Common Searches:
- Tuition
- Calendar
- Financial Aid
- Schedule of Classes
- Bookstore
PLEASE NOTE: The following information is only applicable to the Undergraduate Student Commencement Ceremony scheduled for 9 a.m., Saturday, May 13, 2023. If you are seeking information about the Graduate Student Ceremony scheduled for 3 p.m., Saturday, May 13, 2023, please go to the Graduate Student Ceremony FAQ page.
Undergraduate Student Commencement Ceremony (Students receiving a bachelor’s degree)
Saturday, May 13, 2023
7:15 a.m. Student Lineup; 9 a.m. Processional
Peoria Civic Center Arena
Each graduate is allowed to invite and bring as many guests to the ceremony as they would like. Tickets are not required for the ceremony. In the unlikely event we reach seating capacity in the ceremony arena, guests will be turned away. The ceremony will also be livestreamed for guests who are unable to attend.
Yes. For any guests who need accessible seating, please have them tell an usher when the arena doors open, and they will be helped to the accessible seating area.
Undergraduate students will line up for the ceremony in Exhibit Hall A at the Peoria Civic Center. The doors to the Exhibit Hall will open at 7:15 a.m., and graduates MUST be in line no later than 8:30 a.m. Directions to the Peoria Civic Center. All graduates are responsible for their own transportation to and from the event.
Undergraduate students will line up in Exhibit Hall A at the Peoria Civic Center located on the City Hall side of the Civic Center. Doors to the Exhibit Hall will open at 7:15 a.m. and undergraduates MUST be in line no later than 8:30 a.m. to participate in the ceremony. Bachelor’s degree recipients will march in by college and will form four lines behind their college banner. It is critical that students maintain their positions in their line once the processional begins.
Bachelor’s degree recipients will only be able to attempt to sit next to a friend if that friend is in the same college. You will need to line up in the same line behind your college banner, NOT across from each other in different lines. Please know you may need to start a new row, depending on where you are in line, and will not be able to sit next to your friend. It is critical you maintain your position in this line once the processional begins.
Students should arrive dressed in their cap and gown. Students should also bring their reader card with them to the ceremony. Personal items cannot be left in the lineup area; please consider leaving all personal items with your guests. Bradley University and the Peoria Civic Center will not be held responsible for any items left behind, lost, or stolen during the ceremony.
All graduates will be provided with a reader card that they can pick up at the Grad Fair. This card is the only way that your name will be announced at the ceremony. You will hand the reader card to the reader before you cross the stage.
All graduates will receive an email, closer to the ceremony date, with a personalized link to a website where they will be able to record their name. The deadline to submit the recording is April 17th, 2023. Our readers will review the recordings submitted by the deadline, ahead of the ceremony. We cannot guarantee any recordings submitted after the deadline will be reviewed by the readers.
Graduates will pick up their reader card when they pick up their cap and gown at the Grad Fair May 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Guests may begin arriving at the Peoria Civic Center as early as 7:00 a.m. The doors to the arena where guests will be seated will open at 7:30 a.m. Please plan accordingly if standing for longer periods of time is difficult. Please note that all guests will be required to pass through metal detectors at the civic center
Guests can park in either of the Peoria Civic Center parking lots. One is located at the corner of Kumpf Boulevard and Jefferson Street, and the other is at the corner of Monroe and Fulton streets. Please be aware there are two other graduations in the Civic Center on this date so parking will be at a premium. We highly recommend attendees use Ubers or hotel shuttles whenever possible.
The ceremony is estimated to end around 11:30 a.m. Graduates and guests should plan accordingly.
The deadline to order cap and gown online has passed. Please contact the Bradley bookstore to place a new order. Students will be able to pick up their cap and gown at the Grad Fair.
Grad Fair, or Graduation Fair, is an event hosted by the Alumni Relations Office where students can take some fun photos with ProPics, grab a quick snack and get in on some fun giveaways. On-campus students can also pick up their cap and gown. The Grad Fair will take place May 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center.
