50th Annual Commencement

Online Celebration – Friday, July 9, 2021

Celebrating the Class of 2021!

Congratulations on reaching this impressive milestone! Your perseverance during these extraordinary times is a tribute to your character and a symbol of success.

Nearly 6,000 graduates make up the Class of 2021, and we look forward to celebrating Commencement with you. On Friday, July 9, we will come together online for Commencement to honor your accomplishment. We will do this as a community, and we hope that you will include your family and friends in your moment of celebration.

This Commencement webpage is the hub for celebration information and where you will watch Commencement. As a graduate, you will receive an email invitation where you can respond to additional online events hosted by alumni and our deans. We hope you will join us.

Ever upward,
David Schejbal, PhD
President

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Schedule of Events

Thursday, July 8, 2021

7 – 8 pm ET
Via Zoom
Response Required
Alumni Association Annual Meeting
Join us for your welcome to Excelsior’s Alumni Association, now more than 182,000 graduates strong. Hosted by the Alumni Leadership Council, this Zoom event will feature all the ways you can stay connected with Excelsior.

Friday, July 9, 2021

11 – 11:45 am ET
Via Zoom
Response Required
 School of Nursing Dean’s Reception:   Celebrating your Success

Noon – 12:45 pm ET
Via Zoom
Response Required
School of Undergraduate Studies Dean’s Reception: Celebrating your Success

1 – 1:45 pm ET
Via Zoom
Response Required
 School of Graduate Studies Dean’s Reception: Celebrating your Success

Please join to engage with faculty, staff, and fellow graduates from your school for these special live Zoom events hosted by the Dean.

3 pm ET
Commencement Celebration
Response not required, but we encourage you to reply ‘yes’ on the response form to receive the Commencement link to easily share with family and friends.
Please join us, all are welcome. No login is required to watch, but you will have the opportunity to sign in to join the conversation and leave comments. The online event begins at 3 p.m. ET and will last approximately 30 minutes. Leading up to the celebration, scrolling names of the graduates of the Class of 2021 will be on the webpage arranged by area of study and in those groupings, alphabetical within degree levels.

Social Media Graphics and College Merchandise

Excelsior College student at commencement

Celebrate on Social

Download digital swag and share your success on social media with the #excelsiorproud. Like and follow @ExcelsiorCollege to be part of the celebrations and join the Alumni Group on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Download grad graphics for:

Excelsior College student at commencement

College Merchandise and Regalia

Virtual Graduation Portraits

Virtual Graduation Portraits
Turn your own photo into a graduation memory! Submit your image and Island Photography will add a traditional or custom Excelsior background and email the digital proofs to you. Click the link below for photography tips and instructions. There is no obligation to purchase. Deadline to submit is July 12, 2021.
Learn More.

Welcome to the Alumni Association

Excelsior College student at commencement

Every graduate belongs to the Excelsior College Alumni Association—no application, no dues required!

The Alumni Association, now more than 182,000 strong, encourages alumni to stay connected, share their successes, and serve as advocates for the College, its programs, and future generations of students and graduates.

Visit our Alumni Association pages to learn about the many ways to stay engaged.

Excelsior College student at commencement

ELEVATE: The Campaign for Student Scholarships
To honor Excelsior’s 50 years of delivering on our promise to provide an affordable education and to meet student where they are, academically and geographically, we are raising funds for student scholarships. Your contribution, in any amount, will reduce financial obstacles faced by adult learners just like you.

Help others along their road to Commencement – pay it forward with a scholarship fund contribution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Class of 2021 includes graduates whose degrees were conferred in July 2020 through June 2021. This group is invited to participate in our online Commencement on Friday, July 9, 2021.


Following CDC recommendations, NYS event guidelines, and in consideration of our specific event (location, size, audience and off-campus venue), Excelsior will continue with our plan to host an online Commencement event out of an abundance of caution for our graduates, guests, and the entire Excelsior community.


Yes, it is Excelsior’s policy to allow graduates to participate in one ceremony per degree earned in any year. Please note that graduates only receive an invitation to attend the ceremony of their class year. Commencement information is always available on our Commencement webpage and registration is required for the in-person event.


Yes. An email invitation will be sent to graduates in early May and June.


Registration is required for the Alumni Association Annual Meeting and the Deans’ Receptions via Zoom. Graduates, please refer to your invitation email. When you respond you’ll be attending, you’ll receive confirmation emails with Zooms links.

Registration is not required for the online celebration on Friday, July 9. However, we encourage you to reply to receive the Commencement webpage link to easily share with family and friends.


Yes. We encourage you to share event information with your family and friends.


Leading up to the celebration, the Class of 2021 graduates’ names will be scrolling on the Commencement webpage arranged by area of study and in those groupings, alphabetical within degree levels. However, with nearly 6,000 graduates, names will not be read during the online ceremony. Some photos shared on social media will be used during the celebration and others will appear on the Commencement webpage. Portrait packages are available through Island Photography for individual use.


Email questions to commencement@excelsior.edu for more information.

Celebrating Our Graduates

Excelsior College Class of 2020 #Excelsior Proud

Excelsior students have places to go, people to see and lives to change, that’s why we grant degrees throughout the year. View the lists of each month’s graduates.

  • May 21, 2021
  • May 10, 2021
  • April, 2021
  • March, 2021
  • February, 2021
  • January, 2021
  • December, 2020
  • November, 2020
  • October, 2020
  • September,2020
  • August, 2020
  • July, 2020

      • Watch the 2020 Commencement