May 2026 Commencement
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Doors Open at 10am, Ceremony at 11am
Hosted at Merrill Auditorium – 20 Myrtle St, Portland, ME 04101
Congratulations, Graduates!
Let’s Celebrate Your Hard Work
We’re so excited to celebrate your achievements with you at Commencement each year. We host commencement to honor you and your hard work during your time at Unity Environmental University.
Our Commencements are live streamed so you and your family can celebrate wherever you are! Our in-person event has limited space, and therefore we do require students to complete an online registration for themselves and their guests. Learn more about our Commencement below.
Eligibility
All students—Associate, Baccalaureate, and Master’s—are eligible to walk during Commencement after they meet all academic requirements for their degree OR are within six (6) credit hours of completing their degree. For more information about eligibility, refer to our university-wide Commencement Policy.
Commencement Dates
May 2027 Commencement
Saturday, May 8, 2027
May 2028 Commencement
Saturday, May 13, 2028
May 2025 Commencement Speaker
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Unity Environmental University was thrilled to have renowned astrophysicist and science communicator, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, deliver the keynote address at the University’s Spring Commencement ceremony.
“With this invitation from Unity Environmental University, I am reminded that some institutions of higher learning have taken the shepherding of our precious Earth seriously enough to embed it into everything they preach and everything they teach.” – Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Important To-Do List for May Graduates
Make sure to check in with your advisor to see if you’re eligible to graduate. If you apply and are not eligible you will not be able to participate in the ceremony. Students who are eligible to graduate will see a link on the home page of their student portal. If you think you will be eligible to graduate in May and do not have a link on your student portal, please get in touch with your advisor. If you apply and are not eligible, you will not be able to participate in the ceremony.
Step 1 – Apply to Graduate & Pay Graduation Fee: In your student portal, you will apply to graduate as well as pay the $100 graduation fee. Please contact your advisor if you have any questions about the application.
Your name will not appear in the commencement program if you do not apply to graduate by April 5th or if you are not eligible to participate in the ceremony.
Applying to graduate is not the same as indicating that you are attending commencement, which you will do in Step 3.
Step 2 – Order Regalia: Baccalaureate and master’s regalia orders must be placed online. Only students who have applied to graduate will be able to order regalia. The Balfour orders portal will be available through your student Portal. Please have your student ID on hand when ordering regalia.
The Regalia Portal will be open from October 27th to April 5th. The portal will reopen from May 11th to 18th.
Step 3 – RSVP for Commencement: Once you have applied to graduate and paid your graduation fee, the link to RSVP will be available to you on the Student Portal.
In the RSVP description, there will be a survey link to confirm student and guest information. Please complete this survey first.
Once you have completed the survey, you will select the number of tickets you need. You will need a ticket for yourself. All students are guaranteed five guest tickets. This means the maximum number of tickets you can select is six, one for yourself and five for guests.
If you require additional tickets, please email events@unity.edu.
RSVP closes on April 5th.
Step 4 – Share your tickets with your guest
Once you RSVP you will immediately receive an email with the QR code tickets attached. Attendees must show their tickets to enter the venue. Graduating students will have a separate entrance from guests. Make sure your guests have access to their tickets before entering the venue.
Tickets can be forwarded to guests, sent as a screenshot, or printed. Details are printed on the tickets.
Step 5 – Check out the Unity Store! This is your one-stop shop for Unity Environmental University apparel and more. You can also order announcements and frames through Balfour!
Step 6 – Tell your hometown newspaper you are graduating with this easy-to-use PDF template!
Diplomas, Transcripts, and Graduation
Participation in a commencement ceremony does not presume graduation from the University. Students who do not apply for graduation before the published deadline for any term must apply for graduation during the next term. Students who have applied for graduation but fail to meet the requirements must reapply for graduation by the published deadline for the term in which they will fulfill the requirements.
Note: Degree candidates will not earn degrees nor be graduated from the University until they have completed all degree requirements.
Celebrating at Home
At Unity, we appreciate and celebrate our students wherever they are.
On your student portal, there will be a “celebrating at home” RSVP option. By selecting this option, you will receive the Commencement livestream link in your email. Marketing may also reach out to you to create pre-recorded content to share during the ceremony and on social media. This RSVP is optional.
The Commencement livestream link will be made available on our website and streamed on Facebook for easy viewing. A livestream archive will be uploaded to our YouTube channel.
Show your pride on socials using the #UnityGrad2026 tag.
Checking In
More information regarding checking in will be provided as we get closer to the event.
Note: Masks are optional but encouraged for anybody who is unvaccinated.
Note: Masks are optional but encouraged for anybody who is unvaccinated.
For Graduates
- Make sure to bring your regalia to commencement. Regalia is required to walk at commencement and must be ordered by April 5th.
- Master’s degree recipients must bring their regalia and hood.
