Watch live: The May 2024 UK Commencement Ceremonies
The Friday, May 3 ceremonies can be rewatched here: https://www.youtube.com/live/m7jkK6_pD2A?si=9Cz8QZtyCe2_M9mC
The 9 a.m. ceremony begins at the 38:26 minute mark; the 2 p.m. ceremony begins at the 05:27:43 mark; and the 6 p.m. ceremony begins at the 09:27:15 mark.
The Saturday, May 4 ceremony can be rewatched here: https://www.youtube.com/live/EAAwkUlCQck?si=Vhg4gUtfaDk_1jlx
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 3, 2024) — Today and tomorrow, the University of Kentucky will celebrate its newest alumni at the May 2024 Commencement Ceremonies.
More than 4,300 graduates are expected to participate across four ceremonies taking place May 3 and 4 in Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Overall 5,736 May degree candidates were conferred by the UK Board of Trustees last week. This includes 3,626 undergraduate, 1,446 graduate and 664 professional degree candidates for May 2024*.
Ceremonies include:
9 a.m. Friday, May 3
2 p.m. Friday, May 3
- College of Communication and Information
- Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
- College of Education
6 p.m. Friday, May 3
- College of Engineering
- College of Fine Arts
- College of Social Work
- Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
9 a.m. Saturday, May 4
- Gatton College of Business and Economics
- College of Medicine
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Nursing
- College of Public Health
All four ceremonies will be livestreamed on UK’s YouTube channel, which will be accessible this weekend via the UK Commencement website and the UKNow homepage.
Grad Gathering
The UK Alumni Association will host receptions for the graduates and their families in Club C of the lower level of Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. After graduates cross the stage, they are encouraged to come down with their families and enjoy free refreshments, photo opportunities, gifts and prizes. More here.
Speakers
Deidra White, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing graduate, will recite a spoken word poem titled “Here in Kentucky.” Read more about White here.
Following the poem, a student representative of the May 2024 class will address the audience at each of the ceremonies, per UK tradition.
The four speakers include:
- Sophia Salyers, from Lexington, will speak at the 9 a.m. Friday, May 3 ceremony. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the UK College of Arts and Sciences and is a student in the Lewis Honors College.
- Alayna Tobo, from Atlanta, Georgia, will speak at the 2 p.m. Friday, May 3 ceremony. She is graduating with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the College of Communication and Information.
- Emily Wiley, from London, Kentucky, will speak at the 6 p.m. Friday, May 3 ceremony. She is graduating with a master’s degree in public administration from the Martin School for Public Policy and Administration.
- Princess Magor Agbozo, originally from Ghana, will speak at the 9 a.m. Saturday, May 4 ceremony. She is graduating with a bachelor's degree in public health from the College of Public Health and is a student in the Lewis Honors College.
Read more about the May 2024 student speakers here.
During each ceremony, the university will continue its tradition of presenting in memoriam degrees to honor the memory of students who have passed away and the impact they made during their time at UK. With family consent, five in memoriam degrees will be announced and accepted on behalf of their families and loved ones.
Full video of each ceremony will be available after Commencement on the university’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/universityofkentucky.
Social media users are encouraged to use the hashtag #UKgrad.
For more information about UK Commencement, visit http://commencement.uky.edu/.
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*These numbers reflect degree candidates, not individual graduates (some graduates earn more than one degree, thereby being counted as a degree candidate multiple times). Degrees will be certified by the UK registrar, ensuring individuals have satisfactorily completed all requirements. The most up-to-date information is available through UK and Institutional Research, Analytics and Decision Support.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.