Commencement Ceremony

The 2026 Commencement Ceremony will be held Friday, May 8, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Center at Virginia State University, 20809 2nd Avenue, Petersburg, VA 23803.

Only those students who indicated on their summer 2025, fall 2025, or spring 2026 graduation application that they intended to participate in the upcoming Commencement Ceremony are permitted to participate in the ceremony and to purchase regalia.

RSVP by April 20 to participate in the ceremony. This mandatory response will reserve a seat for you at the ceremony. Guests do not need to RSVP; the ceremony is open to the public. No tickets or invitations are required.

When you purchase your regalia, you will be given a packet of ten commencement announcements. Participants may purchase additional announcements at $5.00 per packet (cash only). There is a limited supply of announcements, which will be sold on a first come, first served basis. 

There is no rehearsal. There will be marshals to direct graduates at the ceremony. 

Graduates must check-in between 2:45 and 3:30 p.m. Graduates who arrive after 3:45 p.m. will not be permitted to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.  

Diplomas are not given out at the ceremony. An email will be sent to the student email accounts of our 2026 spring semester graduates in the summer with information about receiving diplomas.  Keep your mailing address current on your myBrightpoint account.

Graduates who have completed a minimum of 50 percent of their degree or certificate requirements at Brightpoint Community College may be eligible for graduation honors. For the Commencement Ceremony, graduation honors for 2026 spring semester graduates will reflect the student’s GPA at the conclusion of the fall 2025 semester.  

Participation in the Commencement Ceremony does not denote the official certification of a degree or certificate.  Official certification of graduate status is only made when all requirements have been satisfactorily processed and recorded by the Admissions and Records Office. If you need official verification of your degree, you will need to order an Official Transcript from the Admissions & Records Office. NOTE: www.parchment.com will not hold your request until graduation is posted; wait until your degree is posted to order from Parchment.

To request accommodations in relation to a disability or a health condition for the event, please complete the Request for Commencement Accommodations form.

Keep your mailing address and phone number current in the Student Information System on your myBrightpoint account. You may receive important mailings from the college at this address.

Please check your student email and our website leading up to Commencement day. We may post updates.

For questions about Nursing Pinning, please contact the Nursing Department.

If you have additional questions regarding commencement, e-mail the graduation coordinators.

If you are participating, you must purchase your cap and gown (regalia) at the bookstore on either the Chester or the Midlothian Campus.

• Regalia sales will start in April 2026. Students can order their regalia online or purchase it in store at either campus bookstore. 
• The cost for your regalia is TBD. This includes your cap, gown, and tassel. If you would like to have your regalia shipped to you, the cost for shipping is TBD.
• Try on your cap & gown so that you can exchange them for a different size if needed. A receipt is required for exchanges. Exchanges need to be made well in advance.
• Graduates who are members of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society (PTK) wear gold tassels and stoles, which can be purchased in the bookstore or on the PTK website. PTK members must be in good academic standing with their chapters to wear PTK regalia at the ceremony.
• Graduates do not wear cords or stoles for honors. Select groups are permitted to wear cords or stoles for their affiliation.

CDC guidelines will be followed in the VSU Multi-Purpose Center.

Graduates must check-in during the allotted timeframe above at the Multi-Purpose Center at Virginia State University. Graduates who arrive after this time will not be permitted to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. Participants will line up by degree or certificate as directed by the Commencement marshals.

Be sure to allow enough time to travel to the VSU Multi-Purpose Center, park, and walk to the ceremony location in time to check-in.

Graduation candidates typically wear black or dark clothes beneath their gowns. Dark, comfortable shoes are also recommended. Restrooms will be available for robing, but personal belongings should not be left in any room in the Multi-Purpose Center. These rooms will not be secured during the ceremony. Brightpoint and VSU are not responsible for lost items.

As is the case with many venues, certain items are prohibited in the Multi-Purpose Center at Virginia State University. Please read over the list and share it with your guests. Any of these items will need to be discarded, or returned to your car, before entering the building.

Items not permitted into the arena include, but are not limited to, the following:*

*see Clear Bag Policy below

• Weapons, firearms, explosives, pepper spray, tear gas, etc.
• Outside food or beverage
• Glass bottles, metal cans, etc.
• Signs/flags/banners larger than 11 x 17 in. and any affixed pole.
• Fireworks, slingshots, laser pointers, etc.
• Professional camera equipment, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, GoPros, etc.
• Video or recording devices
• Dead or living animals (excluding service animals)
• Water guns, toy/replica weapons, squirt bottles, soap bubbles, stickers
• Beach balls, Frisbees, balloons or other projectiles
• Skateboards, rollerblades, skates, hoverboards, etc.
• Laptops or tablets
• Masks
• No wrapped gifts are permitted to enter the building at any time under any circumstances.

Clear Bag Policy

Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and cannot exceed 12 x 6 x 12 in. Clear one-gallon plastic freezer bags (e.g., Ziploc bags or similar) are also permitted.

• Small clutch bags/wallets no larger than 4.5 x 6.5 in. (with or without a handle or strap) can be taken into the stadium or arena and will be subject to search.
• An exception will be made for items necessary for medical reasons after proper inspections.

Prohibited bags include, but are not limited to: backpacks, briefcases, camera bags, cinch bags, computer bags, coolers, diaper bags, duffle bags, fanny packs, luggage, and any other bag deemed to not meet the clear bag policy. 

Students and guests are subject to the rules and regulations of the VSU Multi-Purpose Center.

Directions to the VSU Multi-Purpose Center

20809 2nd Ave. Petersburg, VA 23803

If you use a GPS or the Internet for directions, please use the address above. Due to the size of the campus, please do not use "VSU" as the parameters for your search. The address above will take you directly to the Multi-Purpose Center.

Guest Information

• No tickets are needed; the ceremony is open to the public.
• The ceremonies will begin on time. Guests should arrive in advance to secure a seat, as with any venue.
• There is plenty of parking available, however the later guests arrive, the farther away they will have to park from the Multi-Purpose Center. View the parking map.
• The ceremony typically lasts between 1.5 and two hours.

Spring 2025 Nursing Pinning Ceremony

Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony

Brightpoint Flickr Albums

Spring 2025 Commencement Recap Video

2025 Grad Announcement Horizontal

2025 Grad Announcement Vertical