Graduation
May 2026 Commencement Announcement
The East Carolina University Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremony will be held May 8, 2026, at 10 a.m. inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
All ECU spring 2026 graduates, including those earning undergraduate, masters, doctoral, and professional degrees, needed to complete an RSVP form to participate in the university commencement ceremony.
In addition, ECU will host college recognition ceremonies on May 8-9 in various locations. Guest tickets are required and are limited per graduate based on venue size and graduate numbers.
For questions, email commencement@ecu.edu.
More information about ECU’s commencement ceremonies can be found on the Commencement website.
College of Education Graduate Recognition Ceremony
The College of Education’s ceremony will be Friday, May 8th at 7 p.m. in Minges Coliseum. Guest tickets will be required and are limited. Emails about tickets will go out later in the spring. If you did not receive an email from the College of Education about tickets, please contact Dr. Dionna Manning at manningd@ecu.edu.
Tickets are Required for Guest Entry and all guests 3 and older will need a ticket!
Parking and Accommodations for the COE Graduate Recognition Ceremony:
Graduates and families may park in the ECU lots outside of Minges Coliseum, without a parking pass, as long as it is not a handicapped or reserved space (must have handicap or ECU tag for those spaces). Plan accordingly and allow extra time since multiple ceremonies are being hosted on campus this weekend and there is a ceremony in Minges before ours.
Graduates who are planning to walk and be recognized on stage are asked to arrive to the practice gyms of Minges Coliseum to line up no later than 6:30pm Friday, May 8th with an ECU cap and gown.
Graduation caps may be decorated for the ceremony, but all graduates will be required to be in full graduation attire, including the graduation robe zipped up to enter the Auditorium. Balloons, confetti, and large signs are NOT allowed in Coliseum. Graduates and guests may bring water and drinks as Concessions will not be open…. No Glass.
Please direct all questions regarding graduation regalia to the ECU Dowdy Student Store, the College of Education does not handle regalia.
Minges Coliseum is handicap accessible for guests and there is an elevator at the side of the Auditorium for families and guests. All accessible spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis.
All students must first apply for graduation through PiratePort at least one semester prior to completing the requirements of the degree as stated by the Academic Catalog. Please visit the Office of the Registrar’s graduation web page for deadlines and instructions on applying to graduate.
Remember, there are two different ceremonies, University Commencement and the College of Education Graduate Recognition Ceremony.