Virginia Tech will host 15 in-person commencement ceremonies in Lane Stadium May 10-16 that will be divided up by college to celebrate graduating Hokies while also adhering to public health guidelines.
Registration for graduating students and their guests is required. The last day to register is April 16. Each graduate may invite up to four guests.
During the week of April 19, all registered students will receive an email to secure up to four guest tickets. In order to comply with the state guidelines, information for each guest must be submitted when signing up for tickets. Entrance without a ticket will not be permitted.
The virtual university commencement will be on Friday, May 14, at 6:15 p.m., and degrees will be conferred at this time. This year’s commencement keynote speaker will be announced later this month. The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the greater Washington, D.C., metro area will also host in-person ceremonies separately.
Each ceremony is expected to last two hours. Large colleges will have more than one ceremony, and students will select which time they will attend. If a graduate would traditionally attend a departmental ceremony they should now attend their college ceremony. Graduates that associate with multiple colleges should choose their preferred ceremony.
The schedule for the in-person college ceremonies that will be held at Lane Stadium is as follows:
Monday, May 10: 2 p.m. Graduate School (1 of 2); 6:30 p.m. Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Tuesday, May 11: 4 p.m. Graduate School (2 of 2).
Wednesday, May 12: 6 p.m. College of Engineering (1 of 3).
Thursday, May 13: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. College of Engineering (2 and 3 of 3); 6 p.m. College of Architecture and Urban Studies.
Friday, May 14: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. College of Science (1 and 2 of 2); 6:15 p.m. University Commencement virtual ceremony.
Saturday, May 15: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (1 and 2 of 2); 6 p.m. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Sunday, May 16: 8 a.m. College of Natural Resources and Environment; 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Pamplin College of Business (1 and 2 of 2).
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the greater Washington, D.C., metro area will also have in-person ceremonies, which will take place in Roanoke and Falls Church, respectively. The school of medicine will host its ceremony May 8 and the D.C. area ceremony will be May 18. Details about these ceremonies will be communicated to graduates separately.
The Corps of Cadets will also host a graduation ceremony. It will be May 3 at 5:30 p.m. on Upper Quad. Details will be available at vtcc.vt.edu/commencement. More than 8,000 Hokies are graduating this spring. Because of that, hosting multiple in-person events, as well as an online ceremony, is necessary to accommodate public health protocols while also making the experience special for graduates and their families.
Ceremonies will include a message from the dean, and graduates will be able to walk across the stage as their name is read. Photos will be taken, and graduates will be able to choose to have their image mailed to them.