2018 SEAS Graduation Information

Graduation-At-A-Glance

• Apply to graduate. If you missed the deadline, submit a Late Application Form (PDF)
• Complete the mandatory online graduation survey in order to get your tickets (no exceptions)
• Order your cap and gown
• Pick up tickets starting April 23, 2018 from SEH 2500 or call 202-994-6080 (if you are off-campus)
• Attend the SEAS Celebration Buffet Reception on May 18  in your cap & gown at 4:00 pm in the Science  Engineering Hall (800 22nd Street NW)
• Make your way to Funger Hall (2201 G Street NW) at 5:30 pm for the graduate line-up.  Guests go to the Smith Center (600 22nd Street NW)
• SEAS Celebration starts at 7:00 pm at the Charles E. Smith Center (tickets needed for guests only, please remain until the end of the ceremony)
• GW Commencement starts at 9:00 am on Sunday, May 20 on the National Mall (tickets needed for guests only)

Graduation Information (Please read carefully)

Congratulations to all 2018 soon-to-be graduates! The faculty and staff of the School of Engineering and Applied Science are proud of your hard work and accomplishments! To make your graduation day go smoothly, here is some information about SEAS and GW events.

Friday, May 18

• School of Engineering and Applied Science Reception
  (for SEAS graduates, guests, faculty, and staff)
  4:00 pm, Science & Engineering Hall
  800 22nd Street, NW, Washington DC 20052
• Student lineup
  (all SEAS graduating student ONLY report for lineup)
  5:45 pm, Funger Hall
  2201 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052
• Guests proceed to SEAS Celebration
  6:00 pm, Charles E. Smith Center
  600 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20052

• School of Engineering and Applied Science Celebration
  7:00 pm, Charles E. Smith Center
  600 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20052
  (Ceremony concludes at approximately 9:00 pm)

Sunday, May 20

• All Graduates Line-Up at the National Mall
  8:30 am,  National Mall
• Processions step off at the National Mall
  9:30 am,  National Mall
• University Commencement
  10:00 am, National Mall 

Grad Fair 2018

Thursday, March 22 - Saturday, March 24
GW Campus Store, Marvin Center Lower Level

Thursday Hours:  9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Friday Hours:  9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday Hours:  12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
 

Purchase

• Cap and gown
• Diploma frame
   

Pre-order

• Personalized announcements
• Class ring
   

To do

• Make your Senior Class Gift
• Pose for Senior Portrait in the Cherry Tree Yearbook
  • Portrait Sitting Hours:
    • Thursday and Friday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
    • Saturday: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• Register for free Class of 2018 SEASON TICKETS at GW Athletics table (SENIORS)
• Enter drawings to win gift cards, a diploma frame, and other great prizes
   

*Please note:  If you will not be able to attend the fair or if you do not attend classes on the Foggy Bottom campus, you can order these items online.  

Complete online graduation survey

Beginning Monday, March 26, 2018, graduates will be able to complete the mandatory online graduation survey.  Hearing your thoughts and opinions will help GW know how to improve for future generations. Please complete the mandatory online graduation survey, before claiming tickets. Graduates will need to present a copy of their email confirmation and valid GWorld card to claim their tickets.

Commencement and School Celebration Ticket Distribution

Spring 2018 and Summer 2018 graduates can pick up their commencement and school celebration tickets directly from SEAS Student Services in the Science & Engineering Hall beginning April 23rd. Graduates will receive six guest tickets for Commencement on the National Mall and six guest tickets for the SEAS Celebration.

Commencement tickets for Summer 2017 and Fall 2017 graduates will be mailed by Friday, April 20, 2018, to the graduates' diploma addresses on file.  If you have not received your packet by Monday, April 30, please contact University Events at (202) 994-7129 or [email protected]. Graduates should pick up their School celebration tickets directly from SEAS Student Services beginning April 23rd.  Tickets will be distributed through May 7, M-F, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm.

For information regarding extra tickets for Commencement on the National Mall, please contact University Events at (202) 994-7129 or [email protected]. Graduates can be placed on a waitlist, maintained by the Office of University Events, Division of External Relations, beginning February 1, 2018. Tickets on the wait list can only be held for the graduate. The waitlist does not operate on a first-come, first-served basis. If extra tickets are made available, graduates will receive an email notification from the University Events after Friday, April 27, 2018.

When you pick up your SEAS tickets, you may also request to be placed on a waiting list for additional SEAS celebration tickets.

Students are also encouraged to ask their friends if they have any extra tickets at their disposal.

Regalia (Cap and Gown) Purchase and Rental Information 

Graduates are required to wear regalia (cap & gown) for all graduation ceremonies. 

You can keep your regalia unless you have rented it.

For pre-orders, select "Grad Fair - Spring 2018" from the drop-down menu and then select your school

You can keep your regalia unless you have rented it.

Bachelor's and master's regalia can be purchased during Grad Fair 2018, Thursday, March 22-Saturday, March 24, at the GW Campus Store. If you cannot attend the fair, you can purchase regalia online (link coming soon) until 11:59 pm, Monday, April 16. There is a $25 shipping charge for online orders. Regalia orders will be shipped to the address provided at the time of purchase.

