Okinawa Ceremony Details

Ceremony Location

For students located in Okinawa, this year's ceremony and graduate reception will be held at the Yomitan Cultural Center (Otori Hall), in Yomitan, Okinawa at 2:00 PM on April 13, 2024. Please use the unique link sent to you via email to RSVP for the ceremony. If you haven't received your link by March 1, 2024, email commencement-asia@umgc.edu.

Guests

Commencement guests are limited to four guests per graduate; please contact us if you'd like to bring more than four guests. Children are welcome at the ceremony but to maintain the formal atmosphere, we will provide a separate space for restless children.

Regalia and Invitations

You must order your commencement regalia (cap and gown) through Oak Hall no later than March 16 to allow time for shipping. No regalia will be available for rental or purchase on the day of the event. Shipping to an APO/FPO address is considered domestic shipping (not international, even if the location is outside of the USA).

If you would like to order commencement invitations, you can order official UMGC Asia invitations at: https://www.cbgrad.com/. When you enter the ordering portal, select "state," "school," and “month” of ceremony to get started. Please choose "Maryland" as the state, "University of Maryland Global Campus Asia" as the school and "April" as the month of the ceremony. Then click on "Get Started."

Dress Code

All graduates are required to wear regalia (graduation cap and gown) to commencement. We encourage you to wear appropriate business casual attire under your gown. We recommend comfortable shoes because there will be prolonged periods of standing and walking throughout the day. Guests are not permitted to accompany graduates to the robing area. Note that graduates are not permitted to have any items —purses, cameras, cell phones, etc.— in their hands when they line-up and the graduation gowns do not have pockets. Please leave all items with your guest or in your car.

Schedule of Events

The Schedule of Events for the day of commencement is as follows:

• 9:30am – 12:00pm Graduate Check-in and Line-up
• 9:30am – 12:00pm Commencement Portraits (optional, requires fee) 
• 12:00pm – 1:30pm Pre-processional & Dress Rehearsal (in full regalia)
• 1:30pm – 2:00pm Guest Seating  
• 2:00pm Processional begins
• 3:30pm – 6:00pm Post-Commencement Reception
• 3:30pm – 5:00pm Post-Commencement Portraits  (optional, requires fee) 

See Okinawa Ceremony Schedule PDF for additional details.

If you have any questions regarding the Okinawa Commencement Ceremony, or the other UMGC Asia Commencements (Tokyo, Guam, or Korea), please e-mail our commencement team.