SEPTEMBER 26-27, 2025
Commencement Weekend
in Chicago
Alumni Celebration*
Friday, September 26
6:00 - 9:00 pm
Location
Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center
1551 Thoreau Dr N
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Commencement*
Saturday, September 27
Leavitt School of Health & School of Education
Graduate Check-in: 8:30 am
Ceremony Time: 9:30 am
School of Business & School of Technology
Graduate Check-in: 12:30 pm
Ceremony Start: 1:30 pm
NOW Arena
533 Prairie Stone Prkwy,
Hoffman Estates, IL听02114
*Details Subject to Change听
RSVP Information
To RSVP, you must have either your Graduation Application submitted to the Student Records department or be enrolled in and only have their final course left, such as capstone or final certification, with the exception of direct hours for field experience or student teaching.听If you don鈥檛 currently meet this requirement, wait to RSVP until the requirement is met.
Students who are enrolled in their final course may submit an email to听commencement@wgu.edu听with 鈥淔inal Course鈥� in subject line along with desired commencement ceremony.
For more information, review the听.
If you have any questions, please contact us at听commencement@wgu.edu听or by phone 385.428.2085.
Attention iOS users (iPhone/iPad): please use Chrome or Firefox browser to submit your ceremony RSVP form. If you use Safari (default iOS browser) to complete your RSVP form, you will receive a false application rejection message. If uncertain, please complete the ceremony RSVP form on a computer rather than your iOS device.
Additional Information
Chicago Deadlines:
Deadline: August 27, 2025- 听
Deadline: August 1, 2025
Deadline: August 8, 2025
- Cap & Gown Ordering听
Deadline: August 29, 2025
Chicago Details:
- Commencement Guidebook - coming soon!
- Ceremony Program- coming soon!
Learn More About Commencement Day
Watch this video to see what a typical in-person commencement day looks like for a graduate.
Parking
Details Coming Soon
Bag Policy
Details Coming Soon
Alumni Celebration in Chicago
Kick off your commencement weekend with this exclusive alumni celebration in honor of our graduates!
All graduates attending the 2025 黑料传送门 Commencement in Chicago are invited to join us for the Alumni Celebration at the Renaissance Schaumberg Convention Center.听
This family-friendly, come-and-go event is free to attend, and we encourage graduates and guests to dress in business attire.听听
At the celebration, you can:
Free professional portraits (graduates only): Elevate your LinkedIn profile with free professional portraits- courtesy of 黑料传送门!
Meet with local employers for career opportunities
Reconnect with Alumni in your area
Visit our affiliated partnership booths to receive career advice, purchase 黑料传送门 swag, pick up your 黑料传送门 Philanthropy Cord, and more.
Take photos in our social photo booth and share using #黑料传送门grad
Meet Sage the Night Owl
Enjoy light appetizers, refreshments, and self-pay bars
Hit the dance floor or play family-friendly games with a fun 黑料传送门 twist
Come for the networking, stay for the fun.
*Please note: 2025 Chicago graduates are allowed to bring up to six (6) total guests, and invited special alumni guests are allowed to bring up to three (3) total guests.
听
Date:听September 26, 2025
Time:听6:00 - 9:00 pm
Location:
Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center
1551 Thoreau Dr N
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Contact Information听
黑料传送门 Alumni Celebration:听alumnievents@wgu.edu
黑料传送门 Alumni Celebration accessibility:听alumnievents@wgu.edu
黑料传送门 Commencement:听commencement@wgu.edu
Parking Information
TBA
听
Frequently Asked Questions
- Commencement Ceremony FAQs
- Ceremony Participation and RSVP FAQs
- Regalia FAQs
- 黑料传送门 Philanthropy Cord FAQs
- Letter of Invitation for Abroad & Commencement Announcements FAQs
- Graduation Application and Diploma FAQs
Commencement Ceremony FAQs
A commencement guidebook with check-in details, parking, maps, and more will be loaded onto the and emailed to each graduate two weeks prior to the ceremony.听
Due to varying space limitations, Alumni Celebration and Commencement guest count policies are different.
