April 24, 2020

How Long Is a Graduation Ceremony?

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How Long Is a Graduation Ceremony?

Whether you are a curious student who is heading to your commencement ceremony soon, a relative who is trying to decide how long they should plan on spending at a niece’s graduation, or a hungry spectator who is wondering when they will be able to grab a post-ceremony snack, you might be asking yourself how long the typical commencement ceremony lasts.

We will dive into the many parts of a graduation ceremony. What is the ultimate purpose? What is the ideal range of time for a ceremony? What is the typical order of events in a commencement ceremony?

Purpose of Ceremony

• After 4 years of high school/college, people want to recognize the journey.
• Let’s honor the grads and the accomplishments of this graduating class.
• Tradition.
• Family celebration. Pride and emotion. First generation of graduates.

Length of Ceremony

• Heard horror stories of 4-hour graduations that drag on and on.
• Too many speakers and too many honors (unrelated to the graduates).
• People get bored, disinterested, want to leave.
• IDEALLY: Less than 2 hours. If less than 1 hr 30 min, even better!
• Depends on number of graduates (names and walking takes time), number (and length) of speeches, & random additions (music, songs, poems, etc.)

Typical Ceremony (with suggested times to finish 90 minutes to 2 hours)

This is just a model of what you might encounter. Some add songs, readings, prayers, etc. Depends on class size as well.

Processional (Faculty, staff, and students)

10-15 minutes

Welcome Address (Higher ranked academic–Greet, thanks, congrats)

5 minutes

Random Extra speakers (Students/Deans/Random awards)

(OPTIONAL 5 minutes)

Present degrees/diplomas (names announced/walk the stage/shake hands)

(45-60 minutes)

Keynote address (distinguished person gives life advice)

(10-15 minutes)

Valedictorian address (or student address)

(5-10 minutes)

Any other random speakers (flip tassel and toss hats)

(OPTIONAL 5 minutes)

Recessional (Faculty, staff, students)

(5-10 minutes)

Conclusion

When planning, hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Hope to be out of there in 90 minutes or less, but be ready with a water bottle and snacks just in case you’re stuck in a football stadium for 3-4 hours.