Graduation

Commencement – Saturday, May 1, 2021

Hello Graduate!

As commencement approaches, we are excited to announce that we can host a drive-through celebration on campus to recognize your hard work! On May 1st, starting at 10:00 a.m. graduates and their guests will arrive on campus to receive personal congratulations from RU’s President, Dr. Stogner. Graduate names will be read as each student crosses the stage to receive their diploma cover; professional photographs by GradImages will be taken and available for ordering after the event.

We look forward to celebrating our graduates with festivities around campus. There will be dedicated spaces for families to snap pictures, the campus store will be open, and food trucks will be available. Please consider picnicking around Lake Norcentra with your loved ones.

Each graduate will be allowed to bring one vehicle to campus. Graduates and guests will remain in the vehicle through the registration line. Graduates will be permitted to leave their vehicle when it is time to cross the stage; guests will have a “front-row” seat as their vehicle progresses through the line and stops in front of the stage to hear the name of their graduate read. We encourage graduates to extend their cap decorating to their vehicle to add to the fun!

For contact tracing, graduates must pre-register for this event using the Spring 2021 Commencement Registration Form. Names and phone numbers for each guest in your vehicle are required. The event registration deadline is April 1, 2021.

Participating graduates will receive a gift when they arrive on campus, as well as a RU branded mask that matches their regalia. Regalia is required for participation; orders should be placed through the Online RU Regalia Store. The last day to place your order is April 16, 2021.

Registered graduates will receive an email one week before the event with traffic instructions and a specific appointment time.

We look forward to celebrating this special day with you and your guests.

Order Academic Regalia
Order RU Diploma Frame
Campus Map

Deadlines

Rochester University holds commencement at the end of the Spring semester. Attendance is recommended but not required for graduation. Please see the Graduation and Commencement Application Deadlines chart below. The Registrar must receive transcripts from other institutions by the end of the summer semester. If transcripts have not been received by the appropriate date, the student’s degree will not be posted.

Application

Graduation Audit

Upon receiving a student’s graduation application, the Office of the Registrar conducts an official graduation audit. A graduation audit letter will be sent to the student’s RU email account within four weeks of submitting a graduation application to confirm progress toward graduation.