Commencement Ceremony

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! 

The 2023 Commencement Ceremony will be held Friday, May 12, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Center at Virginia State University, 20809 2nd Avenue, Petersburg, VA 23803.

Only those students who indicated on their summer 2022, fall 2022, or spring 2023 graduation application that they intended to participate in the Commencement Ceremony are permitted to participate in the ceremony and to purchase regalia and invitations. 

RSVP by April 23 to participate in the ceremony. This mandatory response will reserve a seat for you at the ceremony. 

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

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. A letter will be sent to all spring semester 2023 graduates in the summer with information about diploma pick up.  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 spring 2023 semester graduates will reflect the student’s GPA at the conclusion of the fall 2022 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.

Graduates with special mobility needs should contact Heather Atkinson at 804-706-5165.

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.

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

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

• Regalia sales will be April 3-May 5, 2023. No regalia will be sold on the day of commencement. Students can order their regalia online or purchase in store at either campus bookstore.
• Collars are not required for women and will not be sold with the package.
• The cost for your cap, gown and tassel will be $24.65 (including tax). This contains cap, gown, and tassel.  If you would like to have your regalia sent to you, the cost for shipping is $7.99.
• 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 on the PTK website. PTK members must be in good academic standing with their chapters to wear PTK regalia at the ceremony.

CDC guidelines will be followed in the VSU Multipurpose Center.

Graduates must check-in during the allotted timeframe above at the Multipurpose 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 Multipurpose 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 Multipurpose 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 Multipurpose 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.

These items include, but are not limited to the following:

• Balloons and flowers (small bouquets of flowers will be sold at the ceremony)
• Outside food or beverages, glass bottles, metal cans, etc.
• Signs/flags/banners larger than 11”x17”
• Bags exceeding the maximum size limit of 16x15x6 (i.e. backpacks, suitcases, beach bags, etc.). Please note that all other bags will be searched.
• Wrapped gifts
• Fireworks, slingshots, laser pointers, etc.
• Professional camera equipment, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, GoPros, etc.
• Video or recording devices
• Weapons, firearms, explosives, pepper spray, tear gas, etc.
• Animals (excluding service animals)
• Water guns, toy/replica weapons, squirt bottles, soap bubbles, stickers
• Beach balls, Frisbees, or other projectiles
• Skateboards, rollerblades, skates, hoverboards, etc.
• Laptops or tablets

Students & guests are subject to the rules and regulations of the Multipurpose Center.

Directions to the VSU Multipurpose 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 Multipurpose 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 Multipurpose Center. View the parking map.
• The ceremony typically lasts between 1.5 and two hours.

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