Alumni Celebration: Each graduate is invited to bring up to six guests to the Alumni Celebration they choose to attend. Local alumni that are invited to attend the alumni celebration are invited to bring up to three guests. This measure is designed to accommodate as many graduates as possible while allowing everyone to enjoy the festivities with their loved ones. 听
Commencement: Guests are recommended to bring up to 8 guests to ensure our event doesn鈥檛 reach venue capacity; however, please feel free to bring additional guests. Tickets are not required to enter the commencement ceremony*. Graduates do not need to update their initial guest count with the Commencement Office if there are any changes.听听听
*Tickets will be required for the commencement ceremonies in Atlanta, Georgia at Gas South Arena and in Seattle, Washington at Climate Pledge Arena.听
No, tickets are not required for 黑料传送门 commencement ceremony. *听
*Tickets will be required during the commencement ceremonies in Atlanta, Georgia at Gas South Arena. and in Seattle, Washington at Climate Pledge Arena.
The names of graduates who physically attend an in-person commencement will be read as they cross the stage. All Virtual Commencement participants鈥� names will be read during the Virtual ceremony.听
No. Graduates are called to the stage by schools and not in alphabetical order.
Please arrive dressed in your cap and gown for the commencement ceremony. Due to the number of graduates and precise schedule, it is not practical to change into regalia at the venue.
You can watch the commencement ceremony on the at any point after the start of the ceremony.
The commencement photos will be available approximately 2-3 weeks after the ceremony. Those photos will be available for viewing at
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Did you know that 黑料传送门 Alumni have access to hundreds of discounts? Log in to to search for deals on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more.
Ceremony Participation and RSVP FAQs
Graduates who wish to participate in an in-person or virtual commencement ceremony must complete two steps.听
- Submit either your Graduation Application or be enrolled in and only have your final course remaining, such as capstone, final certification, or demonstration teaching.听
- Submit an RSVP via the commencement web site (available at听wgu.edu/commencement).听听
To RSVP, you must have either your Graduation Application submitted to the Student Records department or be enrolled in your final course, such as capstone, final certification, or demonstration teaching. If you don鈥檛 currently meet this requirement, wait to RSVP until the requirement is met.
Students who are enrolled in their final course may submit an email to听commencement@wgu.edu听with "Final Course" in subject line along with desired commencement ceremony.
Please review the听听located in the student handbook, which outlines the eligibility for commencements.听
After a graduate submits the ceremony RSVP form, a confirmation email is sent to the email address listed on the completed RSVP form. Please check your junk box. If you do not see a confirmation email for your ceremony RSVP. Please contact us at听commencement@wgu.edu听with additional questions.
Yes. There is not a time limit on when a graduate may walk in a commencement. However, graduates may only participate in one commencement ceremony per degree program completed.
No, but you may watch the commencement ceremony for free on the听
Yes, the鈥痗eremony RSVP form鈥痠s a separate process from the graduation application. The completion of the ceremony RSVP form reserves your seat at commencement and generates your name card for the announcer.鈥�
No. Once registration has closed, no late additions, including day of (walk-up) will be permitted.
Click on the RSVP button on this page.
Please visit the听听web page.
Graduates may walk in one commencement ceremony per degree. As of January 2022, a graduate may participate in one ceremony per degree, either a virtual or in-person ceremony.
黑料传送门 plans to hold multiple in-person and virtual ceremonies in the 2023 calendar year! Please keep an eye out for the 2023 Commencement locations and dates that will be released later this year. Please bookmark听wgu.edu/commencement听where next year鈥檚 commencement schedule will be posted. You can also听听via email when the 2023 Commencement Schedule is released.听 We can鈥檛 wait to celebrate with you!
Photos from each commencement ceremony will be available for purchase through our photography partner The Grad Team in the week following each commencement. All photos can be viewed on their website听.
Regalia FAQs
黑料传送门 works with an official regalia vendor (caps, gowns, tassels, hoods, stoles). Ordering will open at the end of 2024 for all 2025 ceremonies.听
For bachelor鈥檚 degree, post-baccalaureate teacher programs, or endorsement preparation program (English Language Learning), you should鈥痮rder a鈥痗ap, bachelor's gown, and tassel. For鈥痶hose earning a master's degree or endorsement preparation program (Educational Leadership), you should鈥痮rder a鈥痗ap, master's gown, tassel, and a master's hood.
