Summer 2023 Commencement
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! Summer commencement will take place on Saturday, June 24. We look forward to sharing this exciting day with you and celebrating your accomplishments at Western Michigan University.
More information will be announced in the coming weeks. Please contact the Registrar's Office with questions at (269) 387-4300.
Ceremony times
There will be two ceremonies on June 24. Ceremony times are as follows:
9 a.m.
- College of Education and Human Development
- College of Fine Arts
- Haworth College of Business
- Merze Tate College
12 p.m.
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Aviation
- College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- College of Health and Human Services
Ticket reservation and distribution
Graduating students may reserve tickets until Tuesday, June 20, at 11:59 p.m. All guests, including family members and children (regardless of age), must have a ticket to enter Miller Auditorium. All seats are general admission. Guests without tickets may view the ceremony livestream or view the ceremony on a large screen in Brown Hall. A link to watch the ceremony livestream will be available on this webpage closer to commencement day.
Guest tickets are generated with a unique identifier that is traceable back to the student who requested them. Because of this feature, tickets can be printed multiple times. However, tickets can only be scanned once. Duplicate tickets with the same bar code will be denied entrance after the first ticket has been scanned.
Each guest ticket will have a number listed above the barcode (Ticket #1 of 4, for example). Please assign each guest their own number to avoid delays when entering Miller Auditorium.
Regalia
A cap and gown are required for participation in the ceremony. Regalia may be purchased from the WMU Bookstore during regular business hours. For hours and availability, please call the WMU Bookstore at (269) 387-3930.
In addition to regalia, master’s candidates will receive a hood, with the color indicating field of study. Doctoral students should contact the WMU Bookstore to purchase regalia. Learn more about degree color designation and commencement accessories.
Donor cords
Graduates have the opportunity to receive donor cords by making a gift of $20 or more. Your gift can support the area that resonates the most for you—whether it’s the Invisible Need Fund, diversity and inclusion, specific scholarships to colleges, the arts, athletics and more. In addition to cords, you are helping the students who will follow your footsteps and joining a family of 250,000+ Bronco Alumni making an impact!
Visit wmualumni.org/donor-cords to make your gift today. Donor cords are available for pickup at Heritage Hall and commencement, please show us your gift receipt.
Class rings
Graduates can showcase their WMU pride through the purchase of an official class ring. Browse the multiple designs and place an order online.
Tributes from family, friends and the WMU community
To help graduates wrap up this chapter of their academic careers, we invite family, friends and the WMU community to send a short stand-up video with a few words of encouragement and praise. Please limit videos to seven seconds (:07) in length and film in landscape orientation. The deadline to submit a tribute video is Sunday, June 11, at 11:59 p.m.
Due to the volume of graduating students and the duration of the video, we may not be able to include every submission received. Tributes will be selected based on video and sound quality, originality and Bronco spirit.
Arrival and parking information
Graduates are required to participate with their respective colleges and must report to Shaw Theatre 45 minutes before their college commencement time. Shaw Theatre is located in the Gilmore Theatre Complex next to Miller Auditorium. Graduates assemble in Shaw Theatre, but the ceremony will take place in Miller.
Parking will be available in all areas adjacent to Miller Auditorium.
General information
Personal items
Graduates may not bring personal items such as a purse, bag or coat to Miller Auditorium during commencement. Items may be left in Shaw Theatre and WMU Public Safety will watch over them during the ceremony.
Guests may not bring bags or purses larger than 4.5" x 6.5" or approximately the size of a small handbag/clutch purse. Anything larger may be subject to search or requested that it be returned to the vehicle. Backpacks of any kind are strictly prohibited.
Accessibility
Students with accessibility needs should call (269) 387-4300 or email registrar-info@wmich.edu to make arrangements for the ceremony. Guests with accessibility needs (e.g., seating accommodations, sign language interpretation, etc.) should call Miller Auditorium at (269) 387-2320 to make arrangements for the ceremony.
After the ceremony
The ceremony lasts approximately two hours. We ask that graduates and guests do not leave before the ceremony concludes. Miller Auditorium is very crowded after commencement. We recommend that graduates prearrange a location, outside of Miller, to meet their guests after the ceremony.
Share your graduation day posts and pictures on social media using #WMUGrad.