Graduation

GRADUATION READINESS CHECKLIST

GRADUATION CHECKLIST

  • Apply for graduation.​

  • Meet with your advisor to confirm that all academic requirements have been met. ​

  • Make sure your student account balance is cleared (payment plans in place) by April 15, 2025.​

  • Check your account balance periodically on MyVUU.​

  • Contact the Office of Student Accounts at (804) 257-5711 or studentaccounts@vuu.edu if you have questions about your account.​

  • If you received any federal student loans, complete the Financial Aid Exit Counseling (https://studentaid.gov/exit-counseling/ ) by April 4, 2025.  ​

  • Complete the Graduating Senior Survey.​

  • Return any library resources still in your possession by May 2, 2025.​

  • Pick up regalia from the Office of the Registrar.​

If you are no longer graduating during the 2024-25 Academic Year, please send a notice to withdraw your application to Registrar@vuu.edu.​

 

GRADUATION REHEARSAL

All graduation candidates are required to participate in one of the following commencement rehearsals:

 

11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 8                              2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8

11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 9                                   2:30 p.m. Friday, May 9

 

The rehearsals will take place in Allix B. James Chapel. Please arrive early and find a seat. Bring your mortarboard and hood with you to rehearsal. Graduation candidates are not to leave before rehearsal ends. Those who are unable to participate in rehearsal but plan to participate in commencement must report to their school dean at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, to be placed correctly in the processional.

BACCALAUREATE SERVICE

 

 

Virginia Union University proudly announces that Rev. Sharon Arline Bradley, MPH, MDiv, will serve as the Baccalaureate Speaker for the Class of 2025. The ceremony will be held on Friday, May 9, at 6 PM in the historic Allix B. James Chapel.

 

Rev. Arline Bradley currently serves as President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), a storied organization dedicated to the empowerment and advancement of Black women, families, and communities. With over two decades of impactful leadership in healthcare, diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and public service, she stands as a beacon of integrity, wisdom, and transformational change.

 

In addition to her leadership at NCNW, she is the founding principal of R.E.A.C.H. Beyond Solutions, a mission-driven firm committed to advancing public health, advocacy, and leadership development across the nation.

 

An ordained minister, Rev. Arline Bradley’s call to ministry is matched only by her unwavering commitment to justice. Her voice has echoed through the halls of influence—from the Obama Administration, where she served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, to grassroots movements that center the lived experiences of marginalized communities.

 

She has brought her dynamic leadership to esteemed organizations such as the NAACP, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and as a national voice in the OWN Your Health campaign, launched by the Oprah Winfrey Network. Her work bridges the sacred and the civic, the pulpit and policy, always with a heart for people and a passion for progress.

 

 

 

May 2025 Commencement

 

All ceremonies will be streamed online via the university’s channels. ​

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

The Honorable Raphael G. Warnock, United States Senator from Georgia and Senior Pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, will deliver the keynote address at the 2025 Commencement Ceremony.

 

TRAFFIC, PARKING AND CAMPUS MAP

TRAFFIC AND PARKING

 

As we approach our commencement ceremony, please be aware of the following arrangements to ensure a smooth and enjoyable celebration for all involved.

 

Traffic Advisory

Expect heavy traffic throughout the city, as neighboring universities will be hosting their commencement exercises the same day. We advise everyone to plan accordingly and allow extra time for travel to and from the ceremony.

 

Street Closure

Lombardy Street will close at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, between the circle and Brook Road. (See image below.) Signage and alternate route information will be provided, but please plan your travel with this closure in mind.

 

Gate Opening

The gates for visitors will open at 7:30 a.m. on commencement day. We recommend arriving early to navigate through the increased traffic to secure parking.

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COMMENCEMENT ATTIRE AND DECORUM

COMMENCEMENT ATTIRE

 

Baccalaureate and commencement at Virginia Union University are sacred ceremonies. As such, they are conducted with decorum, dignity, and pride. Appropriate academic regalia and accessories should complement the robe. The mortarboard is to be worn horizontally – not tilted. Appropriate attire is reflective of the importance of these occasions and is listed here:

 

  • NO Jeans
  • Black dresses of appropriate length with skin-toned or dark stockings or
  • Black dress pants with a white, collared shirt or blouse and neck/bow tie
  • Black shoes.  NOTE: Shoes should be low-heeled and comfortable. Students will be walking a considerable distance and onto the grass on Hovey Field.

Accessories

Regalia should be worn with limited jewelry. Oversized earrings, bangles, necklaces, pins, and other pieces are inappropriate. Do not bring/wear purses, flowers, sorority/fraternity Kente cloth stoles, corsages, ribbons, scarves, and the like. Cellphone use is prohibited during the processional and recessional at Hovey Field and school locations. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may lead to your removal from the processional.

 

COMMENCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

COMMENCEMENT LINEUP

All commencement participants are to assemble at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in their respective areas:

 

School                                                                                      Assembly Area

School of Arts & Science                                                                 Ellison Hall

Sydney Lewis School of Business                                                 Pickford Hall

Evelyn Reid Syphax School of Education                                    Martin Gray Building

Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology                                Kingsley Hall                       

 

THE PROCESSIONAL

All schools will assemble at Pickford Hall for the processional, which will begin promptly at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025.   

 

 

VENDORS

 

Food and beverage vendors will be available behind Barco Stevens Gymnasium throughout the day of Commencement.

DOCTORAL CANDIDATE - REGALIA INFORMATION

Doctoral candidates are responsible for the purchase of their regalia.  Regalia can be purchased through Herff-Jones at https://collegegrad.herffjones.com/  .

 

HERRF-JONES -OPTIONAL GRAUDATION PRODUCTS

TBA

 

Graduation Application

Application for 2024-25 Graduation

This application must be filed by March 30th for Summer graduates, May 30th for December graduates, and September 30th for May graduates. A graduation fee of $154 will be charged to your account in the term that you expect to graduate. If you fail to graduate during the semester of application the fee will be applied when requirements are satisfied. Commencement is held in May of each academic year.

The requirements for graduation are outlined in the University Catalog. It is the sole responsibility of each graduation candidate to meet with the academic advisor to determine if all institutional and departmental requirements for graduation have been meet.  If you do not complete your requirements by the time indicated above, it is your responsibility to file another application for a subsequent completion date.

Please complete the appropriate graduation application by using one of the links below.

 

Graduation Application - May 2025 (after September 30, 2024)

Graduation Application - Summer 2025 (due March 30, 2025)