Announcing updated fall 2025 commencement schedule
As part of an effort to deliver and maximize a unified, student-centered graduation experience, participating graduates, families, faculty and staff will experience a new format for undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Kansas State University's Manhattan campus this fall.
For fall 2025 commencement ceremonies, the university will pilot a new structure that strategically combines the seven individual ceremonies that typically occur on Saturday of commencement weekend into three powerhouse ceremonies. By hosting graduates from multiple academic colleges within these three combined ceremonies, the university hopes to amplify the best of its commencement traditions — traditions that originate both at the university level and across individual academic colleges.
The new commencement structure and schedule were developed through extensive planning and universitywide collaboration. Built to keep the spotlight on students, enhance clarity for families and guests and reinforce K-State pride and tradition, the new structure balances overall ceremony length, capacity and program flow while maintaining cherished traditions, such as the Alma Mater and Wabash Cannonball.
Fall 2025 commencement schedule
Friday, Dec. 12, 2025
- Graduate School, 1–3:30 p.m.
- K-State Salina, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
- Ceremony 1, 8:30–11 a.m. —College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and undergraduate programs in the College of Architecture, Planning & Design.
- Ceremony 2, noon–2:30 p.m. — College of Business Administration and College of Agriculture.
- Ceremony 3, 3:30–6 p.m. — College of Health and Human Sciences and Carl R. Ice College of Engineering.
The spring 2026 commencement ceremony schedule will not be affected by this pilot project and will instead mirror the university’s more traditional schedule of individual academic college ceremonies.
Following the fall 2025 commencement ceremonies, university leaders will solicit feedback to assess the efficacy of the piloted structure, gathering data that will be used to inform future strategies beyond spring 2026.
Further details and updated commencement resources are available on the university’s commencement website.