Fall, Spring and Summer graduates are
INVITED TO ATTEND

The commencement ceremony is scheduled to take place in-person, in TPAC on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

Apply to Graduate by April 15

Go to MyCampus > Self Service > Graduation Overview and submit your application by April 15!

Purchase Cap, Gown, and Tassel by May 1

Get them at the Bookstore by Friday, May 1, 3 p.m. Save your cap and gown receipt; it must be presented to receive your tickets!

Order Optional Cultural Regalia by April 15

Students may now purchase customized cultural regalia (official stoles to wear during commencement) with the recent passing of the Cultural Regalia Policy. Students who are members of UHURU, HLSU, or PRIDE organizations, please speak to your club advisor prior to placing an order.
To ensure delivery in time for Commencement, you must order your stole by April 15!

Come to Grad Fair

Purchase your cap, gown and tassel. Get answers to your Commencement questions!

Pick up your Commencement Tickets

4 guest tickets per graduate will be available starting May 4 in the Registration Office. Bring your cap, gown & tassel receipt!

find out MORE

Explore the information below for additional details and information about the Commencement ceremony.
Questions? Reach out to [email protected].

  • Fall, Spring and Summer graduates are invited to attend the commencement ceremony.
  • Students, meet with your advisor for a Program Progress Review once you’ve earned 45 credits to ensure you are completing the courses in your chosen academic program, and are making satisfactory progress toward graduation.
  • Students must apply online for graduation according to the graduation due dates. Students will now submit their graduation application online through Self-Service > Graduation Overview before the due date of April 15.
  • SPRING Graduation Application Submission Dates: Submit application between December 1 and April 15. Submission Deadline: April 15.

  • Cap and Gown sales will start at the Grad Fair on Wednesday and Thursday, April 1 & 2, from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Caroline Center, Wye Mills campus. After the Grad Fair, they can be purchased in the Bookstore on the Wye Mills campus Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.–3 p.m. and Fridays 9 a.m–2 p.m. PTK stoles will also be available to purchase.
  • Caps and gowns can also be pre-ordered at the Cambridge Center office with exact change. Payment is due at the time of your measurement. Extra souvenir tassels and other graduation souvenirs are available. Please inquire at the Bookstore.
  • Caps and gowns must be ordered by May 1, 3 p.m. to guarantee graduates receive Commencement tickets. Save your cap and gown receipt; it must be presented to receive your tickets.
  • If you already have a cap and gown that you would like to wear, you must bring it to the Registration Office no later than May 1, 3 p.m. to receive approval. You must still purchase a tassel from the Bookstore to receive tickets and so we know that you plan to participate in the Commencement ceremony.
  • Students may now purchase customized cultural regalia (official stoles to wear during commencement) with the recent passing of the Cultural Regalia Policy. Students who are members of UHURU, HLSU, or PRIDE organizations, please speak to your club advisor prior to placing an order. To ensure delivery in time for Commencement, you must order your stole by April 15!

It is important to remember that Commencement in the Todd Performing Arts Center is a TICKETED EVENT.

  • Each graduate who has purchased a cap and gown will receive 4 guest tickets and a set of announcements, which may be picked up in the Registration Office starting May 4.
  • The Office of Registration is open 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • If someone else is picking up your tickets, you must submit permission in writing at that time. Guest tickets must be picked up by May 19 at 3 p.m.
  • It is important to note that seating for Commencement in the Todd Performing Arts Center Theatre is on a first-come, first-served basis even for those with tickets. Doors will open at 1 p.m. Overflow seating will be available in EDC-27 and the Cadby Theatre.

Please review this timeline carefully. If you have questions regarding Commencement, please reach out to [email protected].

  • Friday, May 1 Deadline to have currently owned cap and gown approved
  • Friday, May 1 Deadline to order Cap, Gown, Tassel, Regalia
  • Monday, May 4-Tuesday, May 19
    • Please plan to pick up your tickets and announcements during Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
    • All graduates and guests will need to present a ticket to attend Commencement.
    • Tickets will be printed for those graduates who have both submitted their Graduation Application and purchased a cap and gown (or tassel if wearing currently owned cap and gown).
    • Children require their own ticket, regardless of their ages.
    • Graduates will pick up their tickets from the Registration office, and must present their cap and gown receipt.

If you have experienced a fever or symptoms of COVID-19, a positive diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19 in the prior 10 days, or have had known exposure to a COVID-19 case in the prior 14 days, you should not attend the in-person ceremony.

Wednesday, May 20

  • 8:15 a.m. The Chesapeake College Foundation Alumni Committee will sponsor a continental breakfast for graduates in the Todd Performing Arts Center lobby before practice.
  • 9:00 a.m. Commencement practice will take place in the Todd Performing Arts Center Theater.
  • 1:00 p.m.
    • GUESTS AND ATTENDANTS: Todd Performing Arts Center will open. Please remember that only guests with tickets will be admitted. Children are welcome, but they also must have a ticket. Overflow seating (based on availability) will be in the Economic Development Center (EDC-27) and the Kent Humanities Cadby Theatre.
    • GRADUATES AND PROCESSION: Line up for academic procession will take place in the Caroline Center.
  • 2:00 p.m. Academic procession will begin.

    • If tradition holds, we should be finished in approximately 90 minutes.
    • Immediately following Commencement, a reception for graduates and their invited guests will be held in the Caroline Center.
    • The Registration Office will be collecting hoods at the Student Government Association Office in the Caroline Center.
    • Hoods must be returned in order for the college to process and mail you your diploma.

If you will be unable to participate in commencement, please send an email from your skipjack account or letter by May 1 asking to graduate “In Absentia” to Cindy Welzel, Registration Office, Chesapeake College, P.O. Box 8, Wye Mills, MD 21679. Any special accommodations or questions should be directed to Cindy Welzel, 410-822-5400 ext. 2249 or [email protected].

Stay Connected…

a graduate poses for a photo with his family
Dr Coppersmith shakes the hand of a graduate after handing him a diploma cover
graduating student adjusts another student's cap and tassel while preparing for commencement ceremonies
two women graduates smile for the camera
a staff member poses for a photo with a graduate
a graduate receives a hug after commencement