Five campuses to honor graduates with in-person ceremonies and online celebrations
BOSTON – Nearly 19,000 students will receive degrees from the ӰԺ over the next month during a combination of in-person and online ceremonies. The celebrations begin this week at UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell, followed by UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth and UMass Medical School.
Approximately 80 percent of the graduates from the five campuses are projected to stay in ӰԺ to build their lives and careers, fuel the workforce, and transform communities through service.
In a video released today on social media, UMass President Marty Meehan recognized the graduates for their resilience throughout the pandemic and their “can-do attitude that has come to define the ӰԺ for generations.”
“There has been a spirit familiar to those of us who have ever attended, taught, discovered, or worked at the university,” President Meehan said. “It is a can-do attitude that has come to define the ӰԺ for generations and defines the Class of 2021 – a spirit fueled by ingenuity and an unyielding commitment to excellence – a truly revolutionary spirit.”
Referencing the ongoing national social justice dialogues, President Meehan challenged the Class of 2021, citing the words of his friend and former congressional colleague, the late John Lewis. “I believe we are at the threshold of a better place, but we will need you to help us all cross that threshold,” he said. “In the words of the late John Lewis, ‘Let’s stay together, and never give up, never give in. Keep the faith.’”
UMass commencement celebration details
UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst will host Graduate Commencement 2021 in person on Thursday, May 13 at 4 p.m. in McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
Two guests per graduate will be allowed to attend. The ceremony will be live-streamed for those unable to attend, or who wish to celebrate from a distance.
On Friday, May 14, UMass Amherst will host four undergraduate commencement ceremonies in McGuirk Alumni Stadium to celebrate the members of the Class of 2021.
There are an estimated 8,416 members of the UMass Amherst Class of 2021.
For more information, visit .
UMass Boston
On Thursday, May 27 at 10 a.m., the university will share a congratulatory video that will feature brief remarks from the Provost and Chancellor, along with student stories and a celebratory montage.
UMass Boston will honor the classes of 2020 and 2021 in two in-person commencement celebrations on Thursday, August 26 at the TD Garden in Boston. The morning ceremony will celebrate the entire class of 2021 and the afternoon ceremony on the same day will celebrate the entire class of 2020. Both ceremonies will be livestreamed for those unable to attend, or who wish to celebrate from a distance, and a virtual roll call with all graduate names will be posted on the website.
There are an estimated 3,860 members of the UMass Boston Class of 2021.
For more information, visit .
UMass Dartmouth
On Friday, June 11, two ceremonies will be held for the Class of 2020 and one for the School of Law classes of 2020 and 2021.
On Saturday, June 12, three ceremonies will held to celebrate the Class of 2021.
All ceremonies will be held at Cressy Field and livestreamed so family and friends can watch.
Two guests per graduate will be allowed to attend. The ceremony will be livestreamed for those unable to attend, or who wish to celebrate from a distance.
There are an estimated 1,800 members of the UMass Dartmouth Class of 2021.
For more information, visit
UMass Lowell
UMass Lowell will honor members of the Class of 2021 both in-person and virtually.
Seven ceremonies will be held from Wednesday, May 12 to Friday, May 14 to celebrate this year’s graduates: in-person at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell and online featuring Commencement addresses and other honors. Notable honorees will be pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation Deepak Chopra, journalist Ron Insana, athlete and alumna Noelle Lambert and Market Basket.
Each graduate will be able to bring two guests to the in-person ceremonies.
There are an estimated 4,600 members of the UMass Lowell Class of 2021.
For more information, visit .
UMass Medical School
UMass Medical School will celebrate its 2021 graduates and award honorary degrees to four individuals at its 48th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 6.
Two hundred eighty-five students from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Nursing and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences are expected to receive degrees.
The in-person, outdoor ceremony will be held at Coughlin Field on the campus of Worcester State University.
Each graduate may invite four guests and the ceremony will also be livestreamed on the Medical School’s YouTube and Facebook pages. The ceremony will begin at noon (unless inclement weather necessitates an earlier or later start time).
For more information, visit
###