be seated on the field 15 minutes before the ceremony starts. Guests arriving with graduates are welcome to enjoy campus while graduates check in. Food and beverages are not permitted on the field. Water will be provided at the ceremony site. Please do not bring signs or projected noise devices so that every guest may enjoy celebrating their graduates.

Park in the 2 parking structures off 1700 South: Dumke Field and north parking structures. ADA parking spots are reserved in both parking structures. The closest parking option to the ceremony location is the parking lot under Dumke Field. There is an elevator that goes up to the field.

The north parking structure is the closest parking structure to the indoor viewing area in Vieve Gore Concert Hall and is located at the corner of 1700 South and 1200 East. There is an accessible entrance to Vieve Gore Concert Hall from the second level of the parking structure.

map of campus marked for commencment 2023 activities

Commencement will be live streamed on Westminster’s YouTube channel.

VIEW LIVE STREAM

Island Photography is providing professional photography of individual students immediately after they cross the stage. Please do not impede the procession path or photo backdrop during the ceremony. Personal photography is welcome before and after the ceremony. Tag your photos #WestminsterGrad and #WestminsterSLC.

Please observe the following safety guidelines:

  • We ask that guests remain in the guest seating area for the duration of the ceremony. Please do not approach your graduate during the processional, recessional, and ceremony.
  • For their safety, babies and children are not allowed on stage or in the graduate seating area
  • In the event of a medical emergency, medical personnel will be on standby
  • Dumke Field has 2 ADA-accessible entry and exit points, on the northeast and southeast corners of the field. Additional stair exits are located on the north and south sides of the bleacher area.
  • The nearest accessible restroom is reached via the northeast exit of Dumke Field. It is located in the lobby of the Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center (HWAC).
  • Smoking, e-cigarettes, vapes, and other tobacco products are not allowed on Dumke Field
  • Westminster is a substance-free and weapons-free campus