Commencement 2023

Friday, May 5

10:00 a.m. Sandra Levine Theatre	Presbyterian School of Nursing Blessing & Pinning Ceremony
11:00 a.m. Belk Chapel	International Graduates Celebration & Stole Presentation YouTube livestream
12:30 a.m. Sandra Levine Theatre	First Gen Graduation
2:30 p.m. Ketner Auditorium (Sykes)	Preyer Honor Cording Ceremony
4:00 p.m. Sandra Levine Theatre	Baccalaureate Ceremony For more details on this year's Baccalaureate and to RSVP, please visit our Celebrations webpage.
5:00 p.m. Gambrell Center Lobby	Graduation Reception For more details on this year's Graduation Reception and to RSVP, please visit our Celebrations webpage.

Saturday, May 6

9:00 a.m. Hall Brown Terrace

Commencement All graduates should arrive for registration in the Levine Center for Health and Wellness no later than 8:30 a.m.

In lieu of an in-person rerehearsal prior to commencement, we ask that all graduating students watch our rehearsal video.

Please review our campus map of commencement event locations.

Caps and gowns should be ordered online at orderHJ.com/Queens. Email notifications will be sent when items are available for pickup at the bookstore. If you ordered a gown for Fall Convocation, you do not need to order another gown—they are the same. Graduates will not be permitted to participate in their commencement ceremony or Baccalaureate without a cap and gown. Please contact the Queens Bookstore with any questions at 704-337-2413.

Underneath the cap and gown, graduates should wear a dark dress, skirt or trousers. Dark shoes with flat bottoms are recommended. Corsages should be pinned to the gown. Queens requires that all graduates be dressed appropriately in order to participate in commencement exercises.

Graduate Students

Master’s level gowns are different in cut and style than undergraduate gowns, and we expect all participants’ gowns to be consistent in style. If you will be receiving a master’s degree and were considering borrowing a gown from someone or wearing your undergraduate gown, please reconsider. If your gown is not similar to the standard gown our graduate students wear, you will not be permitted to participate in the ceremony. The Bookstore will have an extremely limited number of extra caps and gowns on hand for emergency purchases on the day of the ceremony.

Under the gown, a dress, skirt, or dark slacks/dress pants and dark shoes are appropriate attire. PLEASE do not wear heels, as they will sink into the lawn. Flats or shoes with a solid bottom, such as wedges will be more comfortable (and less dangerous on the grass!).

The hood is part of the master’s regalia package that is ordered at orderHJ.com/queens. Hoods will be worn throughout the ceremony.

For guidance on how to wear your hood, please watch our video.

Deadline to Order

For bookstore pickup: March 11

For home delivery: March 31

Undergraduate students who earn Latin honors (based on their GPA), will be given a cord to wear. Questions about qualifications for Latin honors should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.

Queens values both the academic and extracurricular accomplishments of our students and will allow regalia that is representative of both academic and nonacademic endeavors if they are part of a national organization that offers cords and stoles for sale to students.

For example, athletics is part of the NCAA, which supports the representation of athletics through specific cords, and the Black Student Association also is part of a national organization that is represented with a certain stole at many colleges and universities. Greek Life, as well, offers cords to sororities and fraternities, nationally and internationally.

Homemade, nonrecognized apparel is not permitted. No part of the regalia should be distracting or disrespectful to the occasion. That includes caps if the decoration is not distracting or disrespectful, it will be allowed within reason. Decoration of caps should not be three dimensional. Students will be responsible for the purchase of their own nonacademic cords and stoles. Contact your organization's advisor for information on availability of cords for your group.

Graduation announcements may be ordered online at orderHJ.com/queens.

A professional photographer will take a photo of each graduate. A free color proof will be mailed to your current mailing address, including a password for online viewing. You are under no obligation to purchase prints. To receive an email notification the moment your photos are online, please visit the Photo Specialties website to preregister.

If you do not receive a proof within a week of the ceremony, please contact info@photospecialties.com or call 1-800-722-7033.

You may order your class ring online at orderHJ.com/queens or by completing an order form at the Queens Bookstore.

Graduates and guests who need accommodations for ceremony participation should complete the Commencement 2023 Disability Accommodation form. For additional ADA accommodation questions, please email sashelp@queens.edu before April 24.

A drop-off point for guests with mobility impairments will be available at Evans Clock Tower. There is a golf cart available at our drop-off point to take guests to their seats. This golf cart is only for guests with mobility impairments and one additional guest. Remaining friends and family will need to walk to their seat. Please note that we do not provide wheelchairs.

An interpreter will be available at the ceremony, and seats will be reserved in close proximity for guests who have a hearing impairment.

In accordance with federal and state laws, individually trained Service Dogs are permitted to accompany a partner with a disability in all university facilities where commencement activities are taking place.

Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and or pets are not permitted in university facilities where commencement activities are taking place.

Google maps - Levine Center for Health and Wellness

Parking Map

Graduates will have reserved parking in the Byrum Parking Deck and will be provided with a parking pass via email in late April. All guest vehicles, however, must be pre-registered for parking in other lots. To supplement our campus parking, several nearby parking lots will be utilized with shuttles to transport guests to/from the campus. All on-campus and off-campus lots for guests will require registration.

Each graduate is allowed up to two vehicle registrations.

Parking registration will begin March 14 and run through April 22.

Parking Registration Portal

Note: The Evans Clock Tower Lot is for guests with handicapped parking placards. This lot may also be used as a drop off point for any guest with mobility impairments. Shuttles from off-campus lots are not ADA accessible.

Consider Alternative Transportation

We strongly encourage carpooling; also, using Lyft or Uber is another great option. The drop off point for Uber, Lyft, taxis, etc. is Evans Clock Tower. Lots will open at 7 a.m. the audience seating area at Hall Brown Terrace opens at 7:30 a.m.  and shuttles to remote lots will run continuously until 2 p.m. Please allow plenty of time for parking and transportation to campus.

Parking Questions

If you have parking questions, please contact Campus Police (parking@queens.edu).

Tickets are not required for commencement unless weather does not permit an outdoor ceremony. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held indoors at the Levine Center for Wellness and Recreation. Seating is not assigned and is on a first come, first serve basis for those with tickets. Overflow seating with a closed circuit monitor will be available on campus for others who do not have a rain ticket. The ceremony will also be broadcast live via YouTube.

Rain tickets will be available for undergraduate students to pick up from their Dean’s office in April. Tickets for masters degree graduates will be mailed in April. Two tickets will be issued per graduate.

Traveling from out of town for the ceremony? Consider staying at one of our host hotels for discounted rates on your hotel stay.

Queens University of Charlotte is committed to providing its students, faculty, staff, vendors, contractors, and visitors with a safe and healthy working and learning environment and recognizes that the use of tobacco products on campus grounds is detrimental to the health and safety of students, staff, faculty, and visitors. Please review our Tobacco-Free Campus policy for more details.