KINGSTON, R.I. – May 15, 2024 – Up to 40,000 people will converge on the Kingston Campus from Friday, May 17, through Sunday, May 19, for three days of Commencement ceremonies at the University of Rhode Island. Family and friends will mark the achievements of 3,395 undergraduate and 774 graduate students.
URI will honor graduates during eight college-based ceremonies at the Thomas M. Ryan Center.
The University will confer honorary degrees upon Viola Davis, one of only 19 people to have won all four of the major American performing arts awards; and Charles M. Royce and Deborah Goodrich Royce, noted for their literary and investment success and preservation work in Rhode Island. They will be honored at the University’s College of Arts and Sciences ceremony Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m. Davis will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters, and the Royces will be awarded honorary Doctors of Humane Letters.
Here’s what else you should know about this year’s Commencement:
Spring 2024 Commencement schedule
Friday, May 17
11 a.m., College of Business
3 p.m., College of Pharmacy
Saturday, May 18
10 a.m., College of Arts and Sciences
3 p.m., College of Nursing
6 p.m., College of Engineering
Sunday, May 19
9 a.m., College of Health Sciences
2 p.m., Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education
5 p.m., College of the Environment and Life Sciences and Graduate School of Oceanography
How many students will graduate this weekend?
This weekend, URI will confer 4,762 degrees (3,980 undergraduate and 782 graduate degrees) upon 4,169 graduates. (Some students will earn multiple degrees.)
What are their ages?
Students range in age from 19 to 68. URI’s oldest and youngest undergraduate students to receive degrees are 62 and 19, respectively. Among graduate students, the youngest student to be awarded a graduate degree is 21, while the oldest is 68.
Where are the graduates from?
URI students come from all over the United States and the globe – representing 43 states and 32 countries.
Among the undergraduates, about 58% are from Rhode Island, 17% are from Massachusetts; and about 12% are from Connecticut.
Among graduate degree recipients, about 54% are from Rhode Island; and about 10% are from Massachusetts.
Who are the student speakers?
This year, there will be eight student speakers representing the schools and colleges: Jaylyn De Leon, Victoria Fulfer, Melany Feliz Garcia, Jacob Iacobucci, Jordan May, Sarah Mayer, Emma Simas, and Victoria Wrage.
What else can you tell me about the graduating class?
The University will graduate 47 military veterans this year – 33 undergraduates and 14 graduate students.
The Class of 2024 also includes 14 sets of twins and one mother/son pair.
Can I watch the ceremony online?
The University will offer live broadcasts of all ceremonies online.
Members of the media who are scheduled to cover the event should be in touch with Dave Lavallee at URI Communications and Marketing, no later than Thursday, May 16, at 3 p.m. Credentials will be needed to enter the Ryan Center.