Commencement Ceremony Information for Faculty

Bellevue University’s ceremonies take place twice a year—the last Saturday in January and the first Saturday in June. The 2026 ceremonies will be held on Saturday, January 31, and on Saturday, June 6. The Saturday ceremonies, including the Doctoral Hooding ceremony, are held at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. For more information about our ceremonies, please visit www.bellevue.edu/graduation and explore those pages and links.

Doctoral Hooding Ceremony

Doctoral Graduates are invited to a special reception on Friday, January 30, 2026, on the main campus of Bellevue University.

A Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will be held on Saturday, January 31, during the commencement ceremony at the Mid-America Center.

Open House/ Final Friday

The Graduation Open House/Final Friday is a great opportunity to meet graduating students, their family and friends. For those faculty members whom students have requested to meet, a separate email from the Commencement Team will be sent to you with the students’ contact information prior to the event. Please take time to reach out to them and plan to meet. Our post-ceremony surveys indicate that meeting you is an important part of their celebrations.

Graduation Open House/Final Friday event details:

Cap & Gown Pick-up will be in the Hitchcock Humanities Gallery/ Auditorium
Guided campus tours and food will be in the Student Center
Professional photos in the Hitchcock Humanities Building

General Information:

The dates of the 2026 ceremonies are:

Saturday, January 31—Doctoral, Graduate, and Undergraduate Ceremonies
- Location: Mid-America Center, 1 Arena Way, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501
- Time:
  - Faculty Arrival: No later than 8:30 a.m.
  - Ceremony Start: 9:10 a.m. with the procession of graduates into the arena

All times listed are Central Standard Time (CT)

For more information regarding the ceremonies, please go to www.bellevue.edu/graduation and its associated pages and links.

RSVP

All Faculty should RSVP for the ceremonies here: www.bellevue.edu/student-support/graduation/adjunct-faculty

Regalia

If you already own your own regalia, please wear it to the ceremonies you will be participating in.
If you do not own regalia and need the University to rent regalia for you, please make sure to RSVP for the ceremonies here: www.bellevue.edu/student-support/graduation/adjunct-faculty

You will be asked for your height and shirt size, as well as information regarding your degree and the institution from which you earned it. This is all the information the Commencement Team will need to order your regalia.

For questions, email commencement@bellevue.edu

Commencement Ceremony Information for Faculty