University News

ASU to celebrate graduation with both virtual, in-person events

April 28, 2021

If there is one word to describe this spring’s graduating class, it’s resilient.

The pandemic has brought about major changes in the way we live life, but through it all Arizona State University students have shown us what it means to overcome and push forward, committed to their success and future.

On May 3, ASU will confer degrees to nearly 18,000 students — an 8% increase from spring 2020 — including more than 5,200 ASU Online students, a 24% increase over last May; more than 700 of those online students earned their degree through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan partnership.

MORE: Meet notable grads from across ASU

Of the overall student total, nearly 12,200 are undergraduates and more than 5,500 are graduate students. The totals for resident, nonresident and international students who are graduating are all up over last year: 5%, 13% and 10%, respectively. Nearly 6,900 students are graduating with honors, the most ever for an individual class and a 5% increase over last spring.

Sun Devils are finishing strong, and the university is ready to celebrate them.

The livestreamed commencement/convocations videos, which premiere at 9 a.m. (Arizona time) Monday and can be viewed at anytime after that, allow friends and families to celebrate their graduate regardless of where they are across the globe. Find the links to those ceremonies at graduation.asu.edu/virtual-ceremonies. The ceremonies will include a land acknowledgement, recognition of the original inhabitants of the land and the fact that the university campuses are situated in Indian Country, remarks by President Michael Crow and honor and award recipient recognitions.

And unlike last spring, when everything shifted remote, this time colleges will host a variety of in-person celebrationsAttendance is limited to graduating students only, for health protocol reasons. in addition to their virtual convocations. While not the traditional graduation celebration, their achievements will be celebrated in special ways with their college faculty and peers at a smaller scale as the nation continues its COVID-19 vaccination and mitigation efforts.

“We are incredibly proud of what our Sun Devils have accomplished during the past year of all-compassing changes and challenges wrought by the pandemic,” said Melissa Werner, executive director of the Office of University Events and Protocol and the Office of University Ceremonies. “Commencement is a such an important life milestone, and planners across the university have worked hard within health protocols to help students mark this special moment. Congratulations to all our new graduates!”

A woman in a graduation cap and gown poses with her sister in front of a giant 2021 sign

Complimentary photos on all four campuses were one of the ways in which Sun Devils were invited to celebrate graduation. Here, Caren Sandoval (left) poses with her sister, Sharen Sandoval, on the Tempe campus April 6. Caren will receive her bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in public relations; Sharen is a third-year student in public policy. Both are student veterans.