UNI celebrates nearly 1,500 graduates at spring commencement ceremonies

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Nearly 1,500 students are gearing up to graduate from the University of Northern Iowa this weekend. 90% percent of the students are Iowa residents, representing 93 counties in the state. Nearly a third identify themselves as first-generation college graduates.

UNI is excited to welcome friends and family to celebrate the graduates at three Commencement ceremonies in the McLeod Center. Each will be available via livestream:

• May 15 at 7 p.m. - College of Education, David W. Wilson College of Business
• May 16 at 10 a.m. - College of Humanities Arts & Sciences
• May 16 at 2 p.m. - College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, College of Graduate, Research & Online Education

Spring commencement ceremonies will feature special elements recognizing the University of Northern Iowa's 150th anniversary milestone. Most notably, the commencement program cover returns to gold for the first time since 1985, reviving a tradition that began during UNI's 1976 centennial. The Centennial Mace - typically housed in the University Archives and reserved for special occasions - will also be displayed on stage for the first time since being retired in 2014.

Students earning degrees also include milestones for programs, including the first graduates of UNI's online Master of Business Administration, the first graduates of the early childhood education online transfer program and UNI's first materials science engineering graduate.

Nearly one in seven students graduate in three years - up from one in 12 in 2022 - helping reduce costs and lower average student debt. Nearly all graduates leave UNI with experience directly related to their future career, and 97% report success within six months of graduation.

UNI graduates continue to strengthen Iowa's workforce, with 78% of Iowa residents and nearly half of out-of-state graduates remaining in Iowa to live and work after earning their degree.