To ensure you are on track to be eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony the following must be taken care of by any deadlines stipulated. 

• Submit graduation application (form on Registrar’s Office webpage)
• Receive email containing Evaluation of Graduation Application from the Office of the Registrar (shows any outstanding degree requirements that would need to be successfully completed to be eligible to participate in Commencement Ceremony and/or graduate). 
• Receive notice from Office of the Registrar that I am eligible to participate academically (notification will be sent after add/drop period ends in the spring).
• Receive link to verify pronunciation of name (receiving link is not a verification that you are eligible to participate it goes to all who applied for graduation regardless of status)
• Receive participation clearance from Financial Aid
• Receive participation clearance from Student Accounts
• Order Regalia through bookstore: herff.ly/wau  DO NOT order from anywhere else (such as Amazon, etc…)
• Completed survey’s

Graduates must complete the following surveys:

• Graduating Student Survey

      https://wau.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_82Ckf6cKSr99IW2

• Alumni Demographics & Future Plans Survey

     https://wau.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0dKmFklZn2fuYE5

DEADLINES

Graduation Application (form on Registrar’s Office webpage)

• December 31, 2025 Conferral – September 15, 2025 (Applications no longer accepted)

• May 3, 2026 Conferral Date – November 3, 2025 (Applications no longer accepted)

• August 8, 2025 Conferral Date – May 19, 2025 (All Summer graduates will only be eligible to participate in the 2026 commencement ceremony)

Financial Clearance Deadline to participate

• December 31, 2025 graduates – December 1, 2025
• May 3, 2026 graduates – April 1, 2026

Regalia Ordering Deadline

• March 15, 2025 (Orders placed after this date may incur additional fees)
• Order Here: herff.ly/wau

FEES (non-refundable)

• Class dues of $315 (Traditional Day Students); $210 (SGPS Students) – as determined by the graduating class for activities and class gift.  Any questions regarding this fee should be address to the graduating class officers
• There is a standing non-refundable graduation application fee of $150 (cost of diploma/cover/mailing and administrative fees)
• Preferred method of payment is credit card insert

Financial Clearance deadlines:

May 3, 2026 participants –  April 1, 2026

December 31, 2025 graduates – December 1, 2025

Financial Clearance for Potential Graduates & Exit Counseling

• All potential graduates must have a zero balance to be deemed financially cleared to receive a diploma, and participate in the commencement ceremony. Students MUST fill out the Exit Counseling if they received federal funds from Financial Aid see link provided here https://studentaid.gov/ 
• Student Financial Services must be completed for all students- https://calendly.com/student-financial-aid or 301-891-4005  or Finaid@wau.edu
• Student Accounts for all non-SGPS students (Zero Balance/Payment Plan)– studentaccount@wau.edu  or 301-891-4210 or https:waustudentaccounts.setmore.com   
• School of Graduate & Professional Studies (SGPS) Zero Balance/Payment Plan – Mr. Frank Scheib 301-891- 4090 or hfscheib@wau.edu

Click here for form: EXIT COUNSELING FORM

Commencement Rehearsal Information

Coming Soon!!

How to wear your regalia:

Helpful Tidbits from the Office of the Registrar regarding Commencement/Graduation Day

Provost video (instructions and things to be aware of):

Coming Soon!!

Ordering Regalia/Pickup

ALL regalia must be ordered through our university bookstore not from other businesses such as Amazon, etc…. 

Ordering Regalia (Cap & Gown) – Herff Jones deadline for online ordering: March 15, 2026    herff.ly/wau

Please contact Mr. Lloyd Yutuc at ylloyd@wau.edu or bookstore@wau.edu or 301-891-4477 regarding any questions regarding regalia.

To be able to pick up regalia for Commencement Weekend students must have met the following requirements:

• Must be academically cleared
• Must have a zero balance and have completed exit counseling by April 1, 2026

• Note: Participating Students can pick up regalia from the Bookstore beginning: TBD

All others who did not meet these requirements will be able to pick up their purchased regalia after commencement beginning May 4, 2026.

How to wear your regalia

This video from the Registrar’s Office has some helpful tips about how to wear your regalia. Click here to watch the video

Latin honor (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude) and departmental distinction cords are issued by the Office of the Registrar to those who are eligible for these honors. Any other cords/sashes for an honor society/class officer/athlete, etc., are not distributed by the Office of the Registrar.

Students with questions on how to obtain any cord/sash they may be eligible to receive should consult with the appropriate department (department chair or office that oversees honor societies/athletes or student life).

Note: Many honor society cords are not issued by the university when someone is inducted. In these cases graduates must purchase applicable cords/sashes at their own expense.

For those wanting to order NSLS (National Society of Leadership and Success) Stoles:

Please follow this link

(Out of Country) Invitation letter – Graduation Invitation Letter Request Form

If you have family, friends, or loved ones who are out of the country and want to travel for the commencement ceremony or pinning ceremony (Nursing students), you can request a letter that will be issued for them to apply for a visa to travel.

Please note that the first 10 letters for individuals are free. Any additional letters will be charged $1 each