Summer 2022 Commencement

Invitations to register for the summer 2022 commencement ceremonies were sent in April and May. Alumni who indicated interest in attending a future in-person ceremony were invited to register first. To be eligible to receive an invitation to register to attend commencement, graduates must be on track to receive confirmation of their degree conferral by Wednesday, May 4, 2022. Registration for commencement closed on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.

• Graduation application: To be eligible to receive an invitation to attend commencement, you must first apply to graduate and receive confirmation of your degree conferral from the graduation team. The email confirmation of your degree conferral will include details on the commencement ceremony for which you are first eligible to attend. This email is different from your invitation to register to attend commencement.
• Commencement registration: Once you receive conferral of your degree you are eligible to receive an invitation to register to attend commencement. To be included in the virtual ceremonies, you must successfully register to attend using the link in the invitation email from the commencement team. Invitations to register to attend the summer 2022 commencement will only be sent to the graduating summer class of 2022 and previously eligible graduates who notified us of their intent to attend.

Please note that it takes two to four weeks to process the confirmation of your degree conferral. If you have questions about your requisites for completion, estimated graduation date, or when you can expect confirmation of your degree conferral, please reach out to your Student Success Advisor.

During registration, graduates chose which date they wanted to participate in commencement based on eligibility and availability. Graduates can confirm which ceremony they are attending by checking their email.

While the ceremonies themselves will not be separated by college or school, graduates will be recognized with fellow graduates in the same college and program level.

The doors to the commencement space will open two hours prior to the start of the ceremony. Upon arrival into the convention center, graduates and guests will proceed to Exhibit Hall 1 where they will pass through security and a ticket scanning checkpoint. All guests must have a valid ticket and graduates must possess their GradPass. Once in the commencement concourse, graduates and their guests can mingle, take photos, check out WaldenGear, and more.

Graduates will proceed to sit in the section that corresponds to their college and degree level. This section will be communicated ahead of time and listed on the GradPass. Guests will proceed and find their own seats. Guest seating will be arranged in groups of two or four in order to promote social distancing.

Doctoral graduates will be hooded on stage as their name is read aloud. The presentation of the academic hood is a powerful and highly symbolic moment for each doctoral graduate. In keeping with academic tradition, once the hood is donned, doctoral graduates will hood the next doctoral graduate in a chain that connects everyone to each other in this celebratory moment.

Each graduate is allotted a maximum of four guest tickets in addition to their graduate ticket. A ticket denotes a seat and is needed for anyone over the age of 3. Graduates can manage their guest tickets at any time through the MarchingOrder website. Tickets can be presented electronically or on paper.

Walden strictly prohibits the sale or exchange of tickets between graduates and guests.

Graduates are required to wear regalia to cross the stage. Walden has partnered with Herff Jones for all your regalia needs and other graduation products. All regalia will be shipped directly to the graduate and will not be available for pick-up on site. For graduates who have still yet to order or receive their regalia by the time they leave for commencement, Herff Jones will have regalia available on site.

Unsure of what to order or how to wear your regalia? This video will help explain the different types of regalia and how to properly wear them.

Walden awards Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude) and the Presidential Commendation for Academic Achievement (cumulative GPA of 4.0) at the bachelor’s level only.

Walden allows honors graduates to wear all honors regalia (such as cords, sashes, and stoles) during the ceremony. Each honor society is responsible for the sale and distribution of these items, so we suggest that you contact the honors society or student organization for more details. Please view the honor societies/student organizations’ contact information on the Student Organizations website.

The Henry B. Gonzalez convention center is located at 900 E Market Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205. The convention center is easily accessible by foot, via taxi or car service, and through public transportation. For attendees who plan to arrive by car, we strongly encourage you to reserve your parking in advance to guarantee a spot. There is an accessible drop off point on East Market street outside of the main entrance of the convention center.

While in San Antonio, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of everything that the city has to offer! Be sure to book dining and activity reservations in advance to secure your itinerary.

Walden University and Adtalem Global Education strongly encourage vaccination against COVID-19 for all participants and attendees at our in-person and commencement events. Unless mandated by local ordinance, Walden will not require proof of vaccination for attendees.

