Commencement 2024

If you plan to attend the ceremony, you MUST order your academic attire, which will serve as your RSVP to the Commencement Ceremony. If you are not planning to attend the ceremony, no order is expected, and you are not expected to inform anyone that you are not attending the Commencement Ceremony.

It will only take a few seconds to order. Order your attire by clicking on the Cap and Gown 2024 link here OR in the Student Links section, beginning March 1, but NO LATER THAN March 22. You should order as soon as possible.

If you miss the March 22 deadline, e-mail commencement@georgian.edu, at which time a) you will be given instructions on how to proceed, and b) a $25 late fee will be collected. Late orders may not arrive until the morning of commencement.

The following are guidelines to ensure the Commencement Ceremonies are celebrated with dignity:

• Academic attire for graduates consists of a black gown, a colored hood, and a cap with a tassel.
• Bachelor’s-degree candidates: the tassel should be worn to the right. Master’s- and doctoral-degree candidates: the tassel should be worn to the left.
• If you are eligible to wear an academic cord, the appropriate department or honor society, not the University Bookstore, will give it to you.
• When choosing shoes, graduates should remember that the procession walks down to the Apollo Fountain, up past Maria Hall on the road, then onto the grass.
• Nothing disrespectful or offensive should be worn on your academic attire or fixed to it. You will be asked to remove such items during the lineup.
• Purses and other personal items should be left with your guests; there will not be a location to secure them.
• GCU staff will assist with your academic hood during the lineup.

For information about picking up your academic attire, please see Thursday, May 2, 2024, Celebration of Success section of the Schedule of Events at the bottom of the Commencement webpage.

If you cannot make it on May 2nd, the Bookstore will be offering the following extended hours for attire pick-up:

Try on and press academic attire before May 9—gowns will be wrinkled!

The undergraduate outdoor Commencement Ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m., rain or shine. The graduate outdoor Commencement Ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m., rain or shine. However, in the event of a prediction of severe weather, such as thunderstorms, high winds, or a dangerous heat index, a contingency plan will be enacted as follows: the undergraduate ceremony (for bachelor’s-degree candidates) will be in the Wellness Center Arena at 12:30 p.m., and the graduate ceremony (for master’s- and doctoral-degree candidates) will be in the Wellness Center Arena at 5:00 p.m.

There is NO limit on guests if the ceremony is outdoors.

In the case of severe weather ONLY, there is a limit of three guests per undergraduate and six per graduate student.

Seating capacity in the Arena is limited, so only complete parties would be permitted entrance. All guests of the graduate would be granted entrance once, as a complete group, after which any following guests would be directed to the simulcast rooms. Simulcast will be in the North Dining Room and Marron Chapel.

Students will be notified by 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, if the severe weather contingency will be necessary. Complete parties for the Undergraduate Ceremony are three guests per graduate (bachelor’s-degree candidates) and six guests for the Graduate Ceremony (master’s and doctoral-degree candidates).

Graduates must report to Jeffries Hall wearing their cap, gown, and hood ON TIME. Graduates will be informed on the location of their line-up assignment on the day of the ceremony. Graduates who arrive after the procession has begun will be seated after the National Anthem and Invocation.

Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Students will be notified via Connect-Ed and georgian.edu at 10:00 a.m. IF the severe weather contingency plan is enacted. If no notification is made, the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies will be held outdoors on May 9.

Special Notice:
To comply with the fire code, only the allotted number of guests will be permitted into the arena for the Commencement Ceremonies. Guests beyond the allotted number are welcome to view the ceremony via simulcast in the North Dining Room or Marron Chapel, both of which are air-conditioned. Guests allowed entrance into the arena will be seated on bleachers. We suggest that guests who need ample seating or have difficulty walking, climbing bleacher stairs, or sitting on bleacher seats view the ceremony in one of the simulcast locations.

Professional Photos at the Event
Georgian Court University’s marketing team, PSC (Princeton Strategic Communications), will provide ceremony photography. Photography will be posted on social media in the days following the ceremony, so keep an eye out!

If mispronunciation of your name is a frequent problem for you, please e-mail the phonetic pronunciation of your name to commencement@georgian.edu by May 1.

Working graduates who need documentation of Commencement to request time off should contact the Office of Conferences and Special Events at 732-987-2263 or commencement@georgian.edu for an official letter by May 1.

Academic Eligibility to Participate
The university holds a Commencement Ceremony in May of each year when May graduates from this May and graduates from the preceding August, December, and February can participate. Students who have completed all requirements for graduation are eligible to participate in the ceremony. Review all graduation requirements at https://georgian.edu/academics/registrar/graduation/. The Commencement Ceremony is open to students earning a degree.  Students completing requirements for a non-degree program, such as a certificate, are not eligible to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.

You must have already applied for a graduation audit (Undergraduate Application | Graduate Application) to have your degree conferred and receive a diploma. A graduation audit is required whether or not you plan to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.

Students who wish to participate in Commencement 2024 but fall under one of the following two situations may complete a Request to Participate in Commencement 2024 Without Having Met Degree Requirements Form: (a) lack no more than 7 credits of those required to complete their degree program, or (b) have two majors (or a major and a minor) and are lacking no more than 7 credits of those required to complete their first major degree program, and have progressed far enough in the second major or the minor that it can be reasonably expected that they will graduate in the August or December term after the Commencement Ceremony. The student MUST complete an application for graduation audit for the future term as expected. Please note that completed Request to Participate forms received by the Office of the Registrar after the March 25, 2024, deadline listed on the form will NOT be processed.

Student Accounts/Name on Diplomas
Prospective graduates with an outstanding tuition/fees balance as of 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, will NOT be permitted to walk in their ceremony and will NOT receive a diploma. Contact the Office of Student Accounts at 732-987-2295 during business hours to ensure your account is current.

The name on your diploma will appear exactly as reflected in Self-Service. If you wish your name to appear differently, submit a Change of Information Form and additional documents, if needed, to the Office of the Registrar by May 1st. This includes the addition of a middle name.

Diplomas will be mailed directly to the student’s home address as listed on the official record. Please check that this information is correct through Self-Service.

Degree Honors
Degree honors are awarded for undergraduates based on your cumulative grade point average earned at GCU. As stated in the university academic catalog, at least 60 credits must be earned at GCU to be eligible for degree honors. Degree honors will appear on your undergraduate diploma and transcript. The required minimum GPAs are as follows:

• Summa cum laude: 3.9
• Magna cum laude: 3.75
• Cum laude: 3.6

Thursday, May 9, 2024 • 10:00 a.m. • Dorothy Marron Chapel
We encourage all of our graduates and their loved ones of all faiths to attend. It is a beautiful opportunity to reflect on your academic journey at Georgian Court and to ask for God’s blessing as you enter the next chapter of your life. Academic attire is not required at Mass.

Thursday, May 9, 2024
The Commencement Ceremonies will be held on the Lakewood campus of Georgian Court University, 503 Ninth Street, Lakewood 08701. The undergraduate ceremony will be at 12:30 p.m.; the graduate ceremony will be at 5:00 p.m.