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Graduation & Commencement

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To honor and celebrate our graduating students, Eastern Kentucky University hosts two commencement ceremonies annually, one at the end of the fall semester in December, and one at the end of the spring semester in May. This site has information for students as they seek to apply to graduate, and as they prepare for the big day. This site also contains information for family and friends who wish to join their graduating student in celebration. Specific ceremony details are added at the beginning of each semester.

Spring 2026 Commencement Information

The Spring 2026  Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, 2026, at the Baptist Health Arena at Alumni Coliseum.

There are four ceremonies scheduled to honor graduates from the university’s six academic colleges. The ceremonies will be as follows:

Thursday, May 7, 2026

  • 6:00 p.m.: Master’s and Doctoral Graduates from all Colleges

Friday, May 8, 2026 

  • 9:00 a.m.: College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences and the College of Education and Applied Human Sciences
  • 1:00 p.m.:  College of Health Sciences and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
  • 5:00 p.m.: College of Business and the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science

More specific ceremony information will be emailed to you ahead of commencement. Please visit this webpage for updated information regarding graduate RSVP links, guest tickets and other commencement details.

Questions?

Check out the available FAQs below. If you have questions that aren’t answered below, submit a commencement contact form.

All undergraduate students (Masters students are not awarded Latin Honors) earning Latin Honors must take at least 25% (30 GPA credit hours) of their degree applicable coursework at Eastern Kentucky University.

Baccalaureate Latin Honors Degrees:

(Honors GPA are calculated separately. See details below.)

  • Summa Cum Laude – 3.9 to 4.0
  • Magna Cum Laude – 3.7 to 3.89
  • Cum Laude – 3.5 to 3.69

Associate Degrees:

  • With High Distinction – 3.7 to 4.0
  • With Distinction – 3.5 to 3.69

Determining University Honors Eligibility

Calculation of Adjusted GPA
A separate calculation is made to determine University Latin Honors. All semester hours attempted at EKU are included in the Honors GPA calculation. Grades for every course a student has repeated or bankrupted at EKU are entered back into the GPA for Honors calculation. The GPA reflected on a student’s transcript and/or Degree Works therefore cannot be seen as an indicator as to whether a student has earned University Honors.

Official University Honors Awards
Students earning Baccalaureate Latin Honors wear a maroon and white stole at commencement. Honors recognized during the graduation ceremony do not include the final semester’s course work, and are therefore un-official. Official University Honors on the diploma and final transcript will include the final semester’s grades.

Dates: Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 6 :00 p.m.
Location: Lower Level of Powell

GradFest is an event hosted each semester where graduating students can:

  • Purchase and pick up their cap and gown
    NOTE: Doctoral students must pre-purchase or rent regalia. Learn more information here.
  • Verify the degree they are earning
  • Confirm their mailing address for the shipment of their diploma
  • Order graduation announcements and class rings with Jostens
  • Visit with the EKU Alumni Office

Graduation caps and gowns are required for all commencement participants. This is a recognition ceremony that is optional and candidates should be appropriately attired. Undergraduate students earning University honors will be provided with an honor sash. Approved honor societies may provide optional regalia for their members to wear at commencement. It is the student’s responsibility to attend GradFest in order to acquire the required regalia. Students should contact their honors societies regarding stoles, cords or pins.

Doctoral Students Only

If you would like to purchase or rent doctoral regalia, you will need to contact the EKU Barnes and Noble Bookstore at 859-622-2696. Before you purchase or rent regalia, please confirm with the Graduate School that you are eligible to participate.

Student Pre-Commencement FAQs

If you are an online or off-campus student and will be attending the commencement ceremony but are unable to attend GradFest, an order link will be made available after the GradFest event is over. Please continue to monitor your EKU email for commencement updates.

The graduation fee covers expenses incurred in awarding, producing and mailing diplomas, as well as official graduation transcripts. Each student who graduates receives an EKU diploma and an official transcript listing their awarded credentials: degree, minor, concentration, certificate, etc. Each student individually decides whether they will attend a graduation ceremony—only those who attend must have regalia—and therefore, the cost of regalia is a separate and distinct charge.

Regalia refers to the caps, gowns, hoods and stoles worn by participants at the commencement ceremony.

Jostens is the contracted vendor that provides personalized announcements. Personalized announcements take two weeks to be produced. The Barnes & Noble Bookstore at EKU also has generic announcements for sale. Invitations, announcements and class rings can be ordered during GradFest or directly from Jostens.

Candidates will walk across the stage individually by department to receive a diploma cover, and individual professional photos will be taken by GradImages.

Caps, gowns, hoods for graduate students, and honors stoles can be picked up during GradFest.

Please contact the Barnes and Noble Bookstore at EKU at 859-622-2696.

Attend GradFest! GradFest is not just for undergraduates. This is also where you will pick-up your packaged master’s regalia, including your master’s hood.

Yes! GradFest is for all graduating students: Associates, Baccalaureate, Master’s, and Specialist. GradFest only takes a few minutes of your time, but provides you with everything necessary to make commencement a success and to make sure your diploma information is correct and is mailed to the proper address. GradFest is THE opportunity to acquire your cap and gown and offers a chance to buy invitations and class rings. GradFest is scheduled during the day and evenings for two days each semester to accommodate students that work and have other obligations.

If you are unable to attend GradFest, there will still be an opportunity to acquire your cap and gown. The Office of the Registrar will email a link, after GradFest, to order your cap and gown and have the items shipped to your residence. Regalia will be available for pick-up at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at EKU located on the EKU Richmond campus. This service will still be available once GradFest is over, and will continue through the day of your commencement ceremony.

You indicate how you want your name to be printed on your diploma when you apply for graduation. The last name on your diploma must be the legal name that is listed in EKU’s database but you may choose to have your preferred first name printed on the diploma. Middle names are optional on the diploma, and a middle initial may be used in place of a full middle name. Maiden names may be used as second middle names if requested. Suffixes may be used if they are part of the legal name on record at EKU. For more details about your diploma, go to the Diploma Guide.

Your name, degree, primary major and secondary major are on your diploma. Concentrations and minors are not shown on your diploma, but they will be on your transcript.

Diplomas will be mailed out approximately six (6) to eight (8) weeks after degree conferral. Degree Conferral dates can be found on the Diploma Guide. Your diploma will be mailed to the address you provided on your graduation application and a copy of your official EKU transcript will be emailed to your EKU student email account. For more details about your diploma, go to the Diploma Guide.

If you have a hold that prevents you from receiving your transcript and diploma, you will receive an email letting you know what your options are. Your diploma and transcript will be released after you have notified us that your hold has been released. EKU only holds diplomas and transcripts for certain financial obligations so if you are not notified your diploma is on hold, there will not be a delay.

Diplomas are mailed to the address provided on the graduation application. If the address changes before the diploma has been printed, students must use this form to update their diploma address. Please make sure that diploma address is selected.

Variations of a graduate’s official name may be printed on a diploma. Variations of a name must be requested when submitting a Graduation Application. If the name changes before the diploma has been printed, students must use this form to update their diploma name and include all appropriate documentation.

Students with work “In-Progress” or who have classes with grades of “Incomplete” will be allowed to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. However, all “In-Progress” work and “Incomplete” grades must be converted to official grades by the degree conferral date in order for a degree to be awarded during any given term.

Contact a College Graduation Expert in your College and request deferral to the following semester as soon as possible. This will enable your graduation application to be transferred to the following semester and will enable you to register for any classes you need to complete your degree. Be sure to email from your EKU email account and include your name and EKU ID in your email.