Times and dates for spring 2026 commencement

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

This spring, more than 6,100 University of Iowa students will receive their degrees during commencement ceremonies, beginning with the College of Pharmacy's Doctor of Pharmacy ceremony on May 14 and concluding with the College of Dentistry ceremony on June 5.

College commencement ceremonies are listed below. A full list of ceremonies, including dates, times, and livestreaming details, is available at the UI commencement website.

Thursday, May 14

College of Pharmacy

Doctor of Pharmacy ceremony

10 a.m.

Hancher Auditorium

Jill Kolesar, dean and Jean M. Schmidt Chair in Drug Discovery, will give remarks. Karli Michael, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will be the student speaker. Jeffrey Reist, associate professor emeritus, will be the guest speaker. President Barbara Wilson will confer degrees.

College of Education

Undergraduate and Teacher Education Program ceremony

4 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium

Dean Daniel Clay and President Barbara Wilson will confer degrees. Mark McDermott, associate dean for undergraduate education and educator preparation, will recognize those who completed the Teacher Education Program, those who are graduating with the Education Studies and Human Relations major, and UI REACH students receiving certificates. Melanie Bloom, 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year recipient who teaches at Sioux Central Community School District, will be the keynote speaker. Samuel Tanner, College of Education associate professor of English education, will be the faculty speaker. Uriel Campos-Padilla, of Marshalltown, Iowa, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the Teacher Education Program, will be the student speaker.

Graduate College

Master's degree candidates

7 p.m.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

President Barbara Wilson and Saba Ali, associate provost for graduate and professional education and dean of the Graduate College, will deliver messages to students. Airiana Mohr, a Master of Arts in strategic communications and Master of Public Affairs graduate from Rockford, Illinois, will give the student address.

Friday, May 15

College of Law

2 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium

President Barbara Wilson and Todd Pettys, College of Law dean and the H. Blair and Joan V. White chair in civil litigation, will confer degrees. Roni Miller, of Crete, Nebraska, will be the student speaker. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Susan Crawford will be the alumni speaker.

Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine and Master in Medical Education candidates

6:30 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium

Denise Jamieson, vice president for medical affairs and Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine, will preside over the ceremony. Christopher Cooper, senior associate dean for medical education, will give introductory remarks. Jamieson, President Barbara Wilson, and Master in Medical Education Director Jane Miller will confer degrees. Patricia Winokur, executive dean of the Carver College of Medicine; Bradley Haws, chief executive officer of the clinical enterprise and associate vice president of UI Health Care; and Lillian Erdahl, president of the Iowa Medical Society, also will participate in the ceremony.

Matthew Benson, of Park Rapids, Minnesota, will be the student speaker. Daniel Runde, clinical professor of emergency medicine, will provide the commencement address. Cameron Keomanivong, of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, the recipient of the 2026 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, will administer the physician's oath.

Graduate College

Doctoral degree candidates

7 p.m.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel and Ana Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Graduate College associate dean for academic affairs and graduate student success, will deliver messages to students. Jahnavi Pandya, Doctor of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations graduate from Mumbai, India, will give the student address.

Saturday, May 16

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS)

9 a.m.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

This CLAS ceremony will recognize graduates majoring in African American studies; American studies; ancient civilization; anthropology; art; art history; biochemistry; biochemistry and molecular biology; biology; biomedical sciences; chemistry; cinema; classical languages; computer science; English; English and creative writing; environmental policy and planning; environmental sciences; exercise science; gender, women's and sexuality studies; geography; geoscience; health and human physiology; health promotion; health studies; human physiology; informatics; science studies; screenwriting arts; social justice; speech and hearing science; sport and recreation management; sport studies; sustainability science; and therapeutic recreation.

Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel will confer degrees. The student speaker will be Jenna Crowley, of San Diego, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English (publishing track) and a minor in communications studies. Chloe Schultz, of Atkins, Iowa, who will be graduating with degrees in vocal performance and music education, will perform the national anthem.

College of Nursing

9 a.m.

Hancher Auditorium

Dean Julie Zerwic will address students. Sachin Fong, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate from Naperville, Illinois, and Grace Thalacker, an RN-BSN graduate from Davenport, Iowa, will be the student speakers. Julie Cowan Novak will give the distinguished alumni keynote. President Barbara Wilson will confer degrees.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

University College

1:30 p.m.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

This CLAS ceremony will recognize graduates majoring in actuarial science; applied physics; Asian languages and literature; astronomy; communication studies; criminology, law and justice; dance; data science; enterprise leadership; ethics and public policy; French; German; global health studies; history; interdepartmental studies; international relations; international studies; Italian; journalism and mass communication; linguistics; mathematics; microbiology; music; neuroscience; philosophy; physics; political science; Portuguese; psychology; religious studies; Russian; social work; sociology; sport media and culture; Spanish; statistics; theatre arts; and translation.

The ceremony also will recognize University College Bachelor of Applied Studies (BAS) and Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) graduates.

President Barbara Wilson will confer degrees. The student speaker will be Aidan Wirtz, of La Grange, Illinois, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication. Sage Johnson, of Des Moines, Iowa, will perform the national anthem and receive a bachelor's degree in music therapy.

Carver College of Medicine

Associate medical sciences degree candidates

2 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium

Denise Jamieson, vice president for medical affairs and Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine, will deliver opening remarks. Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel will welcome graduates and confer degrees. David Asprey, associate dean for medical education and professional programs and the Denis R. Oliver Endowed Chair and departmental executive officer of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services, will be the master of ceremonies. The keynote speaker will be Emma Handler, associate professor of instruction and co-director of the Master of Clinical Anatomy Program in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. Hannah Thomas, Master of Clinical Nutrition graduate from Mason City, Iowa, and Trenton Rickels, Bachelor of Science in Radiation Sciences graduate from Wyoming, Iowa, will be the student speakers.

Tippie College of Business

Undergraduate ceremony

6 p.m.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Wolfe Tone, U.S. Deloitte Private leader, will give the alumni address. The student speaker will be Advika Shah of Iowa City, Iowa, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in business analytics and information systems, a BBA in economics, and a Bachelor of Arts in ethics and public policy. Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel will confer degrees.

College of Public Health

6:30 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium

Vice President for Research David Schwebel will confer degrees. Dean Edith Parker will deliver a message to students. Erin Wissler Gerdes, of Indianapolis, will be the graduate student speaker, and Kasia Wiebel, of Mount Vernon, Iowa, will be the undergraduate student speaker.

Sunday, May 17

College of Engineering

Noon

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Dean Ann McKenna will deliver the welcome and closing addresses. Keegan Fogarty, of Princton, Illinois, who will be graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, will be the student speaker. Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel will confer degrees.

Tippie MBA programs

4 p.m.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel will confer degrees. John Mickelson, managing partner at Midwest Growth Partners, will be the speaker.

Friday, June 5

College of Dentistry

3 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium

Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel will deliver the greeting. College of Dentistry Dean Clark Stanford will give a welcome message to the graduating class. Jessica Fuessley, of Walker, Iowa, will be the student speaker. Sherry Timmons, clinical associate professor and associate dean of academic and student affairs, will present honors and awards. Faculty members Michael Santucci, Chonghwa Kim, John Syrbu, Hiromi Saisho, Steven Means, and Therese Ryan will present hoods to the candidates.