2024: By the Numbers
Number of graduates: 2,762 total (May graduates only)
| Number | School |
|---|---|
| 1,337 | Undergraduates |
| 25 | School of Divinity |
| 402 | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences |
| 210 | School of Law |
| 469 | School of Business (graduate programs) |
| 264 | School of Medicine |
| 55 | School of Professional Studies |
Commencement: Past and Present
| Number | Note |
|---|---|
| 4 | Number of graduates in the first graduating class, 1839 |
| 13,000 | Approximate number of chairs on Hearn Plaza |
| 3 hours | Approximate length of Commencement |
| 1964 | Year that the first black student (Ed Reynolds) graduated |
| 1966 | First year that Commencement was held on the Quad (now known as Hearn Plaza); from 1957-1965, Commencement was held in Wait Chapel |
| 4 | Number of times rain has forced Commencement inside (2010, 1991, 1983 and 1973) |
| 1957 | First class to graduate on the "new" campus |
| 2 hours | Length of Commencement speech delivered in 1858 by Solomon Satchwell |
| 1981 | Last class to receive sheepskin diplomas |
| 2020 | Only class to have two Commencement events: a virtual conferring of degrees in May of 2020 and an in-person ceremony on Sept. 18, 2021 |
| 4 | The class of 2021 was awarded diplomas in four separate ceremonies in Joel Coliseum, then gathered for a celebration at Truist Field |