William Peace University is pleased and proud to present and honor our graduates each year. WPU holds one commencement ceremony in May to honor all graduates from that academic year.
Baccalaureate: 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, 2023
Commencement: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 6, 2023
Did you apply to graduate?
- Students who will complete their degree requirements this spring must apply to graduate to be eligible to receive their degree and to be eligible for the ceremony.
- Missed the deadline? Contact registrar@peace.edu as soon as possible–you can still submit your application but we need to know!
Summer Graduates
SUMMER GRADUATES: If you are completing your degree requirements in any of the summer sessions, your graduation term will be summer, which confers in August.
- Students who complete their final degree requirements in a summer session must apply to graduate.
- Summer graduates who will take four or fewer credits in the summer to complete their requirements will be eligible for the ceremony in May 2023. Please register as soon as possible for your summer classes and, if you haven’t done so, please submit your graduation application immediately.
- Summer graduates who will take five or more credits in the summer will be eligible for the May ceremony of the following year (2024) and should apply by the summer application deadline (see academic calendar). Contact registrar@peace.edu if you have questions about commencement eligibility or graduation application.
Regalia Orders: Due Feb. 24
Regalia includes your cap, gown, tassel, and Baccalaureate hood. You may also order items such as class rings, announcements, diploma frames and more.
Order these items online. Please note you will not be charged for the gown, tassel, and hood; these are included with your tuition.
Bible/Holy Book – Students who would like a commemorative Bible or Holy Book may request one.
Questions?
If you have questions, please contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@peace.edu.
This page will be continuously updated throughout the spring semester. Please check back for more information.
FAQs
Info for Graduates
- Regalia/Cap and GownRegalia includes your cap, gown, tassel, and hood. Please order your regalia online by Feb. 24. These are included in your tuition. The Registrar’s Office will send out notifications when those items are ready for pickup.
Optionally, you may buy class rings, announcements, frames, and more; those items are not included.
Order Deadline: Feb. 24
If you have questions, please contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@peace.edu.
- Please note that graduates should wear shoes appropriate for walking in the grass and on the brick walkway.
- Graduates wear a cap and gown for both ceremonies. The tassel is worn on the right side of the mortarboard until the student is awarded a degree.
- Mortarboards may be decorated in a 2-dimensional fashion only.
- Graduates who are members of disciplinary honor societies should wear the pins or cords they receive as part of their induction into the honor society.
- Latin Honors recipients will wear gold cords to indicate graduating with Latin Honors.
- Your DiplomaThe Office of the Registrar orders diplomas so that Latin Honors are properly reflected on the diploma. Diplomas are mailed to your preferred address after all of your degree requirements are met (conferral) and balances are paid. If you have not received your diploma by August 1 please contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@peace.edu. The diploma includes the graduate’s full name, degree as well as academic distinctions (cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude) as applicable.
Diplomas are 8.8 x 11” and are printed on high-quality paper.
- Commencement Day FAQs
- When will I receive my cap and gown?Caps, gowns, tassels, and hoods will be ready for pickup at the Office of the Registrar in April. You will be notified once they arrive.
Questions? Contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@peace.edu.
If you lose the regalia that you are provided, you will be responsible for ordering a replacement from Herff-Jones by contacting the WPU bookstore at 1267@follett.com
Mortarboards (your cap) may be decorated in a 2-dimensional fashion only.
- Will we receive honor cords?Students who are eligible to graduate with Latin Honors at the end of the Fall semester prior to graduation will be able to wear Honor Cords at Commencement. Honor Cords will be given to eligible graduates along with their regalia.
Latin Honors will be conferred on graduating seniors whose cumulative GPA meets the following criteria:
- 3.9-4.0 Summa Cum Laude
- 3.7-3.89 Magna Cum Laude
- 3.5-3.69 Cum Laude
Students must earn a minimum of 45 semester hours at William Peace University to be eligible for Latin Honors. In order to be recognized as Valedictorian, a student must have earned at least 90 credits at William Peace University.
- What is a hooder for Baccalaureate? Whom do I choose?Have you asked someone to “Hood” you during Baccalaureate Service?
Read our “What is Baccalaurate?” blog post
One of the unique traditions at WPU is a Hooding Ceremony that happens during our Baccalaureate Service on Friday, May 5 at 3:30 in Holy Trinity Church (across the street from campus).
Each graduating student will be “hooded” by a person selected by the graduate as part of the service. At WPU, we call that special person your “Hooder.” The graduate and “Hooder” will walk in together and sit with each other. This person will literally put your hood on you during the ceremony and symbolically prepare you for commencement on Saturday. Your “Hooder” should be meaningful to you and supportive of you during your educational journey at WPU. You may select a family member, friend, significant other, or staff member. All Faculty members are part of the ceremony and, therefore, will NOT be individual “hooders” for students. Each student can ask only one person to hood them.
2023: The Baccalaureate Service is traditionally a religious service held before commencement; the service is open to ALL students regardless of religious background or interest. In 2023, the Service will be adjusted, with the Hooding Ceremony near the start. After the Hooding, there will be a short recess for those who wish to leave before the rest of the service continues. Attendance at the Baccalaureate Service is optional but strongly encouraged.
You must RSVP for the Baccalaureate. You will receive an email with further details.
