Spring Commencement

Celebrating the Class of 2023

The Class of 2023 excelled in the classroom, served their community, conducted research, won national championships and made memories that will last a lifetime.

After years of hard work, late nights and a lot of determination in the face of a pandemic, they’ve made lasting impacts at Carolina and left their heelprints on campus.

  • Students celebrating at commencement.

    Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz presided over the May 14 ceremony at Kenan Stadium that celebrated the roughly 3,930 undergraduates, 1,690 master’s degree students and 307 doctoral students.

    Carolina’s Class of 2023 graduates
  • Graduates taking a selfie

    Get to know our Class of 2023 and learn more about their paths to Commencement.

    Meet the graduates
  • People shaking hands on stage.

    Ahead of Carolina's Spring Commencement on Sunday morning, our graduating students celebrated their years of hard work and diligence at graduations across campus.

    Graduates celebrate their achievements

The Class of 2023 also celebrated its graduation on May 14 with a message from a legendary Tar Heel.

Honorary Degrees

  • Alexander Julian '69

    Alexander Julian was born and raised in Chapel Hill and entered UNC as a member of the Class of 1969. Venturing into design in the early 1970s, he is an autodidact who has personally designed over 130 different categories of products and the first time he went to design school was to teach.

  • Mike McIntyre '78, '81

    Throughout his life, in his professional, community, civic, church and personal activities – and through his exemplary public service — Douglas Carmichael "Mike" McIntyre II has relentlessly advocated for a better understanding of our Constitution and legal system and made significant contributions to humanity locally, statewide, nationally, internationally and on behalf of our university.

  • Jonathan Reckford '84

    Jonathan T.M. Reckford is chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, a global Christian housing organization that has helped more than 46 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve their homes.

  • Hilda Solis

    Supervisor Hilda L. Solis was sworn in for her third term as Los Angeles County Supervisor for the First District of Los Angeles County on December 5, 2022, having first taken office on December 1, 2014.

  • Bryan Stevenson

    Bryan Stevenson is a renowned public interest lawyer and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative.

  • Lucille Webb

    Lucille Holcombe Webb, a native of Richmond, Virginia, has been a resident of North Carolina since she matriculated at North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro where she earned a B.S. degree. She received the M.ED from State University at Oneonta, New York and additional certification in administration and supervision from UNC-Chapel Hill.

For graduates

Main University Commencement Ceremony
9 a.m., Sunday, May 14
Kenan Stadium

  • Please arrive in the Loudermilk parking lot at 7:30 a.m.
  • Graduates will enter the stadium through the tunnels and go straight to the seating area. Staff will be on-hand to direct.

We are not requiring student registration or tickets. Our plans are based on current public health guidance, and we will communicate as soon as possible if that should change. 

View the schedule for school and departmental ceremonies. Please reach out directly to the school/department for their specific ceremony details. 

The Graduate School’s Hooding Ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 13 at 9 a.m. in the Dean E. Smith Center. For more information, please go to The Graduate School’s website.

We highly encourage August graduates to attend the December ceremony. Graduates are allowed to choose to attend the May ceremony instead, but please note that you are only allowed (registration not required) to attend one ceremony and your name will not appear in the May program. 

Ceremony

The 2023 main University Commencement ceremony will be held in Kenan Stadium on Sunday, May 14 at 9 a.m. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on several platforms for virtual participation or viewing. The link will be posted the day of the ceremony. 

Students are not required to register to attend in person and there will not be a ticketing process. Guest wheelchair seating will be ticketed (see ADA section below for more details).  As keeping with years past, the main Commencement ceremony does not include graduates’ names being called or them walking across the stage. These both take place at the departmental ceremonies due to time constraints. 

Caps, Gowns, Announcements and Diploma Frames

Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Cap & Gown (Regalia) is currently available for ordering by clicking HERE (or going to https://unchapelhill.shopoakhalli.com/purchasewizard/Welcome). Anyone that would like to purchase in-store will be able to do so starting Thursday March 23rd through Commencement weekend.

– Individual Stoles and Tassels can be purchased online by clicking HERE (https://unchapelhill.shopoakhalli.com/purchasewizard/Welcome). They will also be available for purchase in person at the Grad Fair on Wednesday March 22nd, and in-store starting on Thursday March 23rd.

Faculty
Faculty rental regalia is currently available for ordering by clicking HERE (or going to https://uncchapelhillfac.shopoakhalli.com/). The site will remain open through Wednesday April 5th, and the regalia will be available for pickup at UNC Student Store starting the Monday of commencement week (May 8th). Payment is due at time of pickup, and the return deadline to have your items back in-store is Friday May 19th.

Customized, more elaborate doctoral regalia can be ordered in-store or by contacting graduation@store.unc.edu. Orders for custom regalia can be placed year-round and take 7-10 weeks to ship once ordered. For guaranteed delivery by Spring 2023 commencement, the order deadline is Friday March 3rd.

Customized graduation announcements can be purchased through Balfour (https://balfour.com/unc). Generic announcements in packages of 10 may be purchased at Student Stores.

Class Ring Ordering Information – please visit Balfour’s website (https://balfour.com/unc).

Diploma Frame Ordering Information – order your diploma frame through Student Stores (https://unc.bncollege.com/Categories/Gifts–Accessories/All-Diploma-Frames/c/ac-gifts-all-diploma-frames).

For other questions, please call 919-962-7239 or email graduation@store.unc.edu.

