Effective March 21, VCU's Public Health Response Team removed any limits on attendance and determined masking is optional for events. 

Community members who wish to wear masks may do so. This decision is based on the continued improvements in Covid-19 data (reduced positivity, hospitalizations, high vaccination rates, and vaccine and testing availability). 

Masking will continue in classrooms, and the CDC continues to require masking in public transit and health care settings.

Graduating students should arrive no later than 10 a.m. ET. The ceremony will begin promptly at 11 a.m. No entry is permitted during the processional. The ceremony will conclude by 1 p.m. Upon exiting the Siegel Center, re-entry will not be permitted.

Please allow ample time for parking. Parking will be free for graduates and their guests at the VCU Bowe Street Deck and the West Broad Street Deck.

Students should arrive wearing their cap, gown and hood for check-in. Upon arrival, follow the signs posted at the Siegel Center to get to the check-in area. The check-in area is nearest to the entrance at the corner of Harrison and Broad streets.

At check-in, students will be given a name (also referred to as a reader card) card to fill out. Students will line up based on the number on this card to ensure they come on stage as noted in the program and friends and family will know when their student’s turn is coming. Students will have the opportunity to write out their name phonetically on this card to ensure their name is read accurately. Students will need to hold onto this card until they cross the stage.

Tickets are not required. Graduates may bring as many guests as they would like.

Be advised that the processional and recessional involve navigating several sets of stairs. Please wear shoes that you can comfortably walk in. See below for information on wheelchair accessibility.

Graduating students are required to leave all personal items including purses, coats, umbrellas, cameras, etc. at home, in their vehicle or with family during the ceremony.

No outside food or drink is permitted. Please note that Siegel Center staff will not allow balloons or glass into the building, including gifts such as picture frames.

A professional photographer will photograph each graduate during the ceremony. Graduates must fill out their contact information on the reader card in order to be contacted by the photography company after the ceremony. 

Graduating students who have submitted a graduation application online through eServices will be invited to both the School of Social Work departmental ceremony (May 13) and the university-wide Commencement ceremony (May 14). Students may choose to attend one, both or neither ceremony. 

Students will stand as a group to be recognized as social work graduates at the university-wide ceremony, and students will be individually called by name and walk across the stage at the School of Social Work departmental ceremony.

Requests for special accommodations at the school ceremony for graduating students should be made by emailing sswinfo@vcu.edu. The arena is wheelchair-accessible. Accessibility information for graduates or guests is available online.  

For graduates needing accommodations at the university ceremony at the GRCC, please contact Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity at (804) 828-2253. Family and guests seeking additional information about accessibility or ADA accommodations can find details on the GRCC website.

The official conferral date for May 2022 degrees is Saturday, May 21. Degrees will post to your record on Tuesday, May 31. Degrees will only show for those students who have satisfied all degree requirements and receive final approval. Check your academic transcript via eServices to ensure your degree has been posted before requesting official transcripts. 

Diplomas will be mailed beginning Monday, June 27, to the address provided during graduation checkout. To receive your diploma, you must meet all financial obligations to the university. Diplomas will be on hold for students who have not met their financial obligations.

Please contact the Office of Records and Registration at graduation@vcu.edu or (804) 827-1673 if you have additional questions.

If you are requesting changes based on a legal change of name, the first step is to process your legal change of name with the university. If you have not changed your legal name and are requesting changes based on the name of use, please visit Call Me By My Name.

Graduating students from the Class of 2022, when you leave the School of Social Work after earning your degree, it’s not the end of our connection. We want to send you our quarterly alumni newsletter; share events, networking and professional development or continuing education opportunities; and let you know about jobs for social workers.

Please take a moment to:

• Update your contact information, including a permanent, non-VCU email address that you regularly check;
• Sign up for VCULink, VCU’s online community for connecting students, alumni and friends of the university for career advice, industry contacts and meaningful professional relationships;
• Join our LinkedIn group for alumni; and
• Continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

If you have questions or need assistance, you can contact the school’s alumni team at (804) 828-0154 or give2vcussw@vcu.edu.