Commencement FAQs

Fall 2011 - December 17, 2011
Spring 2012 - May 5, 2012
Fall 2012 - December 15, 2012
Spring 2013 - May 4, 2013
Fall 2013 - December 15, 2013
Spring 2014 - May 3, 2014
Fall 2014 - December 14, 2014
Spring 2015 - May 2, 2015
Fall 2015 - December 13, 2015
Spring 2016 - April 30, 2016
Fall 2016 - December 12, 2016

The commencement ceremony takes place in the gymnasium at the Concordia Portland campus, located at 2811 NE Holman Street in Portland, Oregon.

Fall Commencement for undergraduates and graduates is at 11:00 a.m. You must be present in the Fine Arts Building (FAB) by 10:15 a.m. to participate.

Spring Commencement for undergraduates begins at 11:00 a.m. You must be present in the Fine Arts Building (FAB) by 10:15 a.m. to participate.

Spring Commencement for graduates begins at 2:00 p.m. You must be present in the fine Arts Building (FAB) by 1:15 p.m. to participate.

Ceremonies each last approximately one hour and will be followed by a reception in the Dining Hall.

Currently, tickets are not required for Fall commencement.

Tickets are required for both Spring ceremonies (undergraduate and graduate-level). The number of tickets is based on the maximum occupancy of the gymnasium and the number of participants in the commencement ceremony. Children under the age of two years do not need a ticket as long as they can sit on the lap of an adult for the entire ceremony. The number of tickets each graduating student will receive will be posted by February 1 before the following Spring commencement. Extra tickets will not be distributed. If you need extras, please coordinate with your fellow graduates.

Tickets will be available at the Registrar's office, Luther Room 200, beginning two weeks before the ceremony. Photo ID will be required to pick up your tickets (Concordia ID or driver's license). If someone other than yourself will be picking up your tickets, please let us know by sending an email to the Registrar at registrar@cu-portland.edu. Photo ID will be required of the person picking up the tickets. Tickets will not be mailed. For those students who will be traveling from out of town, tickets will be available in the Fine Arts Building the morning of commencement.

The commencement ceremony is inside on campus in the gymnasium. Commencement is held rain or shine.

Everyone who participates in an academic ceremony on Commencement Day must wear a cap and gown of the appropriate color and style, as approved by the University. Regalia is automatically ordered for you if you indicated on the graduation application your desire to participate in commencement and is yours to keep after the ceremony.

Your cap and gown will be available for pick-up in the Academic Records Office, Luther Room 222, the week of commencement on Monday - Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Photo ID will be required to pick up your cap and gown (Concordia ID or driver's license). If someone other than yourself will be picking up your cap and gown, please let us know by sending an email to the Registrar at registrar@cu-portland..edu. Photo ID will be required of the person picking up the cap and gown. For those students who will be traveling from out of town, your regalia will be available the morning of the ceremony in the Fine Arts Building. Regalia will not be mailed.

If you previously indicated you were not participating in commencement exercises and now plan on walking, please call 503-280-8510 immediately! We cannot guarantee your participation in the ceremony if you do not let us know by the graduation timeline (April 1 for Fall Commencement, November 1 for Spring Commencement).

Students are encouraged to show up at least 45 minutes before the ceremony and meet in the main auditorium in the Fine Arts Building (FAB), located adjacent to the gymnasium

In lieu of a rehearsal, Concordia staff members will instruct you on marching procedures and will be available to answer your questions. See below for general information about what to expect that morning:

• Cap: Tassel goes on the right side until the diploma is received and then it is moved to the left.
• Undergraduate students
  • Hood: In the front of the body the narrow colored velvet goes up against the neck, school colors of white and blue are pulled part way out to be visible. Do not pull the hood completely inside out.
  • Medallions, cords, etc., go under the front of the Hood.
• Graduate students place the right arm through the narrow end of the hood with velvet color towards the body. The hood will be placed over the student's head on the stage during the ceremony. The tassel goes on the right side and is moved to the left side after the hooding.
• Seating in the FAB is assigned according to college.
• Locate your name.
• Do not leave personal items in the FAB. The room remains unlocked and is not a secure area.
• Once all students are accounted for, students and faculty walk out in two rows, side by side from the West doors to the NE 27th Avenue sidewalk, then through the glass doors of the West main entrance of the gymnasium.
• During commencement, men remove caps for prayer, invocation, and benediction.

If you arrive as the graduates are going up to the stage to have their names read, then you only need to enter at the back and find one of the faculty marshals, who will direct you to where you can seat yourself. Certainly you will not be able to sit where you might want to, but you can sit in the back row of the college you belong to if time permits.

Students who wish to participate in commencement ceremony must apply to graduate no later than April 1 for the Fall Commencement, and November 1 for Spring Commencement. The online graduation application is available in your my.CU account.

To participate in the ceremony, all outstanding official transcripts from other colleges must be submitted to the Registrar's office by the week of finals. If you are taking a course elsewhere during the term and an official transcript will not be available in time, please have your instructor send a letter to the Registrar’s mailbox before the last week of classes stating the end date for the course and your expected grade. This letter allows you to participate in the ceremony; however, you will not receive your diploma until the official transcript is received.

