Commencement at Mary Baldwin University

Commencement 2025

MBU’s 183rd Commencement ceremony celebrates the Class of 2025 and all their accomplishments.

The university will hold two Commencement ceremonies:

May 17: Graduate Ceremony

• MBU will hold Commencement for graduate students at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 17.
• This includes: all Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences graduates; RN to BSN graduates; and MBA, MAT, MEd, MS, MLitt, and MFA graduates.
• Location: Page Terrace in front of Grafton Library on the Staunton campus.

May 18: Undergraduate Ceremony

• The ceremony for undergraduate students will be held at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 18.
• This includes: all BA, BS, and BSW graduates.
• Location: Page Terrace in front of Grafton Library on the Staunton campus.

Check back often

Please check back often for further information; this page will be updated as Commencement details are released.

Location, Seating & Rain Plan

Ceremony location

Commencement will be held on Page Terrace, in front of Grafton Library on the Staunton campus.

Guest seating

There will be unlimited, open seating for guests on Hunt Hill. It’s recommended that guests bring a picnic blanket if they’d like to sit on the hillside. Please be aware that it is grassy and steep.

Accessible seating

There is accessible seating available for the ceremonies, but reservations must be made in advance with the Office of Student Engagement. Find more information on reserving accessible seats. First-come, first-served seating is also available in Francis Auditorium, where the ceremony will be livestreamed.

Graduate check-in on Commencement Day

Graduates should go to Hunt Dining Hall to check in and line up. Please see the Commencement FAQs page for more info.

Rain Location

In case of inclement weather, MBU’s Commencement will be held at Cameron Hall, Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, about a 45-minute drive south from Staunton. The start time will be moved to 10:30 a.m. to allow for travel time.

If the rain location will be used, graduating students will receive notification via text (sent through the BAM messaging system) and MBU email. A notification will also be posted on the MBU website. The timing for these communications will be at approximately 6:30 a.m. on the morning of the ceremony.

Livestream

Commencement ceremonies will be broadcast live at marybaldwin.edu/live.

Guests may also view the livestream from Francis Auditorium on campus.

MBU Alumni Association

Be sure to visit the Alumni Association webpage to stay connected as you begin the next phase of your life.

Commencement 2025: FAQs

Have questions about Commencement? Visit our FAQs page or Contact us.