Please review your catalog for specific degree requirements. University graduation requirements are also posted in the catalog and may be found at www.harding.edu/catalog.

By university policy, to be approved to walk in the May commencement ceremony, candidates must have all degree requirements completed by the date of commencement. As the only exception, candidates who will complete degree requirements by enrolling at Harding in their final class during the Harding Intersession term are allowed to participate. Students who complete their degree during Intersession, while they may participate in the May commencement ceremony, their degrees will be awarded after Intersession and they are considered summer graduates.

Students who complete degree requirements after May degrees are verified will participate in the December ceremony, with the exception of pharmacy students who complete degree requirements after May degrees are awarded, and they will participate in the next May ceremony. Similarly, students who complete degree requirements after the December degrees are checked and verified will participate in the upcoming May commencement ceremony.

Get professional 

Students will be able to visit a booth set up for resume building and interact with the variety of career services the university has to offer.

Get connected

The Office of Alumni Relations and Generation HU, the university’s young alumni program, will be set up with stations to meet students and begin relationships with them as they step into their new Harding roles as alumni.

Get swag

Students will have the opportunity to shop for a frame for their diplomas and pick up other various Harding apparel and souvenirs before they leave campus.

Get robed

This will also serve as the location for students to pick up their caps and gowns for commencement ceremonies.

Get excited

Grad Fest will not only provide one place for students to take care of their requirements before graduating, but it will also facilitate fun and excitement among graduates as they celebrate this milestone in their lives together. Throughout the event, we will encourage all students to participate in every opportunity involved in Grad Fest and celebrate their academic achievements as college graduates.

• Doctoral/Professional students will need to visit with their program administrator about ordering their regalia.
• All other students, who the degree audit identifies as being complete, will receive an email inviting them to order their academic regalia for Commencement.
  • The cost of your cap and gown is included in your graduation fee; there is no extra charge.
  • Please verify you are on track by running your degree audit (Pipeline > Student > Degree Evaluation).

All undergraduate and graduate students will receive a black and gold tassel with a Harding medallion attached. Doctoral students who receive a tam as part of their regalia receive a gold tassel.

If you have any questions, please email graduation@harding.edu.

Harding uses an external vendor, Parchment, to provide access to your electronic diploma. Within two weeks of the awarding of your degree, you will receive an email from Parchment containing a link for viewing, downloading, and/or printing your electronic diploma. Receipt of this electronic diploma is the confirmation that your degree has been awarded. Your paper diploma will arrive a few weeks after the electronic version.

For students who are awarded a Bachelor's or Master's degree, the paper diploma size is 8.5" x 11".

For those who are awarded a Doctoral degree, the paper diploma size is 11" x 14".

After you receive your electronic diploma link from Parchment that indicates your degree is awarded, we recommend you Order an Official Transcript from Harding. Have the transcript sent to yourself to keep on file with your other important documents. You will be asked many questions over your lifetime, when applying for employment and other professional opportunities, about your college classes and grades. Your transcript contains all the answers you will need. Having that document in your possession allows you to answer such questions quickly. There is a small fee for securing an official transcript that varies depending on delivery options.

Ticketing for guest seating is first come, first served and they are now available for ordering. There is not a limit on the number of tickets any graduate may order, but we do ask that you coordinate with your family prior to ordering tickets to determine any accessibility needs and ensure orders are not duplicated. We anticipate having plenty of space for everyone who wishes to attend in person, but we will likely utilize the entire auditorium.

In order to ensure everyone needing accessibility accommodations can be assisted, we ask that you consider having some of your friends and family, who are physically capable, sit in the balcony as there is no elevator access to balcony seating. If you find that you have more tickets than your family will use, you may return them by contacting the box office at tickethelp@harding.edu or 501-279-4276.

The celebration luncheon reception following the ceremony is complimentary but your RSVP with the number attending is appreciated.

If you did not pick up your cap and gown at Grad Fest but already placed an order, please contact the Alumni Office at 501-279-4276 or alumni@harding.edu. For those who did not order before the deadline, you should contact the Alumni Office who will have a limited amount of regalia on hand, and these gowns will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis thru Commencement.

The Line of March and graduation instructions will be available by the Monday of Finals Week in the "Graduation Information" section above. If your name is on the list but you do not plan to attend, please notify graduation@harding.edu, or call 501-279-4328. If your name is not on the list but you do plan to attend, please notify the office.

There will be no rehearsal for the commencement ceremonies. Rather, students will be led in by faculty marshals.

• Men, wear a dress shirt with dark slacks, socks, and shoes.
• Ladies, wear dark clothing and dark shoes.
• Please do not chew gum.
• Please do not decorate your cap or gown in any way or add anything to your regalia other than approved honor cords. Failure to comply could lead to your removal from the line of march.
• Undergraduates should place the tassel on the RIGHT side of the cap; Master’s and Specialist candidates should place the tassel on the LEFT side of the cap.  Place the cap on the middle of your head so that the point is lined up with the middle of your forehead.  Adjust the mortarboard so it is parallel to the ground – don’t wear it to the side or to the back. You may need some bobby pins or clips to keep it securely on your head.
• Master’s and Specialist candidates should be wearing hoods.  The dean or marshal can help during line up if you have a question, but the following are a few helpful tips regarding how to wear your hood:
     -  Make sure your hood is not inside out; the satin should be on the inside and the black  material mostly on the outside.
     -  Put the hood on over your head with the velvet side up and the small tapered end pointing down in front. There may be a loop on the front point of the hood to secure it to a shirt button, or you may wish to pin the loop to a blouse or dress, under your gown.
     -  Drape the hood around your neck with the largest portion of the hood hanging down your back.
     -  Flip the middle of the back of the hood, where the Harding colors are, outward to show the gold and black satin; roll the velvet edge out a bit as well so that the inside colors show.  When you’re done, the end of the hood will look somewhat like a shark fin.
• Doctoral candidates should place the tassel on the LEFT side of the tam and will be hooded on stage.

Fall 2022: December 17, 2022

• Line up for candidates will be in the science building at 9:15. (Guest seating will begin at 9 a.m.)

Spring 2023: May 6, 2023

9 a.m. - College of Bible and Ministry, Carr College of Nursing, and College of Sciences

• Line up in the science building at 8:15 a.m.; doors to the Benson Auditorium will be unlocked at 8 a.m. for our guests to begin seating.

12 p.m. - College of Arts & Humanities, Paul R. Carter College Business Administration, Honors College (Interdisciplinary Studies majors only), and University College

• Line up in the science building at 11:15 a.m.; doors to the Benson Auditorium will be unlocked 45 minutes after the 9 a.m. ceremony concludes.

3 p.m. - College of Allied Health, Cannon-Clary College of Education, and College of Pharmacy

• Line up in the science building at 2:15 p.m.; doors to the Benson Auditorium will be unlocked 45 minutes after the noon ceremony concludes.

On the day of the ceremony there is a lunchoen reception after the ceremony in the cafeteria to honor the graduates and their families (one reception in the fall and three in the May). All graduates, family members and friends are invited to join the Harding faculty and administrators for this informal, come-and-go celebration. This is your opportunity to introduce the special people in your life!