These policies are based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other local administrative or governmental agencies and ministries, and are designed to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Based on current local and venue guidance, masks will be optional for students and guests attending the commencement events. Walden will continue to monitor guidance from local, state and federal authorities and may update based on local, state and/or federal mandates.

While at scheduled event activities, we recommend you use a face covering, follow the recommended CDC guidelines on hand washing and hand sanitizer, practice physical distancing, and monitor your health. If you are feeling ill, please refrain from attending the scheduled events.

Additionally, guest and graduate seating will be arranged in a way that encourages distancing. Guest seats will be arranged in groups of four so that the guests of each graduate can sit with one another and remain distanced from other guests.

GradImages will be on site in San Antonio to capture your big day! Photographers will be stationed to capture images of you before, during, and after crossing the stage. Stations will also be available to take additional photos or headshots. More information and a link to pre-register with GradImages will be available here in the coming weeks.

Do you plan on taking photos to celebrate this momentous occasion? Whether you are taking them at home or working with a photographer, use these tips to capture the perfect moment. Once you have these photos of you in your regalia, we encourage you to share your photos with us and post them on social media using #WaldenUGrad.

View the summer 2022 commencement policies for the in-person ceremonies.

The summer 2022 commencement ceremonies will be captioned live. If you need specific accommodations to access the event, please contact Student Wellness and Disability Services at [email protected] by May 13, 2022.

Graduates have access to their guest tickets through Marching Order, where they can print or email their guest tickets. Graduates are responsible for providing their guests with a valid ticket.

Upon entering the ceremony concourse, all attendees are required to pass through a security check point before scanning their tickets. Tickets can be presented on a mobile device or on paper. Please make sure to come early and prepared to make this a smooth and easy process.

Please remain in your chosen seats and celebrate respectfully so that every graduate’s name can be heard as they cross the stage. GradImages will be on site to take professional photos of each graduate as they cross the stage.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, guests are welcome to meet up with their graduate within the commencement space to celebrate and take photos.

Guests can purchase flowers and other congratulatory items once in the commencement concourse. Guests can also pre-order flowers for their graduate(s).

Guests can also take advantage of some of the tools within the celebration toolkit like the printable signs, coloring pages, and playlist.

Guest seating will be available in pods of two and four, distanced to provide a comfortable experience for attendees. Guests may choose any pod of available chairs.

Guests who are unable to attend in person can watch the ceremonies live. 

For this virtual commencement, we will bring the event to you. There will be two events to view on the day of commencement.

This event will feature messages from university leaders and the Alumni Association.

On Sunday, June 26th at 2 p.m. Eastern you can watch this ceremony here or on our Facebook event page.

During the division-based ceremonies, degrees will be conferred and graduates will be individually recognized by their college and degree level.

Immediately following the university welcome, your individual academic division ceremony will be available to view on this page. Graduates should consult their pre-event communications or review the ceremony key to confirm which ceremony they should attend.

Do you plan on taking photos to celebrate this momentous occasion? Whether you are taking them at home or working with a photographer, use these tips to capture the perfect moment.

Once you have these photos of you in your regalia, we encourage you to share some of them with us by submitting them using this form and posting on social media using #WaldenUGrad.

Please note that this is not the submission for the ceremony headshot photo to be included for individual recognition. Instructions to submit those headshot photos was sent to all registered virtual graduates in May.

Graduates who registered to attend the virtual ceremonies by May 11, 2022 will be sent a special gift box to the address provided during registration.

Eligible bachelor’s level Graduates who registered to attend the virtual ceremonies will be sent their honors cord and/or presidential medallion prior to the ceremonies on Sunday, June 26.

Walden awards Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude) and the Presidential Commendation for Academic Achievement (cumulative GPA of 4.0) at the bachelor’s level only. Walden allows honors graduates to wear all honors regalia (such as cords, sashes, and stoles) during the ceremony. Each honor society is responsible for the sale and distribution of these items, so we suggest that you contact the honors society or student organization for more details. Please view the honor societies/student organizations’ contact information on the Student Organizations website.

In addition to participating virtually, graduates can also choose to participate in a future in-person commencement ceremony when it best aligns with their schedule. Find the calendar of future ceremonies on the main commencement website.

For future in-person ceremonies, please do not make any travel arrangements or housing accommodations until you have successfully registered to attend the ceremony. Indicating interest in a future ceremony is not the same as completing the full registration process.