Graduation and Commencement
WCU in Philadelphia Commencement - 5/13/2023
Commencement ceremonies will be held for May and August 2023 graduates on Saturday, May 13 at Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing. The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 9:30 AM, and the graduate ceremony will begin at 12 PM. Each ceremony will last approximately 1 hour. Graduates, please arrive sixty (60) minutes before the start of your ceremony. The procession begins fifteen (15) minutes prior to the ceremony start time. Contact Evelyn Anderson with questions about Philadelphia commencement.
Tickets
Graduates may request 8 tickets for friends and family. Undergraduates may request 10 tickets. Tickets will be required for guests three years of age and older.
9:30 a.m. | Undergraduate Ceremony | Request Tickets
12:00 p.m. | Graduate Ceremony | Request Tickets
Hotel Accommodations
Interested in staying at the Hilton the night before or after commencement? A limited number of Hilton rooms will be reserved for WCU staff, students, and families at a rate of $249/night. This block of rooms will be available for reservation until May 1.
To book your room(s), call 800.445.8667 or go to the Hilton website and apply our reservation code : WCU.
Parking
Parking at Hilton Penn's Landing will be available for $15.
Student Speakers
One undergraduate and one graduate speaker will be selected for commencement.
Cap and Gown Ordering
Students who take classes at the Philadelphia Campus exclusively have the additional option to ship their cap and gown order to the Philadelphia Campus for pickup. All students, regardless of campus affiliation, may ship directly to home.
Undergraduate Students
Please click here to order your cap and gown.
Order deadline for pickup at the Philadelphia Campus: Friday, March 24, 2023.
There is no additional charge for this service.
Order deadline for ship-to-home: Monday, April 14, 2023.
There is an additional fee for this service, which must be paid by credit card when you order.
Graduate Students
Please click here to order your cap and gown.
Order deadline for pickup at the Philadelphia Campus: Friday, March 24, 2023.
There is no additional charge for this service.
Order deadline for ship-to-home: Monday, April 24, 2023.
There is an additional fee for this service, which must be paid by credit card when
you order.
Diplomas
Paper diplomas will be mailed to your home address approximately 6-8 weeks after final grades post, after the Registrar's Office has verified the completion of all degree requirements.
If there are any outstanding issues that will prevent you from graduating, the Registrar's Office will notify you by mail and email. Visit the Registrar's page on Diplomas.
Honor Cords (Undergraduates Only) and Other Special Regalia
Honors cords will be available free of charge for all qualifying undergraduate students. Honor cords are available for all undergraduate students earning graduation honors (3.25 GPA or higher, based on cumulative GPA from next-to-last semester before a student graduates).
Honor cords will be available for pickup at the Philadelphia Campus beginning Monday, March 27th. Additionally, cords will be available at commencement for those who do not pick up the cords prior to the ceremony.
In addition to honors cords, a number of University colleges, academic programs, honor societies, organizations, and clubs award special cords, stoles, pendants, and tassels to recognize their graduates. Please view Cords, Stoles, and Regalia for a list of those regalia. Please note that these regalia are not designed or distributed by the University, but by the organizations that sponsor them.