Senior Campaign

The Office of University Development invites seniors to support UNC-Chapel Hill through the Senior Campaign for Carolina. As Carolina students, you have been touched every day by private gifts to Carolina that maintain and enhance the University’s tradition of excellence. You can make a gift to any part of the University that is meaningful to you — your major, a professorship, a student organization, scholarships and student aid, or campus-wide programs. To make an immediate difference where it is needed the most, consider supporting The Carolina Fund. All gifts to Carolina are included as participation in the Senior Campaign. To learn more about how Carolina benefits from private support from alumni and friends, please visit the Annual Giving website.

Make your gift today.

For families

  • Gates open at 8:00 a.m.
  • Gates 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 will be open for guests.
  • Clear bags are encouraged but not required.
  • Hydration stations will be available, please bring your own refillable water bottle.

Hotel Accommodations and Visitor Information

We recommend making hotel reservations as early as possible. The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau can help you find the type of accommodation appropriate for your stay.

Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Resources:

Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Resources:

UNC Visitors Center Resources:

Useful Contacts

Accessibility services

General Information

To best accommodate the various needs of our visitors at Commencement, Carolina is providing two options for accessible seating.

Stadium Seating and Parking

Limited accessible seating for wheelchair users or those who cannot ascend or descend stairs is available in Kenan Stadium with a reservation. Parking information will be emailed the week of the main commencement ceremony but will be in close proximity to Kenan Stadium. The reservation system closed on May 1. Please contact access@unc.edu for any requests after May 1.

Concourse Level Wheelchair Seating (Reservation Required)

The Concourse Level Wheelchair Section is reserved, and each reservation is for one wheelchair user plus up to three companions. Reservations are first-come, first-served. Visitors in need of accessible seating are strongly encouraged to arrive to the stadium no later than an hour before the ceremony begins in order to ensure you are in your seat for the start of the ceremony. Gates open at 8 a.m.

This section is located near the Kenan Football Center between Gates 3 and 5. ADA-accessible restrooms are located near the seating, as well as water stations; please bring a water bottle to fill or to bring your own water.

This section faces the main stage and provides a direct view of the event. Please understand this event is in an outdoor stadium and there will be exposure to the elements. A limited number of accessible seats are available for families of graduates, and only a small portion of those are shaded. If you are concerned about exposure related to the weather or the elements, please know that the ceremony will be livestreamed at commencement.unc.edu.

NOTE: Once the Concourse Level Wheelchair Section is filled, those requesting wheelchair seating will be assigned to a secondary wheelchair seating area.

If you are not a wheelchair user but cannot ascend or descend stairs on the shuttle or in the stadium please contact Commencement Accessibility Services at access@unc.edu to explore seating options.

Concourse Level Wheelchair Parking (Permit Required)

Guests who request Concourse Level Wheelchair Seating will park in a designated lot close to Kenan Stadium. A parking permit for the lot will be emailed to guests who need wheelchair seating the week of the Commencement ceremony.

Limited Mobility Seating (No Reservation Required)

Guests who can ascend and descend limited stairs are asked to arrive early and identify a seat near the concourse level that best fits their needs; this seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Limited Mobility Seating Parking (No Reservation Required)

Guests seeking Limited Mobility Seating or who have mobility challenges may wish to make use of the accessible shuttle transit options available from the Bowles, Manning and Cardinal Parking Lots; from these lots accessible Carolina Livery Shuttles will convey guests to a Gate 6 drop-off point. Alternatively, guests may park at the Friday Center; Chapel Hill Transit (also accessible) will convey guests to a Gate 2 drop-off point. Please note that shuttles will not be running from/to any other parking lots/decks. State issued handicapped hangtags can be used in these lots and in others even where there is not an accessible shuttle.

Return transit will be available from these drop-off points up to 45 minutes following the main ceremony or from The Old Well or FPG Student Union (and from the Dean Smith Center for guests parked at The Friday Center) between 12:30 and 3 pm for those attending departmental ceremonies.

Please check the UNC Transportation and Parking website for latest updates.

Please plan accordingly based on your seating plans.

There are handicapped accessible parking spaces in each of the lots on a first come first serve basis. Guests can drop off at the shuttle departure points.

We are not responsible for any wheelchairs, walkers, crutches or other mobility aids left at the stadium. To help ensure your medical device is not taken accidentally, we ask that you please tag or label your items with name, address and phone number. When the ceremony concludes, we ask for your patience as individuals retrieve their mobility aids and exit this area.

ADA-accessible restrooms are located throughout the stadium.

Departmental and individual school ceremonies

Commencement Accessibility Services does not coordinate accessible seating or parking for departmental ceremonies. For information about individual departmental or professional school ceremonies, guests should check the Commencement Information website for information regarding on building location, available parking and building access, or please contact the school or department of your graduate.

If students need accessible seating, please contact Commencement Accessibility Services at access@unc.edu

Wheelchairs

Neither ARS, EOC nor the University maintains a supply of wheelchairs for Commencement ceremonies. Guests with difficulty walking are strongly encouraged to bring their own wheelchair or to rent one. Wheelchairs are generally available for short-term rental from medical supply stores and some pharmacies.

Livestreaming

Each commencement ceremony will be livestreamed and captioned and available for viewing. The livestream link will be posted on the Commencement website the day of the ceremony.

Captioning

Each ceremony will have open captioning in the Stadium. A livestreaming transcription of the audio portion of the ceremony audio will be displayed on the large reader boards for guests with difficulty hearing.

Sign Language Interpreting

A sign language interpreter will be provided. If you or your guest require access, please contact access@unc.edu.

Commencement Accessibility Services

If you have any questions about any other accessibility-related issues, please contact: access@unc.edu

Additional information

  • The livestream link and digital program will be available on the Commencement website on the day of the ceremony.
  • Parking information can be found at move.unc.edu
  • If you have accessibility needs, please contact access@unc.edu

Frequently asked questions

For more information about the ceremony, please visit frequently asked questions.