If you have any questions about selecting your “Hooder” or the Baccalaureate Service, please contact Dawn Dillon at ddillon[at]peace.edu.
- What time should I arrive for Baccalaureate?Graduates should arrive around 3 p.m. The ceremony starts promptly at 3:30 p.m. Families can be seated after 2:45 p.m.
- What to Know for Baccalaureate
- Arrive with your selected Hooder at Holy Trinity Church (directly across the street from WPU) between 3:00 – 3:10 pm.
- Your selected hooder will sit with you during the service while the rest of your guests will sit in the general seating area.
- The service begins promptly at 3:30 pm and will last approximately an hour
- A light reception will follow.
- Wear your regalia (your gown and stole). The person hooding you will carry your hood, cap, and tassel. Graduates and hooders enter the church through the left-side courtyard door (as you face the church from WPU) and families and guests should use the entrance off Peace Street. This service is strongly encouraged but not required.
- What to Know for Commencement
- Please arrive in the Main Parking lot line up by 8:30 am.
- Be dressed in your full regalia. PLEASE, keep in mind you will be walking in grass and over bricks, likely that will be wet from rain on Sunday, so I advise keeping the high heels to a minimum – it will be hard to walk in muddy grass.
- You will line up in the Main Parking lot but you will get to sit with your friends! You will not be lined up alphabetically as we have done in the past. So if you know in advance you want to sit with your teammates or your friends from bio class, keep that in mind. And if you don’t know who you want to sit with, it’s an opportunity to make a new friend.
- The Main Lawn opens for guests at 7:00 am and the ceremony begins at 9:30 am. No tickets are needed but seating is on a first-come-first-served basis. In an effort to be equitable, reserved seats are not permitted.
- The ceremony is expected to last approximately 75-90 minutes.
Info for Parents + Weekend Guests
- What are the plans for rain or inclement weather?Ceremonies will go on as planned, rain or shine. We will provide clear ponchos for students if it rains. If a thunderstorm with lightning is expected we will delay until the storm has passed. Please note that umbrellas are not allowed during the ceremony. Main Lawn will likely be wet Saturday morning; please select your footwear accordingly.
- Ceremony ProgramPrinted programs will be available around Main Lawn before and during the ceremony. An electronic version will also be available.
- Hotel ArrangementsContact information for preferred hotels can be found using the link below.
Explore Downtown Raleigh Hotels
William Peace University community members receive discounted rates at the following hotels:
The Longleaf Hotel – Downtown Raleigh
Address: 300 N. Dawson St. Raleigh NC 27603
Phone: (919) 867-5770
Receive a 15% discount when you mention WPU at booking.Hampton Inn and Suites – Downtown Raleigh
Closest to WPU (only two blocks!)
Address: 600 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: (919) 825-4770DoubleTree by Hilton – Raleigh Midtown
Address: 2805 Highwoods Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: (919) 872-3500Homewood Suites by Hilton – Raleigh Crabtree Valley
Address: 5400 Homewood Banks Dr, Raleigh, NC 27612
Phone: (919) 785-1131To access these discounts, use this link. Enter Corporate Account number 2831252 using the “Special Rates” button in the top right corner. From there, enter “Raleigh, NC” as the location and select your dates of travel/number of guests. You’ll arrive on a page listing local hotels with discounted rates signified by “William Peace University” below the hotel title.
- ParkingStudents and guests may park on Delway, the gravel lot, street parking, and in public parking decks on North Salisbury Street. (Parking Deck #64 and #66). Students and guests MAY NOT park at Seaboard Station or in the Main Parking lot. (Main Lot is reserved for those with disabilities.)
You may also take advantage of street parking alongside campus.
- Guests with Special NeedsSpecial Needs parking spaces will be available in the 15 East Peace Street, Main parking lot. Please contact the Office of Disability Services for these special requests: MAJohn@peace.edu.
- Professional PhotographsA professional from Photo Specialties will photograph each graduate as he/she/they cross the stage during commencement. Photo Specialties will send free color proofs and ordering instructions to each graduate’s email and permanent mailing address. If graduates do not receive this link or need additional information about ordering photos, they should contact Photo Specialties at info@photospecialties.com or 919.967.9576.
- Checklist for Parents of Graduating Students
- Remind your student to purchase regalia ASAP.
- Remind your graduate to verify progress toward graduation requirements via the Self-Service Progress tab.
- Make hotel reservations.
- Read through all Commencement information on our website.
- Ceremonies will be held rain or shine. Graduation exercises will be held outside on Main Lawn, and temperatures can vary; please plan accordingly.
- Questions? Contact the Registrar’s Office.
- What is appropriate dress for the weekend?Family members and other guests are encouraged to dress comfortably for the weekend, taking the weather conditions into account. Most guests dress in business attire for the Baccalaureate service and the Commencement exercises, but there is typically a wide range of attire for those ceremonies.
- Do I need tickets?The 2023 Commencement is open. You do not need tickets to attend.
- What time should we arrive for Baccalaureate?Graduates should arrive at Holy Trinity Church at 3 p.m. The ceremony starts promptly at 3:30 p.m. Families can be seated after 2:45 p.m.
- What time should families arrive for Commencement?The Main Lawn opens for guests at 7 a.m. and the ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. No tickets are needed but seating is on a first-come-first-served basis. In an effort to be equitable, reserved seats are not permitted.