- Honors and military cords will be distributed upon arrival.
- Take a moment to sign the Green Pledge.
- Make sure to check your email for information regarding instructions for the ceremony.
For All Registered Guests
- All backpacks, bags, and purses will be subject to visual inspection upon entry to the venue. In order to speed entry into the event, please consider leaving any bags at home or in your vehicle.
- Any items deemed inappropriate or disruptive by Unity Environmental University or Merrill Auditorium staff will not be allowed inside.
- Animals are not permitted at Merrill Auditorium, with the exception of service animals.
What Can I Bring With Me?
Permitted Items
✓ Cameras
✓ Video recorders
✓ Small handbags
✓ Cell phones (set to silent)
✓ Strollers that can be stowed at your seat
✓ Umbrellas
Items to Leave at Home
✕ Alcohol
✕ Coolers
✕ Backpacks
✕ Large handbags
✕ Metal folding seat cushions
✕ Seats that clamp onto bleachers
✕ Noise-making devices
✕ Mace, pepper spray, aerosol cans or similar substances
✕ Signs
✕ Banners
✕ Balloons
✕ Sticks or poles
✕ Weapons or items that mimic weapons
✕ Any item deemed dangerous or inappropriate
✕ Wrapped gifts or packages
✕ Outside food
✕ Coolers
✕ Backpacks
✕ Large handbags
✕ Metal folding seat cushions
✕ Seats that clamp onto bleachers
✕ Noise-making devices
✕ Mace, pepper spray, aerosol cans or similar substances
✕ Signs
✕ Banners
✕ Balloons
✕ Sticks or poles
✕ Weapons or items that mimic weapons
✕ Any item deemed dangerous or inappropriate
✕ Wrapped gifts or packages
✕ Outside food
Accommodations
Restricted Mobility
Wheelchair accessible seating will be available to registered guests who require accommodations. Please make sure to request this accommodation when registering.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Reserved seating for guests who read American Sign Language will be available. Please make sure to request this accommodation when registering.
Parking
We recommend parking at Top of the Old Port Parking, only 0.2 miles from Merrill Auditorium. There is additional parking at 385 Congress Street.
For additional parking options, we recommend Portland’s official parking webpage.
Frequently Asked Questions
All students are guaranteed 5 guest tickets. Additional tickets will be provided based on availability.
Yes, graduates will need their own tickets. This allows a smoother check-in process and helps ensure there are enough seats in the venue.
Students can email events@unity.edu for additional tickets. Based on available seating, additional ticket requests will be confirmed on February 2nd and April 6th. Students must provide a guest’s email to send the additional tickets.
No, there is no shipping charge for regalia and Unity pays for all regalia costs.
All students who apply to graduate before the cutoff date of April 5th will be featured in the Commencement Program and the scrolling names list shown at the end of the Commencement.
Yes. We encourage students to decorate their mortar boards. We ask that the decorations do not extend beyond the square of the graduation cap. Decorations cannot make noise (bells, horns) or have battery-powered lights. Curse words, sexual references/images, and drug & alcohol references/images are prohibited. For details, see Commencement Regalia Accessories SOP.
Cords awarded by Unity (gold honors cords, purple philanthropy cord, military cord), pins of recognized groups (ex: Phi Beta Kappa, military branches), stoles, and green pledge ribbon awarded at the Commencement ceremony. For details, see Commencement Regalia Accessories SOP.
Students should reach out to their advisor and request that their tassels and cords be sent along with their diploma.
Students can email events@unity.edu to be removed from the RSVP list. The deadline for RSVP is April 5th. Students may drop out of Commencement at any time.
Health and safety is a top priority to Unity Environmental University. We strongly suggest all attendees be fully vaccinated, including a recent booster. Each attendee should consider their personal health situation in deciding whether or not to attend commencement. We follow CDC safety guidelines and the directives of the Governor of Maine. Graduates and guests should be aware that COVID-related safety concerns may cause commencement events to be updated, canceled, or rescheduled at any time.
If you have any questions or would like to be featured in a social media spotlight, congratulating our graduates, please reach out to events@unity.edu.
Code of Conduct
All members of the Unity Environmental University student body must be responsible for their actions and make sure that these actions do not adversely affect other members. The University has the authority and responsibility to establish rules and standards that may require academic, moral, and ethical behavior that is considered above the standards of society at large. The principal responsibility for proper conduct rests with students. They are encouraged to resolve conflicts of individual rights and responsibilities themselves. The University will become involved, however, when students cannot resolve conflicts themselves; when local, state, or federal laws have been broken; when there could be or there is a potential for personal harm or property damage; or when University regulations have been violated. Unity Environmental University requires students to obey local, state, and federal laws. The University also has regulations that it expects students to follow. Each student is expected to follow the Code of Conduct from acceptance to the University through graduation and commencement.
