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Commencement

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Congratulations, Graduates!  

Your commencement is a special time for you and your family. We are excited to celebrate with you in a safe and healthy environment. On this page, you’ll find FAQs for you and your guests to plan for this exciting event. Should you have additional questions that have yet to get answered, please send us an email directly at academicaffairs@ecsu.edu.  

Due to the relatively large number of graduation candidates for the Spring 2024 commencement, tickets will be required for commencement attendees (excluding graduation candidates and faculty/staff in regalia).

Graduation candidates will need to present their ECSU Viking One ID Card and know their Banner ID number to pick up their tickets.

Graduation candidates can pick up their  tickets in the Academic Affairs Suite on the 3rd floor of the Marion D. Thorpe Administration building on the following dates:

  • Monday, April 22nd: 9:00 am to 11:00 am, 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
  • Wednesday, April 24th: 9:00 am to 11:00 am and 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
  • Monday, April 29th: 9:00 am to 11:00 am, 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
  • Tuesday, April 30th through Thursday, May 2nd: 9:00 am to 11:00 am and 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
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  • When picking up tickets, graduation candidates will be asked to sign for the tickets. Commencement tickets will only be released to the prospective graduate. Lost or stolen tickets will not be replaced, so please store your tickets safely!

Only graduation candidates in 100% online degree programs (e.g., Interdisciplinary Studies, Homeland Security) can obtain their tickets in one of the following ways:

  1. During commencement rehearsal on Friday, May 3rd at 1:00 pm. Be sure to email academicaffairs@ecsu.edu if you need to obtain your tickets at rehearsal.

Or

  1. Request that your tickets be mailed to you by sending an email to academicaffairs@ecsu.edu from your ECSU student email address no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, April 5th. Please include the mailing address to which the tickets should be sent in your email.

 

If additional tickets become available, follow-up communication will be sent to prospective graduates as soon as possible.

For questions regarding commencement tickets, please contact the Division of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@ecsu.edu or (252) 335-2880. 

Graduation candidates should plan to arrive at the R.L. Vaughan Center at 7:15 am to line up for the ceremony. The procession will begin promptly at 8:30 am.  

Graduates should plan to park in the STEM Complex parking lot.

You may purchase your cap, gown, and other graduation products on the Herff Jones website at: https://collegegrad.herffjones.com/. Online orders must be placed by Monday April 8th to ensure delivery before commencement on May 4th.  Please note that invitations and other specialty items are only available for purchase through Herff Jones. 

For Graduation Fair Information please contact the ECSU Campus Store at (252) 335-3402.

If you have questions regarding regalia or need assistance with placing your regalia order, please contact the ECSU Campus Store at (252) 335-3402.

Earl Howard Studios will be photographing prospective Spring 2024 graduates on Tuesday, March 19th from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday, March 20th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Ridley Student Center, The Great Room There will be a sitting fee of $25 per student (cash or charge). The photographer wants students to know their hands will be shown in the pictures. Ladies should not wear shirts above the collar line. Men should wear a shirt and tie. The photographer will provide the cap and gown.

Mortar boards (caps) are worn with the tips in a horizontal position-not tilted. All undergraduates and candidates for Bachelor’s degrees march with the tassels on the right side of their caps. Graduate students wear their tassels on the left side at all times during the ceremony.  Please see the YouTube video below for how to wear your graduation cap and gown.

Men wear caps throughout the program except during the Invocation, National Anthem(s) and Benediction. Women do not remove their caps during the ceremony.
 
Students will not be able to participate in Commencement exercises without securing formal academic attire. It is strongly recommended that you purchase attire through the ECSU Bookstore, as it has specific attire pertinent to ECSU graduates.

All graduates except those being commissioned in ROTC are required to wear academic attire (mortar boards and gowns). 

  • Women are to wear dresses, skirts, dark colored dress pants, and black dress shoes.
  • Men are to wear dark suits, white shirts, dark ties, and black shoes.
  • Flip flops, jeans, and tennis shoes are not allowed.

Purses and other personal items are not to be carried in the procession. Graduation candidates should plan to leave these items with family or friends. Cellular phones, iPods, etc. are not be used at any time during the commencement ceremony.

Yes! Commencement rehearsal for all graduation candidates who plan to participate in the May 4,2024 commencement will take place on

Friday, May 3,2024 at 1:00 pm in the R.L. Vaughan Center.

Be sure to bring your graduation hood to rehearsal!

Students earning Latin honors for commencement purposes will receive an email with instructions on how to obtain their respective honor cord for the commencement ceremony. For more information regarding honor cord eligibility, see Graduation and Commencement Honors Policy.  For all other questions, email registrar@ecsu.edu.

Elizabeth City State University confers bachelor's degrees to students who have satisfactorily fulfilled the following graduation requirements:

  • Completion of all General Education courses as prescribed by the university for all students;
  • Have an overall grade point average of 2.0, and a major grade point average of 2.0 or higher, depending on the Academic Department;
  • Completion of all courses and other requirements prescribed by the major Department (For specific department or program requirements, see individual sections as described in this catalog.);
  • A record of having taken and completed the required examinations or approved equivalents for exiting the program of study;
  • Approval and recommendation by the Department and general faculty as a worthy candidate for graduation;
  • Filing of an Application for Graduation for theSpring 2024 commencement by the deadline with the Office of the Registrar; Application deadline is February 1,2024
  • Meeting all financial obligations to the university through the Division of Business and Finance; and 
  • Meeting the residence requirements of the university (course credits earned at ECSU).

