UCF Class of 2020 to Return for Long-Awaited In-Person Commencement Ceremony on Nov. 5
By Space Coast Daily // October 11, 2021
1700+ Graduates from Class of 2020 Expected to Return
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Homecoming weekend will mean a little bit more to a special group of 1,700 Knights expected to return to campus to experience the milestone of an in-person commencement.
For some, this graduation ceremony has been delayed more than a year.
Spring, Summer and Fall 2020 grads representing each of UCF’s 13 colleges have registered for the ceremony, which will take place Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. at Addition Financial Arena and be livestreamed on UCF’s YouTube channel.
Darin Edwards ’97 ’10MS ’11PhD — who led the charge to create Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine — will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2020 Graduation Celebration.
In 2020, the Florida Board of Governors required all of Florida’s state universities to hold virtual commencement ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UCF conferred more than 18,000 degrees during its 2020 virtual commencement ceremonies.
During the ceremony, graduates will cross the stage during the traditional Pomp and Circumstance processional as their names are called. Each graduate is allowed up to four guests in attendance.
The deadline to participate in the Nov. 5 ceremony has passed. Participation in the ceremony is specifically for those graduates who missed in-person commencements experiences in 2020.
