12/04/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/04/2025 14:58
WWU News
December 4, 2025
Mary Gallagher
WWU Communications
Western Washington University will host two commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 13, to celebrate summer and fall quarter graduates with their guests in Carver Gym.
About 470 graduates are expected to participate in the ceremonies. Each ceremony will last about an hour, and each graduate is allotted complimentary tickets for guests. Livestream viewing will also be available in nearby lecture halls.
The two ceremonies will honor graduates of different colleges:
Doors open one hour prior to each ceremony, and guests should be seated 10 minutes prior to the start time. ASL interpretation and live captioning will be available.
Graduates made reservations to participate in the ceremonies,and each graduate received tickets for their guests. Guests without tickets will be directed to nearby classroom lecture halls, where they'll be invited to watch a livestream of the ceremony on large, theater-style screens. The ceremony livestreamwill also be available online for viewing from home.
No balloons, backpacks, alcohol, noisemakers, air horns, amplification devices or large signs are allowed in Carver. Learn more about safety and security at Commencement.
Following the ceremony, graduates will have the opportunity to follow WWU traditionand place a small item representative of their time at Western in a time capsule to be cemented into Memory Walk in front of Old Main.
Guest parkingis free on commencement days and available in most lots. A downloadable parking map is available here.Visitors must observe regulations for accessible and individually reserved spaces. Accessible parking will be in the 9G parking lot, which is closest to Carver and served by a golf cart shuttle for those who need assistance. Visitors are also advised to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion and to allow for travel time between the parking lots and Carver.
For those parking in the south campus parking lots, there will be a free shuttle service available from Parking Lot C off Bill McDonald Parkway, just south of Wade King Student Recreation Center, that will drop off guests near Carver. Three shuttle buses will run in a loop from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., and one of the buses is ADA-equipped to accommodate two wheelchairs per route. Guests using wheelchairs may take this shuttle or they may park in the designated lot for accessible parking in the 9G lot.
For more information about commencement, visit the December Commencementpage, email [email protected] or call 360-650-3432.