For purchases, select "Regalia Ship to Home" from the drop-down menu and then select your school

If you missed the fair or the April 16th deadline, you can purchase regalia at the GW Campus Store textbook desk during normal store hours from Monday, May 14 until Saturday, May 19; emergency purchases only Sunday, May 20. 

Please note that all SEAS master’s (M.S.), doctor of engineering (D.Eng.) and doctor of science (D.Sc.) hoods should be ORANGE, and Ph.D. hoods should be BLUE.

Custom doctoral regalia can be purchased at the Doctoral Regalia Sale, scheduled on Wednesday, February 14, and Thursday, February 15, from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; at Grad Fair 2018, March 22-24; and online (link coming soon) until 11:59 pm, Saturday, March 31. It takes approximately six weeks, from the time of purchase, for manufacturing.

For custom doctoral regalia purchases, select "Order Custom Regalia".

Doctoral regalia rentals can be rented online (link coming soon) until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11. After April 11th, you can rent regalia at the GW Campus Store from Monday, May 14 until Saturday, May 19; emergency rentals only Sunday, May 20.

For rental orders, select "Order a Cap and Gown" option; select "Doctor Degrees" from the drop-down menu and then select your school.

SEAS Celebration

The School of Engineering and Applied Science Graduation Celebration will take place at the Charles E. Smith Center, 600 22nd Street, NW on Friday, May 18, starting at 7:00 pm. Prior to the SEAS Celebration, there will be a reception for graduates, friends and family, and SEAS faculty and staff at the Science & Engineering Hall (800 22nd Street, NW) in the First Floor Lobby and Lower Level 1 beginning at 4:00 pm.

We ask that all undergraduate participants (only) go to the 3rd Floor South Atrium in the SEH, overlooking H Street, at 5:30 pm for a group class photo in cap and gown. Immediately after the class photo, all undergraduates will be escorted to Funger Hall, 2201 G Street, NW for check in and line up. Your guests should go directly to the Smith Center.

All graduates (all degrees) should report in cap and gown to Funger Hall, 2201 G Street, NW starting at 5:45 pm for check-in and line-up. Your guests should go directly to the Smith Center.

Students receiving awards during the Celebration (you will be contacted if you are) should check in and then go directly to the Smith Center side entrance to the platform party's ready room on the Lower Level of the Smith Center.

Be aware that another school will be holding its celebration in the Smith Center immediately before ours, so the Smith Center staff may not be ready to seat our guests right away. Guests are asked to please wait outside the Smith Center until they open the doors rather than go with you to Funger Hall.

Seating in the Smith Center is first-come, first-served, so encourage your guests to arrive early for optimal seating. This is especially important if one of your guests has special needs. Individuals with ADA needs for themselves or their guests should notify the SEAS Dean's Office at [email protected].

The SEAS Celebration is a formal cap & gown event. Please be sure to wear your cap & gown (also called regalia) to the Celebration.
At the SEAS Celebration, your name will be called and you will walk across the stage and receive the dean's personal congratulations, as well as the personal congratulations of faculty from your department. Doctoral candidates will be formally hooded at this time. A professional photographer will be taking a photo of each graduate as you shake the dean's hand or are hooded. You will provide them with your contact information on the card with your name and they will email you about buying the photo.

Celebration Etiquette
Graduates are reminded that graduation is a joyful as well as solemn event. We ask that you express excitement in ways that will not prevent others from hearing the speakers and enjoying the ceremony. Cell phones should be turned to their silent operating modes to help ensure that all guests can hear and enjoy the graduation activities.  All students, out of respect for their fellow graduates, are asked to stay through the end of the ceremony and leave as part of the student recessional.

Tickets for the SEAS Celebration will be distributed from SEAS Student Services, Science & Engineering Hall 2500. You should hand in a copy of your email confirming completion of the 2018 Graduation Survey in exchange for your SEAS tickets. Please complete the mandatory online graduation survey, before claiming tickets. At distribution, you may ask for as many as 6 tickets and be put on a waiting list if you need more. Please be considerate and do not ask for more than you will actually use.

Please encourage your guests to use Metro if at all possible. If parking on or near campus is your only option, please factor in additional time to locate a parking spot. The availability of campus parking is extremely limited and not guaranteed. Guests may be redirected to seek parking in other public locations further away from the campus. The University parking garages are wheelchair-accessible. Please review the GW Parking Services website transportation.gwu.edu for additional information.

Invitations for Family Members Overseas
For invitation letters for family who live overseas please contact the GW Office of the Registrar  Letters of Invitation can be used by current students to invite friends and/or family members to the United States. These letters are mostly requested to invite family members to the graduation ceremony or persons to visit while the student is pursuing a degree. Students must be registered for the future term or currently enrolled to request a letter of invitation for a visit, or must have applied for graduation to request a letter of invitation for the graduation ceremony.

The request must include the proper spelling of each visitor's name and his or her relationship to the student requesting the letter. You are strongly encouraged to print neatly or type the names for a Letter of Invitation to ensure proper spelling in the final letter.

Questions about any of the events in connection with the SEAS Celebration, Hooding, or any of the graduation weekend events should be directed to:

• [email protected] for undergraduate students,
• [email protected] for graduate students
• [email protected] for EMSE Off-Campus students
• Or call the SEAS Dean’s Office at 202-994-6080.