Commencement Ceremonies Frequently Asked Questions

Graduation is the act of completing all program requirements so that UMGC can award you a credential. Students who have completed their program must initiate the certificate/degree award process by applying for graduation by the stated deadline for each term.

Commencement is the ceremony recognizing graduates who have earned an associate, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. Visit UMGC in Asia Commencement for details about our Asia commencements.

For questions related to applying for graduation, Letters of Completion, diplomas, degree honors, etc., please contact Student Services at studentservices-asia@umgc.edu.

For inquiries related to UMGC in Asia Commencement, including regalia, keepsakes, in-person celebrations, etc., please contact commencement-asia@umgc.edu.

Spring 2027 commencement celebrations will be held at the following locations:

• Tokyo – 10 April 2027, at the New Sanno Hotel, 11 a.m. JST
  
• Okinawa – 17 April 2027, at TBD, 2 p.m. JST
  
• Korea – 24 April 2027, at the Dragon Hill Lodge, Seoul, 11 a.m. KST
  
• Guam – 8 May 2027, at the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa Tumon Bay, 11 a.m. ChST

No. There is no charge to attend commencement.

After applying for graduation, eligible graduates and candidates will receive an email invitation to participate in the upcoming Spring commencement ceremonies. The invitation will include a direct link to RSVP for the commencement location you choose. Follow the instructions in your RSVP email.

To receive these communications, you must ensure that your preferred email address is updated in your Profile in MyUMGC.

If you believe you should receive an email invitation to participate in the upcoming Spring commencement ceremonies, but you have not by March 1, please contact commencement-asia@umgc.edu.

Once the RSVP system opens, you can change your response within the Tassel system or email commencement@umgc.edu if you want to change your initial registration.

Students who graduated in Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 (MBA and MSTL programs) and Spring 2027 with an associate degree or higher can attend one of the Spring 2027 commencement ceremonies.

If you have applied for graduation and are due to complete your program in Spring 2027, you can also participate.

Summer 2027 graduates should plan to participate in the 2028 commencement ceremony. Learners with a planned permanent change of station (PCS) before the 2027 Commencement season may consider attending UMGC Europe’s Spring Commencement or UMGC Stateside’s Spring or Winter Graduation Walk in Adelphi, MD.

Please contact commencement-asia@umgc.edu for further questions.

If you will be graduating in Summer 2027, you are considered to be part of the 2028 cohort and will be eligible to attend the Spring 2028 ceremony.

Due to limited seating, Summer 2027 graduates will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact commencement-asia@umgc.edu for further questions.

If you are enrolled in any graduate program other than the Master of Science in Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Science in Transformational Leadership (MSTL), you are in a Stateside program and will need to contact commencement-asia@umgc.edu to participate in Asia’s Spring Commencement. Additionally, you will need to complete your application for graduation on or before March 1 to ensure you receive an invitation to the spring ceremony and are included in the program for the ceremony.

Please email your request to participate in a ceremony outside of Asia to commencement-asia@umgc.edu.

Such requests will be carefully reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but please note that it is likely that your request may not be accommodated due to limited seating and high demand among graduates of UMGC in Asia.

Please email your request to participate in commencement to commencement-asia@umgc.edu.

All graduates are required to wear regalia –a cap, gown, tassel, and hood (if Master's)– to the commencement ceremony. We encourage you to wear appropriate business casual attire under your gown and comfortable shoes since you will be standing and walking for extended periods.

Regalia for UMGC in Asia Commencement 2027 must be ordered from our vendor Oak Hall. You must order your regalia by the following deadlines to allow time for shipping:

• Tokyo commencement regalia ordering deadline: March 12, 2027
• Okinawa commencement regalia ordering deadline: March 19, 2027
• Korea commencement regalia ordering deadline: March 26, 2027
• Guam commencement regalia ordering deadline: April 9, 2027

The cost for a regalia ranges from $26-57 USD depending on degree level, plus shipping. No regalia will be available for rental or purchase on the day of the event. Please note that shipping to an APO/FPO address is considered domestic (USA) shipping (not international, even if the APO/FPO location is outside of the USA). Be sure to select United States as the country for APO/FPO orders. Shipping can take up to one month.

For the ceremony, graduates must wear the black tassel that comes with the cap and gown. Other tassels that are optional for commemorative purpose cannot be worn during the ceremony.

Purchasing other items, such as stoles, is optional. See Oak Hall's website for additional information.

Associate degree recipients wear gray regalia with a black tassel. Bachelor's and master's degree recipients wear black gowns and caps with a black tassel, regardless of degree.  Master's degree candidates also have hoods lined with UMGC’s school colors and edged in velvet colors matching their academic discipline.

You may have seen some university commencements where the graduates' tassels contain charms denoting the year. The tassel worn at UMGC's commencement does not contain the year. All UMGC graduates must wear the standard black tassel with no charm for the ceremony.

Regalia is required to participate in the ceremonies and must be purchased through Oak Hall in advance of the ceremony. Please note that there are different deadlines for each location and the deadline is approximately one month prior to the ceremony. Regalia will not be available for purchase at the ceremony. If you do not order regalia by the stated ordering deadline for your location, you will unfortunately be unable to participate in this year’s ceremony.

If you have not received your ordered regalia at least one week prior to the ceremony, please contact customer service at Oak Hall directly to check on the status of your order and shipment. You may also contact commencement-asia@umgc.edu.

Yes, there is a list of stoles graduates can wear as part of their official regalia that is available for purchase on the Oak Hall website. The choices vary for active duty or veterans of the armed forces. Students can also wear stoles of gratitude and their official honor society stoles, which are available to order through the honor society.

Students who belong to an honor society can wear the organization’s stole or cords regardless of degree level. Please contact your honor society about cords or stoles. UMGC does not provide honor society accessories. We recommend that you contact your honor society at least one month before your commencement ceremony to ensure timely delivery of any cords or other accessories you are entitled to wear.

Children are welcome to the ceremony. If children do not require their own seat, they do not count towards the guest count.

Please note that, in some ceremony locations, strollers may not be allowed in the main ceremony room.

Please also note that if you have an infant or young child who becomes restless and disruptive during the ceremony, we will politely ask that you take them outside of the ceremony room. Taking noisy infants/children outside of the ceremony room is critical to maintaining a high quality live-streaming experience for audiences around the world.

Two weeks prior to the scheduled commencement ceremony, the commencement team will begin contacting guests on the waitlist as space becomes available and if they are cleared to attend. Your patience and understanding regarding this process is greatly appreciated.

The commencement ceremony in Tokyo requires pre-registration and clearance for non-SOFA guests to attend since the ceremony is located on a military facility. To add your guests to the list, please make sure to add their information to the RSVP form. If information has changed since submitting the RSVP form, please contact commencement-asia@umgc.edu. Especially if your guests’ country of origin is designated in the list provided HERE, we recommend that you initiate the required documentation and approval process at least 2 months in advance.

UMGC cannot grant access to non-SOFA students in Korea. Students planning to bring non-SOFA guests to the Korea commencement ceremony will need to contact Camp Humphreys about their visitor policy for Dragon Hill Lodge.

The Okinawa and Guam and ceremonies will be held off base and do not require passes or pre-screening for guests.