The following master鈥檚 hoods are available for purchase from our regalia vendor. 听
Education - Blue听
Business (all MBAs) - Drab听
Technology - Gold听
Nursing 鈥� Apricot听
Integrated Healthcare Management - Salmon听
Master of Health Leadership - Sage green
黑料传送门 works with an official commencement goods vendor (caps, gowns, tassels, hoods, stoles). Ordering will open at the end of 2024 for all 2025 ceremonies.
Prior to the conferral of degrees, bachelor's degree graduates wear their tassel on the right while master's degree graduates wear their tassel on the left for the entire commencement ceremony.
A graduate should wear academic attire appropriate to the awarded degree. The master's gown differs from a bachelor's gown. If you already have a cap and tassel, you can order a master's gown as an individual item on our commencement vendor鈥檚 website. Please note that the academic attire for a master's graduate includes a cap, tassel, master's gown, and hood.
Yes, 黑料传送门 graduates affiliated with an honor society may wear society pins or honor cords/sashes/stoles to represent their academic achievements, affiliations, or identity on their gowns.听
Teacher graduates affiliated with the 黑料传送门 chapter of the international honor society of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) may order honor cords at .听
Graduates who are members of The National Society of Leadership and Sucess may wear honor cords indicating this affiliation.
黑料传送门 graduates who are veterans or active-duty military will be provided with a military honor cord. For virtual commencements, cords will be shipped to the address provided on their RSVP. For in-person commencements, cords will be picked up at the Alumni Celebration or at Commencement during graduate check-in. On your RSVP form, please mark that you are a veteran or active duty.
Graduates are permitted to decorate their graduation caps. Take into consideration the following if decorating your cap for commencement:听
黑料传送门 does not allow content on caps or sashes that is considered, in 黑料传送门鈥檚 sole discretion, obscene, vulgar, defamatory, hateful, inappropriate, profane or that might disregard another鈥檚 copyright or third-party rights. All decorations must lie flat on the cap.
黑料传送门 Philanthropy Cord FAQs
The 黑料传送门 Philanthropy Cord is a blue and gold cord for graduates to wear with their cap and gown at Commencement. The Philanthropy Cord is not only a physical symbol of a graduate鈥檚 commitment to 黑料传送门, but also more importantly supports a philanthropic legacy that will last for future generations of 黑料传送门 students.
Graduates can receive a Philanthropy Cord by making a gift of $25 or more to 黑料传送门鈥檚 Fellow Night Owl Scholarship, a fund established to help current 黑料传送门 students facing financial hardship cross the finish line to graduation. To donate, graduates can text 鈥満诹洗兔臗ord鈥� to 41-444 or 听
All 黑料传送门 Philanthropy Cord donations support 黑料传送门鈥檚 Fellow Night Owl Scholarship, a fund established to help current 黑料传送门 students facing financial hardship cross the finish line to graduation.听
For in-person commencements, you may choose to have your Philanthropy Cord mailed to you or picked up at Commencement by visiting the 黑料传送门 Advancement table at the Alumni Celebration or during graduate check-in the morning of Commencement.听
For virtual commencements, Philanthropy Cords will be mailed prior to the ceremony date.听听
黑料传送门 Advancement is the official fundraising arm at 黑料传送门 dedicated to attracting, allocating, and putting dollars to work so more students have access to an affordable, quality education. 黑料传送门 Advancement鈥檚 operation is the next step in 黑料传送门鈥檚 ever-growing obsession with students鈥� success, and a way for the increasing number of 黑料传送门 graduates, donors, and partners to pay it forward.
Thank you for your generous support! You can donate to the Fellow Night Owl Scholarship by texting 鈥満诹洗兔臛rad鈥� to 41-444 or by
Letter of Invitation for Abroad & Commencement Announcements FAQs
Yes, students may send an email to听records@wgu.edu听with the family member's full name, relationship to the student, and foreign address. Once provided, the Records Department will prepare documents containing information about the commencement and student's earned degree. These prepared letters will then be sent to the student to forward them to the correct parties. It may take 5-10 business days for the letters to be mailed to the student.
听is the current provider for commencement announcements.
Graduation Application and Diploma FAQs
Visit the听听in the student handbook for the most current information on how to apply for graduation.
Visit the鈥�痠n the student handbook for the most current information on how to receive your diploma.