Students can pick up their cap and gown at the University Bookstore Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. AFTER GRAD FAIR ONLY!!!
Professional photographers from Pro Pics will be at Commencement and the Grad Fair to take portraits of graduates. Photos of the graduates crossing the stage, as well as individual portraits on multiple backgrounds, will be available for purchase from Pro Pics following the ceremony. To identify your photos and receive proofs, please visit www.BradleyUniversityPhotos.com to submit your information. You can email questions about photos to: info@propicsusa.com.
The Office of Alumni Relations will host a reception to welcome all graduation candidates to the Bradley family of alumni. Students can celebrate their achievement with fellow graduates, family, faculty, and staff. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. The reception is scheduled to take place on the Alumni Quad on May 12 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Families will receive a separate invitation to the reception.
Yes, you may come to campus to take photos. Please visit Bradley Unite for all Bradley University safety guidelines.
The ceremony will be livestreamed for anyone to watch. On the morning of the ceremony, guests should go to Bradley’s website at bradley.edu. At 8:45 a.m. the banner at the top of the page will change providing a link to the live stream. Guests will then be able to click this banner to take them directly to the livestream. If the banner does not change right away, we recommend that guests refresh their browser every few minutes until the page updates.
An order of exercise will be provided to each attendee. It will contain a QR code which links to the commemorative program with all the names listed. Two copies of the commemorative program will be sent to each graduate with their diploma.
Students who attend the ceremony will receive their cover during the ceremony. Diploma covers will not be mailed to students who do not attend the ceremony.
Diplomas and official transcripts will be mailed approximately six to eight weeks after graduation, pending successful completion of degree requirements. Once mailed, the documents are typically received within two or three weeks, but they can take longer to arrive. If you have a grade hold on your record for any reason, your diploma(s) will not be released until the hold is cleared. Holds do not inhibit the conferral of a degree, only the release of the official documents (i.e., diplomas, transcripts). Please refer to the Graduation Information page for more information or contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@bradley.edu or 309-677-3101.
If you ordered a cap and a gown through Jostens, your tassel will come with your order. The tassel, included with your cap and gown, is specific to the program you are completing. These tassels cannot be ordered separately. However, Jostens does have a few other tassel options that can be found on their website.
The Spirit Tassel is a way to show your school spirit by making a contribution of $20.23 to represent your class year and to support the endowed scholarship fund established by the Bradley University Alumni Association (BUAA). You can purchase a Spirit Tassel here.
If you have earned an honors stole and you ordered a cap and gown, the honors stole will be included when you pick up your cap and gown. Please note, honors are only applicable to undergraduate students and are not bestowed on master’s and doctoral students.
You may do so through Jostens.
The legacy stole can be worn by a graduate who has a parent, grandparent, or sibling that graduated from Bradley University.
We recommend students wear attire representative of a formal ceremony rich with tradition and dignity. We ask students to refrain from wearing jeans, tennis shoes, or other informal clothing.
The cap, also known as a mortarboard (bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients), is kept level with the tassel at the middle of the left side. Please note, there is a front and back to a mortarboard.
Yes, you may order them through the Commencement Tool Kit on the Commencement website, here.
The Commencement Group has some great offerings on their website where you can place an order in advance and pick up the day of the ceremony at the Peoria Civic Center. You can also make purchases the day of the ceremony.
A news release announcing your graduation from Bradley University will be sent to your hometown newspaper. If a hometown newspaper is not listed in your student record, give this information to the Office of Public Relations. Feel free to contact the commencement office via email, at commencement@fsmail.bradley.edu if you have any questions.
No, if you choose not to participate in Commencement and you have met the university requirements, you will receive your diploma in the mail.
Yes, you must apply to graduate regardless of participation in a ceremony. For information about how to apply to graduate as an undergraduate student, please visit the Registrar’s Office.