All incompletes from prior semesters must be completed and grades submitted before final exams. All course work must be completed within the weeks before the next standard session (fall, spring or summer), including incompletes from your last semester. Your diploma will be held by the Registrar until your course work is completed and grades are submitted. Other issues that will prevent you from receiving your diploma at commencement include:

• Outstanding library books - contact the library at 503-280-8507.
• Outstanding bill - contact Business Services at 503-280-8503.
• Outstanding official transcripts or incompletes - contact the Registrar's Office at 503-280-8510.
• Outstanding PLA - if you are receiving credits through PLA, your notebooks should be turned in by now. If you have not turned them in yet, please contact the Registrar's office.
• Outstanding CLEP exams - all exams should have been completed by mid-term, and all scores must be received before finals.

All issues need to be resolved by the end of the business day on the week before commencement in order to receive your diploma at the commencement ceremony. If you do not receive your diploma at the ceremony, your diploma will be mailed to you once the outstanding issues have been resolved. The diploma will be sent to the address indicated on your graduation application. If this address has changed, contact the Registrar's office immediately.

Normal processing of diplomas after commencement may take up to eight weeks.

Please note: The diploma is a ceremonial document only and the receipt of a diploma does not, in itself, testify to completion of your degree. The official record of degree completion will be stated on your academic transcript.

Graduation honors are granted to undergraduate students as follows: Cum Laude to students with a minimum 3.50 GPA, Magna Cum Laude to students with a minimum 3.70 GPA, Summa Cum Laude to students with a minimum 3.90 GPA. Honors are calculated on the overall cumulative GPA on your transcript, including transfer credits, through the prior semester to commencement. Students achieving academic honors will receive an honors medallion when they pick up their cap and gown.

Students fulfilling the requirements for a graduate degree are required to maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA. The hood and Master’s degree speak to the outstanding quality of work and high achievement of graduate students.

Professional photography is provided by Photographs by Kellie. Students have two options for photography during graduation.

Option 1: Photographs will be taken as you cross the platform and accept your diploma. No payment is required on graduation day; you may order online at your convenience. (See Online viewing directions below)

Option 2: Posed, formal cap and gown portraits will be available at the Reception following the ceremony. Portraits can be of the graduate alone or with family members. No payment is required on graduation day; you may order online at your convenience. (See Online viewing directions below)

Online viewing instructions:

• Go to www.photosbykellie.com.
• Enter website and click on the Online Events tab.
• Find the Concordia Graduation in the event list and click.
• Graduates are grouped by diploma type they received, in the order they walked across the stage.

Every October and February Jostens holds an ordering even on campus in the Hagen Center. Graduating students have the opportunity to order graduation announcements and class rings. Specific dates will appear on the "Schedule of Events" page of the commencement website. If you are unable to attend the event and wish to place an order, you can order directly online at www.jostens.com.

Street parking is the only option in the neighborhood. Please note, no regular parking is available on campus - most are reserved for handicapped/elderly parking. No RVs or campers are allowed in any university parking areas.

Yes, there are accommodations for both parking and seating for elderly and disabled guests. Parking for elderly/disabled is in the parking lot next to the Gymnasium. If your guests require special seating accommodations, please contact Student Services at 503-280-8512 to make arrangements prior to the day of commencement.

All commencement-related information will be provided on this website and via e-mail to all students who have applied for graduation. The information provided is the best available at the time of posting but is subject to change. Please check back, especially as we get closer to the date of the ceremonies. Commencement information can be found at: www.cu-portland.edu/commencement/

The commencement program, with the names of potential graduates and program details, will be distributed to candidates when they arrive for the ceremony. A program will be given to all guests who attend the ceremony. Students' names will be listed in the program if they have applied for graduation by the appropriate deadline. Summer and Fall graduates have an April 1st deadline for inclusion in the program. Spring graduates need to apply by November 1st of the previous year to be included in the program.

Please note: The presence of your name in the program does not, in itself, testify to completion of your degree. The official record of degree completion will be stated on your academic transcript.

The website for commencement is at www.cu-portland.edu/commencement/ and will be updated, especially as we get closer to the day of the event. We have made every attempt to be thorough, but if there is something we have missed or you need clarification, please e-mail registrar@cu-portland.edu or call us at 503-280-8510. The Registrar's Office is located in Luther Hall, 200.

All course work must be completed within the weeks before the next standard session (fall, spring or summer), including incompletes from your last semester. Your diploma will be held by the Registrar until your course work is completed and grades are submitted. Other issues that will prevent you from receiving your diploma include:

• Outstanding library books - contact the library at 503-280-8507.
• Outstanding bill - contact Business Services at 503-280-8503.
• Outstanding official transcripts or incompletes - contact the Registrar's Office at 503-280-8510.
• Outstanding PLA - if you are receiving credits through PLA, your notebooks should be turned in by now. If you have not turned them in yet, please contact the Registrar's office.
• Outstanding CLEP exams - all exams should have been completed by mid-term, and all scores must be received before finals.

Your diploma will be mailed to you once the outstanding issues have been resolved. The diploma will be sent to the address indicated on your graduation application. If this address has changed, contact the Registrar's office immediately.