On this episode of Grad Pod, we are excited to bring back an essential conversation for those of you reaching the finish line here at the Graduate School! As we approach the end of the academic year, we know that preparing for graduation can be overwhelming in terms of logistical planning. That’s why we are re-running this conversation into one of the most important milestones of your academic career, commencement!
Happy Tuesday, everyone, and welcome back to GradPod. With graduation right around the corner, we're bringing you a special rerun of one of our most helpful episodes. In this episode, I, your host, Haya Hamid, am joined by my very resourceful colleague, Jamie Taylor, Special Assistant to the Dean and Vice Provost of the Graduate School. We're here to answer your most common questions about VCU's upcoming commencement events, including a breakdown of the special hooding ceremony for PhD and EdD students.
I want to start by congratulating those of you who are graduating this semester. We are so excited for you and this huge milestone in your journey at VCU. While many procedures and rules have remained the same from previous commencement ceremonies, I do want to make a note of an important change.
Starting this year, a graduate ticket is strictly required for all students who wish to participate in VCU's university-wide commencement at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Please note that while guests do not need tickets to attend the ceremony, graduates will not be granted entry without one. So here's how to claim your ticket.
Visit vcugrad.universitytickets.com, log in with your VCU credentials, and select the May twenty twenty-six commencement event. After answering the required questions and checking out, you can choose between a mobile or PDF ticket.
If you run into any technical issues, please email univevents@vcu.edu with your full name and V number for assistance. We will also be sure to include this link and email in our show notes. For PhD and EdD students, please be sure to also complete the graduate school's RSVP form as that is more specific to your hooding ceremony.
Finally, stick around until the very end because we're closing out with a heartfelt message from Dr. Manu Gupta, Dean and Vice Provost of VCU's Graduate School, dedicated specifically to our graduates. He is here to encourage you to keep pursuing knowledge and to use your education as a launchpad for the lives you will change, the impact you will make, and the success you will achieve. So let's get into it.
Happy Tuesday, everyone, and welcome back to Grad Pod!
With graduation right around the corner, we’re bringing you a special rerun of one of our most helpful episodes.
In this episode, I, your host, Haya Hamid, am joined by my very resourceful colleague, Jamie Taylor, Special Assistant to the Dean and Vice Provost of the Graduate School. We’re here to answer your most common questions about VCU’s upcoming commencement events, including a breakdown of the special hooding ceremony for Ph.D. and Ed.D. students.
I want to start by congratulating those who are graduating this semester—we are so excited for you and this huge milestone in your journey at VCU! While many procedures and rules have remained the same from previous commencement ceremonies, I do want to make a note of an important change.
Starting this year, a Graduate Ticket is strictly required for all students who wish to participate in VCU’s Universitywide Commencement at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Please note that while guests do not need tickets to attend this ceremony, graduates will not be granted entry without one.
To claim your ticket, visit vcugrad.universitytickets.com, log in with your VCU credentials, and select the 2026 May Commencement event. After answering the required questions and checking out, you can choose between a mobile or PDF ticket. If you run into any technical issues, please email UNIVevents@vcu.edu with your full name and V-number for assistance. We will also include this link in our show-notes. For PHD and EDD students, please also be sure to complete the graduate school RSVP form as that is more specific to your hooding ceremony.
Stick around until the very end, because we’re closing out with a brand-new, heartfelt message from Dr. Manu Gupta, Dean and Vice Provost of VCU’s Graduate School, dedicated specifically to our graduates! He is here to encourage you to keep pursuing knowledge and to use your education as a launchpad for the lives you will change, the impact you will make, and the success you will achieve. Let’s get into it!
Commencement tickets: vcugrad.universitytickets.com
Questions? univevents@vcu.edu Please be sure to include your full name and V number in your email.
