Commencement General Information

(Please also visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of this website)

All eligible ceremony participants will be mailed a packet of information two months prior to the ceremony date. The packet will include: (1) invitation to attend memorandum (inclusive of information regarding rings/announcements/frames/deluxe University doctoral regalia); (2) Commencement Participation Form (CPF) to be completed and returned; (3) postage-paid envelope and (4) hotel information.

A second (final) packet will be mailed to all students who have returned the CPF indicating their intention to participate in the ceremony. Please allow a minimum of two weeks, after you return the CPF, for the second packet to reach your address. Included in the second packet will be detailed maps and instructions to the graduates regarding the ceremony.

The address used for the two packets described above will be the mailing address (MA) on your NSU student record. Therefore, please make sure that your address is correct by accessing your WebSTAR account. If it is not, please correct it or fax the correction to the University Registrar’s Office at 954-262-3256. When faxing the correction, reference your NSU ID, and be sure to sign the request. It is also helpful to include a daytime phone number should there be any questions or concerns.

There are two possible methods to be formally invited to participate in the ceremony:

1. Students who have achieved degree conferral, between June 1st of the previous year and May 31 of the ceremony year, are automatically invited to participate.

2. Each NSU center/school determines their “participation requirements”. Please contact your individual school/program or visit the school’s commencement website for clarification on the requirements which must be met in order to be invited to the ceremony.

(PLEASE NOTE: Submitting the Application for Degree does not automatically generate an invitation to the commencement ceremony. The Application for Degree and the Commencement Participation Form are part of two separate processes).

The Commencement Participation Form (CPF) is a two-part form available only in the packet of information mailed to eligible graduates two months (or subsequently depending on the date of degree conferral) prior to the ceremony date. The form must be completed, and both parts of the form must be returned to the University Registrar’s Office, along with the appropriate fee for the standard regalia and participation, in the envelope provided. The form serves to reserve your place in the ceremony and to order the standard regalia (cap and gown). Faxed forms are not accepted. The cap and gown are yours to keep.

Ceremony Participation and Regalia (cap and gown) fees are as follows:

Doctoral Graduates have the option of purchasing the Standard Regalia: $83.74 (includes: black gown, mortarboard, hood) or the Deluxe Doctoral Regalia: $957.18 (includes: tam, deluxe grey/blue gown, hood) http://www.nova.edu/~bkstore/graduation/Grauation_Regalia.html.

Regardless of the type of regalia ordered, you must still return the Commencement Participation Form (CPF) to reserve your place as a graduate marching in the ceremony processional. If you purchased the deluxe regalia http://www.nova.edu/~bkstore/graduation/Grauation_Regalia.html, simply check the box on the form indicating this purchase. Only the regalia purchased through the NSU Bookstore are acceptable to be worn at NSU commencement ceremonies. If you have purchased regalia through another source, please reserve it for your personal use on other occasions.