Eligibility for Commencement Participation

Any student who has earned a degree and has not participated in a previous Drake Commencement ceremony for that degree is encouraged to participate.

Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony

Those who expect to complete all degree requirements (registered with appropriate number of hours, adequate G.P.A. and all requirements met) in either December 2024, May 2025, or August 2025 are encouraged to participate in the May ceremony.

Commencement Program

Names to be included in the Commencement program are students who are expected May or August graduates or students who will be participating in that event. Students are expected to meet the stated program preparation deadlines to ensure their name is printed. These dates are published at the commencement web site.

Appeal

If a student desires to participate in a ceremony for which they do not meet the eligibility guidelines, the student may appeal to the Provost.  The appeal must be submitted via the online Commencement Participation Appeal Form 45 days prior to the ceremony. The Provost may consult an ad hoc advisory panel of Deans and/or Commencement officials prior to making a final decision.

Appeal Criteria

The following are the criteria for considering ceremony participation on the exception basis for students with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

The student must meet one of the following:

1. The student has only the student teaching requirement remaining to be completed during the upcoming fall semester, OR
2. The student is enrolled in a university partnership program (i.e., Washington University), OR
3. The student can document a serious hardship associated with participation in the commencement ceremony (i.e. documented illness, visa expiration, religious observance, etc.) on the day established.