All tuition and fees must be paid prior to graduation.

It is the sole responsibility of each candidate for graduation to meet with the academic advisor of the major Department and have his or her academic record evaluated for the purpose of finding out whether all institutional and departmental requirements for graduation have been met.

For purposes of the commencement ceremony, including the distribution of honor cords and the printing of the commencement program, distinctions are calculated based on the grades up to, but not including the student’s final term. A final assessment for distinctions is completed after the final semester grades are calculated. Honors designation will appear on the student's transcript once degrees are conferred. A list of students receiving Latin Honors will be made available at commencement and honor cords will be distributed based on this approved list.
To be eligible for degrees with distinction, a student must have earned at least 50 semester hours in residence at Elizabeth City State University. The student must also have the required overall average in all course work attempted.

Degrees with distinction are awarded to graduating seniors in the following categories:

  • Cum Laude for GPA 3.25 through 3.59 (white)
  • Magna Cum Laude for GPA 3.60 through 3.79 (yellow)
  • Summa Cum laude for GPA 3.80 through 4.00 (red)
Pay Commencement Fees.
The graduating class commencement fee is $50. Graduation regalia and announcements are purchased separately.

All commencement fees must be paid by cash, MasterCard, Visa or money order.
If you are a currently enrolled student, your commencement fee has been added to your student account. In order to make a payment please see the instructions below.
How to Make Your Payment: 
If you are a current student, please sign on to your SSB:
  • Click on student tab
  • Click on student accounts
  • Click on the link " View My Bill/Make a Payment"
  • Click on Make a Payment
If you are not currently enrolled and do not have access to your SSB, complete the Credit Card Authorization Form. Once completed, fax the form to the Cashier’s Office for processing.
 
Move Out of Residence Halls.
If you were in a residence hall, you need to move out of the residence hall and return your room key. Students in residence halls received a special email that outlined the process and provided a link to register for a move-out date and time.
 
Return Laptop and Hotspot.
All students who borrowed equipment should use the return shipment label they received in the mail. IT Client Services is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will accept borrowed equipment by appointment only. If you did not receive your return label, would like to make an appointment to return your equipment in person, or have any questions, contact IT Client Services at 252-335-3532. 
 
Return Rented Textbooks.
Rented textbooks are due by Friday, May 3rd. 
Current textbook rental office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The rental office will be open for extended hours from Monday,April 29th through Friday, May 3rd, 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.  You can also ship your books to the ECSU Campus Bookstore at 1704 Weeksville Rd, Elizabeth City NC 27909.  Please note that the bookstore does not pay for shipping.
 
Please contact the ECSU Campus Bookstore at (252) 335-3402 if you have questions about returning rented textbooks.

At all commencement ceremonies, professional photographers will take multiple photos of each graduate during the various stages of the ceremony, including during the procession, crossing the stage, shaking hands with the chancellor, and sitting on the arena floor during the ceremony.

In spring 2022, ECSU partnered with Parchment to offer our graduates both a print version of their diploma and a free digital diploma that graduates can shared on social media. Parchment will begin the process for packaging degrees for mailing on Monday, June 17, 2024. An email and text message will be sent to graduates after commencement with instructions on how to claim their free digital diploma. 

Degrees will not be mailed to students with outstanding balances.

Graduation candidates who participate in commencement will be provided their degree holder during the commencement ceremony. All degrees will be mailed to graduates. For those graduation candidates who do not attend commencement, both their degree and degree holder will be mailed. 

If you have questions about Parchment, degree mailing, or the free digital diploma, please contact the Office of the Registrar at (252) 335-3300 or registrar@ecsu.edu. 

Yes! The Senior Reception and Pinning Ceremony will be held in-person on Friday, May 3rd, 6:00 - 7:00 pm in the K.E. White Graduate and Continuing Education Center. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Pinning Ceremony is a tradition that formally allows ECSU alumni to welcome all new graduates, with open arms and a pin, into a group of over 20,000 individuals who have earned the unique title of being ECSU alumni. This event is hosted by the Office of the Chancellor and the Divison of Student Affairs and University Advancement.

There are a variety of lodging options available in Elizabeth City, including hotels, inns, and bed and breakfast establishments. Visit the following website to view many of these options: https://visitelizabethcity.com/Stay.  

If you or one of your guests has an accessibility need, please complete the following survey NO LATER THAN, FRIDAY, April 12th:

Complete This Form

Requests received after April 12th cannot be guaranteed.
 
You will be contacted by the ECSU Office of Student Accessibility if additional information is needed.

For questions regarding accessibility seating for commencement, please contact the Office of Student Accessibility at ada-504coordinator@ecsu.edu or (252) 335-3642.

For commencement, guest parking lots include the R.L. Vaughan Center, Riley Wellness Center, STEM Complex, and Roebuck Stadium. Handicapped parking for individuals with valid, state-issued handicapped permits/plates will be available on a first come, first served basis in these lots. Please encourage your guests to arrive early if handicapped parking is need.

Yes.  The commencement ceremony will be live-streamed on ECSU's YouTube Channel. 

Share Your Story! Have you overcome unusual circumstances, taken a nontraditional path to a degree, or are sharing the experience with a family member? We want to hear about it and what it means to you. Submit your story to ecsunews@ecsu.edu.