Commencement

Will commencement dates shift if semester dates shift?

UNT announced on March 20 that Spring 2020 Commencement will be postponed. In addition, the UNT Grad Block Party has been canceled. Providing our students and their families with an opportunity to celebrate the tremendous accomplishment of earning a degree is one of the most important things we do. We are monitoring the ever-changing situation but in light of the current unprecedented global events and knowing that families need to know how to handle travel arrangements, we decided to delay all Spring 2020 commencement ceremonies. Revised dates and a revised schedule will be posted at commencement.unt.edu when it has been finalized.

Since commencement has been postponed, does that mean I won’t graduate until the ceremony takes place?

Though the Spring 2020 commencement ceremonies are postponed, graduation is not. Students who complete their degree requirements will graduate from UNT in May and receive their diploma by mail shortly thereafter. We hope graduates come back and allow us to celebrate their accomplishments during a commencement ceremony, postponed to a date yet to be determined.

Has a new date or schedule been determined for Spring 2020 commencement? When will we know what the new the ceremony date is?

This is an unprecedented situation, changing almost daily, and UNT will rely on the advice and guidance from the CDC and local health officials to determine when we can gather many people together. All we know now is what President Smatresk announced in UNT World's March 24 town hall – commencement ceremonies are postponed to a date not yet determined. We want to hold the ceremonies in August, but we will not do that if it’s still not safe at that time. If we must postpone to December, we will do so.

How will I know when a new commencement date has been set?

When a decision is made about a new commencement date, the information will be distributed like the postponement announcement – with an email to the campus community and updates on this website.

How will I get my diploma? Will I have to wait until the postponed commencement date? Will I have to attend the ceremony to get my diploma?

Commencement ceremonies are celebratory events and do not confirm graduation for participants. Once grades are official and all degree requirements are confirmed, the Registrar will begin awarding degrees. UNT does not present graduates with their diplomas at commencement ceremonies. After a degree or academic certificate is awarded, the university will order the ceremonial diploma on the student’s behalf regardless of the date of the associated commencement ceremony. All degrees and certificates will be sent to the graduate’s mailing address on file. If you need to update your mailing address, please go to Update Your Personal Information.

Learn more about diplomas and the awarding of UNT degrees, or contact the Registrar at Registrar.Graduation@unt.edu if you have questions.

Regalia

Is there a way I can get my regalia now so that I can wear it to have graduation portraits taken?

In an effort to keep students and staff healthy and safe, Barnes & Noble closed March 24 until further notice, so purchasing regalia in the store or having it shipped to the store is not be an option.

However, until July 1, you can order and pay for your regalia online and it will be shipped directly to you. Regalia prices are $41.99 for undergraduate caps and gowns, $93.99 or master's regalia (including the hood) and $132.99 for Master of Fine Arts (including hood and tam). Individual items such as tassels also are available and priced separately. Cords and honors stoles are not available for direct shipping to graduates because you have to show proof of accomplishment to order those items. Any non-doctoral regalia order placed prior to the COVID-19 stay-at-home order will be sent to Barnes & Noble and you can pay for it and pick it up at the store when it is open again. If you placed an order prior to the stay-at-home order, but you’d like to have your regalia shipped to you now, you can order the regalia online, pay and have it shipped to you and your previous order will be canceled. Doctoral regalia orders that were paid for at the time of purchase will be shipped to the individuals who purchased them.

I pre-ordered my cap and gown online. Will you hold the items until the rescheduled commencement ceremony?

Because Barnes & Noble closed March 24 until further notice, staff will not be available to accept orders shipped to the store. When the store reopens, staff will contact customers who pre-ordered their regalia directly with information about their order, regarding new estimated times of arrival for pick-up and payment options.

If you pre-ordered and want to receive your regalia sooner than the store reopening (which has yet to be determined), send your name, email address and phone number to sm8085@bncollege.com and a Barnes & Noble staff member will contact you to process your payment and get your shipping information by phone.  Your regalia can be shipped directly to you or Barnes & Noble staff can arrange for curb-side pickup at the store.

I am a faculty member who pre-ordered my regalia for May commencement. What do I need to do regarding this pre-order?

Faculty members who pre-ordered their complimentary regalia rentals do not need to contact Barnes & Noble regarding their orders. These orders have not shipped out to the UNT store and are being held at Jostens' warehouse until July 4, pending new commencement dates. The bookstore staff will reach out by email once the new commencement date is set to confirm whether you are attending. Once the store receives confirmation, the staff will resubmit or release the regalia order for you.

I pre-ordered my doctoral rental regalia online and still would like to receive it for pictures. What should I do?

Barnes & Noble does not currently have rental gowns in stock. Doctoral candidates who would like to rent regalia at this time should contact Jostens at 800-854-7464. Customers will need to pay $78.99 each time they rent regalia. Doctoral regalia can only be rented for a maximum of two weeks.

I purchased my doctoral regalia prior to Barnes & Noble closing. Can I have my order shipped to me?

UNT Barnes & Noble staff is currently working with Jostens to determine when purchased doctoral regalia will be shipped. If you still owe a balance for part of your purchase, you will need to pay. Email sm8085@bncollege.com to get more information.

I ordered graduation announcements at Jostens.com online. Can I cancel/refund my order or change my announcement dates?

No. Announcements are customized orders not subject to refunds through Jostens.com. Jostens currently has a free work-around for students whose commencement ceremonies have been postponed that they can use from their home computers.

At Jostens.com, students should click on the "Commencement Postponed" link under Graduation Announcements. This is a free template for a graduation announcement insert and uses the same font as the original announcements. Once the new commencement dates have been published, students who have already ordered announcements with the original commencement ceremony dates can use this to fill in the new date, time and place. Students can then print and place this insert into their announcements to notify their invitees of the commencement ceremony changes.

I haven't ordered announcements yet, but would like to place an order to announce I have graduated. Currently, I still see the May 2020 commencement dates on the site. What should I do?

Jostens.com and UNT are working on a generalized announcement template excluding dates for those students who wish to announce to their friends and family members that they've graduated. Please check back on Jostens.com over the following weeks for this option. Do not order the announcements with the original May 2020 ceremony dates if you want this option. These orders will not be converted and will ship with the original dates on them. Please also note announcements take an estimated three weeks from the time the order is placed until the order ships out.

 I have a question about regalia that is not addressed here. Who can I contact?

For answers to other questions, email SM8085@bncollege.com.