Graduates of Online Programs Celebrate Commencement

It's commencement time!

Commencement can be a highlight of their college careers for University of Arkansas graduates, regardless of whether they studied in online or in-person programs.

Many online graduates savor and celebrate their accomplishments as they walk across the stage to pick up their diploma cover*. They can join the Arkansas Alumni Association, and their names are etched into Senior Walk in one to three years. Those who are not residents of Northwest Arkansas may spend the weekend in town, attending other graduation events, visiting campus landmarks and enjoying student hangouts.

*Most colleges and universities do not hand out actual diplomas at commencement. They typically give a diploma cover (or a placeholder certificate) on stage, and the real diploma is mailed weeks later.

Reality of Commencement

• Choosing an invitation design and deciding who to send them to.
• Standing in lines and sitting through speeches.
• Waiting to hear family and friends cheer when your name is called.
• Shaking the hand of the dean of the college you're enrolled in.
• For undergraduates, the thrill of moving your tassel from right to left, marking the moment the student becomes a graduate.
• Smiling for pictures, shot both by official photographers and relatives with their phones.

At the University of Arkansas, spring commencement features separate ceremonies for each college and one for the Graduate School and International Education. Learn all about commencement on the U of A website.

What to Know About U of A Commencement

• Attending commencement is not mandatory.
• To attend, you must apply for graduation.
• Ceremonies are scheduled for both the fall and spring semesters.
• There are guidelines for how to wear your regalia, which is your cap and gown, and, in some cases, stoles and hoods.

The commencement website gives more details, including how to watch the ceremonies online.

Where These Traditions Originated and Some Fun Facts

Graduation ceremonies date to when the first universities were established in Europe in the 12th century. Gowns and hoods at commencement evolved from attire worn by medieval clergy and adopted by university staff.

A student still delivers a speech in Latin each year at Harvard University commencement, a holdover from the 1600s. At the University of Oxford, students formally bow or kneel as part of receiving their degrees.

At Stanford University, graduates enter in costumes, often the inflatable kind, giving the procession the name the "Wacky Walk."

Some colleges at U of A lead their students in the Hog Call during commencement. The tradition of calling the Hogs has become one of the most recognizable chants in all college sports.