Liberty gears up to welcome 60,000 guests for Commencement Week

Liberty University has announced that it expects to host up to 60,000 guests for Commencement events on campus next week, including 10,200 graduates participating in ceremonies.

The Main Ceremony, open to all graduates and guests, will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 12, at Williams Stadium. The university will hold 26 separate degree presentation ceremonies over the course of three days, May 11-13, at various locations around campus.

The main ceremony will feature a keynote address from world-renowned evangelist and Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham. Gates open at 3 p.m., with the graduate processional beginning at 5:15 p.m. A fireworks show is planned at the conclusion of the ceremony. Liberty’s clear bag policy will be in effect.

All degree ceremonies and the main ceremony will be streamed live from the Commencement website.

Liberty will confer degrees to over 28,000* graduates in the Class of 2023, the university’s 50^th graduating class. With a large majority of those graduates having earned their degrees from Liberty University Online Programs, many of this year’s Commencement guests will be visiting campus for the very first time.

“Our teams work hard to make sure this is a great celebration for them on their first trip to our campus, and we want to give them an amazing experience as they explore the campus and the city,” said Lori Baker, program manager for Commencement.

Commencement festivities will officially begin on Wednesday, May 10, with a Commencement Welcome Fair in the Montview Alumni Ballroom, where graduates can pick up their t-shirt, honor or military cords, and have formal regalia photos taken. The fair will continue on Thursday and Friday as graduates and their loved ones arrive to campus.

The university will hold its annual Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony on Friday at 1 p.m. at Thomas Road Baptist Church. The ceremony honors all service members, veterans, and military spouses who have completed their degree during the 2022-23 academic year. In addition, Liberty will hold two commissioning ceremonies on Saturday: Army ROTC at the Center for Music and the Worship Arts Concert Hall at 5 p.m., and Air Force ROTC at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va., at 5:45 p.m.

The university has announced several road closures throughout the events, including University Blvd. around Williams Stadium. Guests should anticipate heavy traffic on Friday leading up to the Main Ceremony and between degree presentation ceremonies on Thursday and Saturday. Traffic will be directed to exit campus at specific locations. Parking and shuttle services will be available at multiple campus locations throughout Commencement. Review the Weekend Guide, available online and at on-campus information booths, for more traffic information and a campus map specific for Commencement.

While on campus, guests and graduates are encouraged to take part in activities such as a campus tour (visit the Hancock Welcome Center), a multimedia projection show cast onto the front of DeMoss Hall Tuesday through Sunday at 8, 9, and 10 p.m.; the Legacy of Faith Historic Walk around campus, and the observation level of the Liberty’s tallest landmark, the Freedom Tower. Liberty Baseball will be hosting Virginia Tech on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Information booths will be set up at Williams Stadium, the Welcome Fair, and all degree ceremony locations throughout Commencement.

For a full schedule, information about parking and security, and a list of FAQs, visit the Commencement website.

Class of 2023 Facts & Figures

• 

  Liberty will award 1,325 associate degrees, 11,242 bachelor’s degrees, 1,901graduate certificates, 10,602 master’s degrees, 2,439 doctoral degrees, and 1,200 Liberty Online Academy high school program diplomas. Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine will celebrate 148 graduates. Liberty University School of Law will award 92 juris doctorates.

• 5,908 military graduates (including 2,060 active duty and 2,631 military spouses)

• Top states represented by this year’s graduating class: Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, California, and Maryland

• Outside of the United States, the top countries represented are: Canada, Korea, Japan, Germany, China, Bahamas, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom
• 6,005 graduating with honors, including 4,070 with a perfect 4.0 GPA
• 21 married couples are graduating together, as well as 49 parents graduating with a child and 210 pairs of siblings, including 32 sets of twins.
• Average age of this year’s graduate is 35. The oldest graduate is 86, earning a bachelor’s degree, and the oldest postgraduate degree recipient is 90. The youngest bachelor’s degree recipient is 15.

• Top 5 Residential Undergraduate Degrees

• • Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Nursing
  • Business Administration: Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Biomedical Sciences

• Top 5 Residential Graduate/Doctoral Degrees

• • Osteopathic Medicine
  • Juris Doctorate
  • Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Master of Business Administration

• Top 5 Online Undergraduate Degrees

• • Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Business Administration
  • Psychology
  • Aviation
  • Psychology: Christian Counseling
• Top 5 Online Graduate Degrees

• • Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • Master of Business Administration
  • Master of Arts in Executive Leadership
  • Master of Arts in Teaching: Elementary Education
  • Doctor of Education

*All data reported is based on preliminary numbers for the 2022-2023 academic year.