Graduation Information

2024 Biology Diploma Ceremony

Saturday, May 18th from 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm.
Location: Aquatic & Fitness Center, 450 Whitehead Rd Charlottesville, VA 22904

Click here, to view interior layout of Graduation Venue (PDF)

In the case of inclement or severe weather, the ceremony will be held at the same location (Aquatic & Fitness Center), however the ceremony time will be shifted to start at 4pm and conclude by 6pm. Graduating students should plan to be seated at least 10 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Check the "Weather Plans" site for updates.

2023-2024 Graduating Class:

  • At this event, we recognize students who completed their degree requirements in Summer 2023, Fall 2023, and Spring 2024.

Student Arrival Time:

  • Graduates must be seated no later than 2:50 pm at the Aquatic & Fitness Center. All graduates taking a diploma on stage are expected to be in academic attire (cap and gown).

Ceremony Duration and Reception:

  • Regardless of the weather plan, the Biology Diploma Ceremony will be 90-120 minutes with an additional 20-30 minutes of informal post-ceremony reception. All graduates and guests are invited to participate in this reception which will be accompanied by light refreshments.

Guests:

  • No ‘tickets’ will be issued. We ask that each graduate limit their guests to 6 people so that each graduate has an equitable opportunity for family and friends to attend.  If you need more than 6 seats for guests, please contact the Biology Department at [email protected] after May 6th to see whether additional seats have become available.

Disability and Accessibility:

  • The Alderman Road side of the Aquatics and Fitness Center has an accessible entrance.
  • Parking and Transportation recommends that families to park in the ADA lot of John Paul Jones so they may ride the Accessibility Shuttle which will take them to the lawn ceremony and then after the lawn concludes drop them off in front of AFC. They will need a valid placard or ADA pass from us to park in the ADA lot of JPJ which is by the JPJ Garage. 
  • Please visit the Major Events Accesibility page for information about services for persons with disabilities/limited mobility. Should you or your guests require disability-related accommodations, please send your request to [email protected] as early as possible. Examples of accommodations may include real-time captioning, ASL-English interpreting services, accessible seating, and accessible parking. The University ADA Coordinator will be available to provide assistance and guidance regarding accommodation requests.

Parking:

Final Exercises and Lawn Ceremony: 

Academic Attire (Caps and Gowns): 

  • Information about complimentary academic attire for bachelor, master, and doctoral degree candidates can be fouund on the Caps and Gowns Major Events Website or by calling (434) 924-3721.

Contact/Questions:

  • We will post any updates to this site. Please contact Lisa ishler at [email protected] with any questions.