2026 Commencement Ceremonies
WashU
Commencement Ceremonies
May 12-15, 2026
Help celebrate the Class of 2026 by sharing your tweets, photos and videos using hashtags #WashU26 and #WashUMedicine.
Class Acts 2026: Ariel Hernandez-Leyva
For about an hour, Ariel Hernandez-Leyva held a scientific secret. A discovery only he had uncovered. Hernandez-Leyva, a graduating MD/PhD student at WashU Medicine, helped conduct groundbreaking research on breath and gut microbiome health. “I had this moment where I was alone in the lab and realized I was the only person with this knowledge,” he recalled. “It felt weird, exciting and a lot of fun. I knew I wanted to experience this again.” In July, he will begin a residency in pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
WashU Medicine Commencement schedule
In addition to the university-wide Commencement ceremony on the Danforth Campus, each academic program at WashU Medicine holds separate graduation ceremonies at which students receive their diplomas and individual recognition.
Tickets & event policies
Tickets are required for all school ceremonies. Programs will communicate and distribute tickets for their individual ceremonies directly to the graduates. Guests are strongly encouraged not to bring bags. Please see the WashU Commencement website for all event policies.
Ceremonies are listed below by academic program and are not in chronological order. All times are Central Time (CT). Outdoor ceremonies are rain or shine events.
All graduates
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026
9 a.m. Francis Olympic Field — Danforth Campus
All-University Commencement
University-wide Commencement livestream and details »
Keynote speaker: Andy Cohen, a St. Louis native, Emmy Award-winning host, producer and author; Cohen will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts during the ceremony
Doctor of Medicine
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026
9 a.m. The Field House — Danforth Campus
Commencement Recognition Ceremony
MD livestream and ceremony details »
Keynote speaker: Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, highly regarded mentor and scientist, studies the role of the gut microbiome in childhood undernutrition and the development of therapeutic foods to restore healthy development
Audiology & Communication Sciences
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026
1:30 p.m. Eric P. Newman Education Center — Medical Campus
Commencement Recognition Ceremony
PACS livestream and ceremony details »
Program in Audiology & Communication Sciences (PACS) website »
Biology & Biomedical Sciences
TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2026
9 a.m. Graham Chapel — Danforth Campus
DBBS Hooding & Recognition Ceremony
DBBS livestream and ceremony details »
Keynote speaker: Jarret Glasscock, PhD, founder and CEO of Cofactor Genomics
Joint master’s programs
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026
4 p.m. Eric P. Newman Education Center — Medical Campus
Joint Recognition Ceremony
Keynote speaker: Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, the Margaret C. Ryan Dean and the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor at WashU Public Health and vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives
Programs in Applied Health Behavior Research, Data Science and Biostatistics, Clinical Investigation, Genetic Counseling, Medical Physics, Population Health Sciences, and Predoctoral Clinical Research (TL1)
Occupational Therapy
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026
1:30 p.m. Graham Chapel — Danforth Campus
Diploma Ceremony
Keynote speaker: Jill Cigliana, executive director of Memory Care Home Solutions
Physical Therapy
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026
1:30 p.m. Khorassan Ballroom, The Chase Park Plaza
Diploma Distribution & Hooding Ceremony
PT livestream and ceremony details »
Faculty speaker: Dale Thuet, assistant professor of physical therapy and of orthopedic surgery and program coordinator of orthopedic residency in physical therapy at WashU Medicine