The deadline to participate in the Spring 2026 ceremony is 11:59 p.m. March 2.

To reserve a seat at the ceremony, graduates are required to submit their graduation application in Self-Service and order regalia through Herff Jones by the deadline.

Students who miss the Spring 2026 ordering deadline will be permitted to attend the Fall 2026 graduation event in December 2026 provided they meet the deadline for that ceremony.

Graduates are required to have regalia (cap and gown) if they wish to attend the ceremony.

Orders will be mailed directly from Herff Jones to the address the listed when the order was completed.

All regalia orders must be placed by 11:59 p.m. March 2. Used and/or borrowed regalia is not permitted.

All graduation regalia is handled exclusively through Herff Jones. The Registrar's Office is unable to provide information on regalia orders. All questions related to regalia orders that were placed by the posted deadline should be directed to the Barry Waseleski with Herff Jones at [email protected]. No late requests will be approved.

Regalia must be ordered directly through Herff Jones by the March 2 deadline in order for the graduate to have a seat reserved at the ceremony.

Students who miss the Spring 2026 deadline may participate in the Fall 2026 commencement ceremony, provided they meet the posted deadlines for it.

Herff Jones is unable to accept late order requests.

Orders placed with Herff Jones will be mailed to the address provided by the student at the time of the order. Orders will be mailed to students within two weeks of placing the order. Please refer to your order confirmation for more information.

All graduation regalia is handled exclusively through Herff Jones. The Registrar's Office is unable to provide information on regalia orders. All questions related to regalia orders that were placed by the posted deadline should be directed to Barry Waseleski with Herff Jones at [email protected].

No. A space will be reserved at the ceremony only for graduates who purchased their regalia directly from Herff Jones by the March 2 deadline. Used or borrowed regalia is not permitted.

We may be able to help! Email [email protected] to discuss your options. Requests for regalia assistance received after a date that will be announced will be denied, and the student will need to purchase his or her own regalia by the standard regalia ordering deadline if they wish to attend the ceremony.

If you purchased your regalia in a previous term – for example, a student who purchased regalia in Fall 2025 but didn't graduate or chose not to attend the ceremony and now wants to walk – you need to email [email protected] by the March 2 regalia ordering deadline to let us know about your situation.

Students who fall under this unique situation will not be on any communication lists, nor will they have a space reserved at the ceremony unless staff are notified by the deadline.

When completing the regalia order through Herff Jones, graduates are required to use their Wake Tech email address. All graduation notifications will be sent to the student's Wake Tech email address.

If you are a parent ordering on behalf of a graduate, be sure to use the student's name and Wake Tech email address when completing the order.

Failure to use a Wake Tech email address may result in the graduate not receiving important graduation communications and updates.

No. Students are required to use their Wake Tech email address on the regalia ordering form. Graduation updates are sent only to the student's Wake Tech email address. Failure to use the student's Wake Tech email address may result in the student not receiving important graduation information.

Parents purchasing regalia on behalf of a student should use that student's Wake Tech email address.

Once an order is submitted, no changes can be made to the email until after the regalia ordering deadline, so it is imperative that the correct email is listed when the order is placed.

All successfully placed orders for full graduation regalia – cap, gown and tassel – will receive a confirmation email after the order is placed. Any graduate who does not receive a confirmation email should immediately email Barry Waseleski with Herff Jones at [email protected].

Graduates who do not meet the regalia ordering deadline may attend the next graduation event.

All graduation regalia is handled exclusively through Herff Jones. The Registrar's Office is unable to provide information on regalia orders.

Unfortunately, regalia is not available for graduates who miss the deadline. However, graduates who missed the Spring 2026 regalia ordering deadline will be granted a one-time exception to attend the Fall 2026 commencement ceremony in December 2026.

Because students in this situation may not be registered as a student in the Fall semester, they may not receive graduation notifications about that ceremony. It is the student's responsibility to purchase regalia for the Fall 2026 commencement by the deadline for that ceremony. Failure to purchase regalia by that deadline will result in the student not being able to attend the event.

No. Space will be reserved at the Fall ceremony only for graduates who purchased a full regalia set – cap, gown and tassel – directly from Herff Jones by the deadline.

Regalia purchased from or borrowed from another student or former student is not allowed for any reason. Students in need of financial assistance to purchase regalia can email [email protected] to discuss their options. 

The Registrar's Office does not distribute or handle honor cords, stoles or sashes. Graduates who are members of honor societies must reach out to the appropriate office:

• American Institute of Architecture Students (light blue cords) – Contact the program director/club advisor
• American Society of Interior Designers (purple/white cords) – Contact Andrea Bachi at [email protected]
• First in Flight First-Generation Student Program (cyan/white cords) – Contact Richard Redding at [email protected]
• Honors program (navy/gold cords) – Contact the program director
• Military Dependents (purple/black cords) – Contact Michael McLamb at 919-866-5301 or [email protected]
• National Society of Leadership and Success/Sigma Alpha Phi (black/silver cords) – Contact the program director
• National Technical Honor Society (purple and silver cords/tassel) – Complete the online request form to participate in the chapter's group order
• Phi Beta Lambda (yellow stoles) – Contact the program director
• Phi Theta Kappa (gold stole/tassel) – Contact the program director
• SALUTE: National Veterans Honor Society (white stole) – Contact Patrick Tribble at [email protected]
• Service Learning program (green cords) – Contact the program director
• Sigma Delta Mu/Spanish Honor Society (red/gold cords) – Contact the program director
• Student Ambassadors (purple cords) – Contact the program director
• Student government officers (red cords) – Contact the program director
• Veteran students (red/white/blue cords) – Contact Michael McLamb at 919-866-5301 or [email protected]
• Wake Tech Orientation leaders (navy/white cords) – Contact the New Student Orientation coordinator

The only stoles that Wake Tech will be recognized for commencement are those that have been approved for the various honor societies on campus. Wake Tech cannot approve requests for students wishing to wear stoles that are not a part of an approved honor society.

Final grades do not impact whether a student can attend commencement, as grades may be posted the week following the ceremony. Students completing their last remaining course requirements in December must attend the Fall event in December, and students completing their last remaining course requirements in May or during any of the Summer sessions must attend the Spring event in May.

The Registrar's Office does not remove any student from the participation list once they are uploaded into the Tassel graduation portal.

All credentials are posted to the student's account within 10 business days of the last day of the semester. Students who complete their credential during Fall semester may not see the information posted until the third week of January, due to winter break office closures.

Students can verify the posting of their credential by logging into Self-Service and viewing their "unofficial transcript." If it's been more than than 10 business days since the last day of the semester and a student's credential isn't posted, the student should contact his or her student records representative. Students can look up their representative on the Registration & Records contact page.

Degrees and diplomas are not handed out at the ceremony. Wake Tech, in partnership with Parchment, will provide a digital degree or diploma to the graduate's Wake Tech student email address according to the following schedule:

• Fall semester – Mid-February
• Spring semester – Mid-June
• Summer term – Mid-September

Degree and diploma students will receive an email from Parchment and Wake Tech with all pertinent information on how to access their permanent digital degree or diploma. Here is how the header on that email will look:

Degree and diploma students will have the opportunity to verify their mailing addresses in the first 72 hours of the email being sent. Each graduate's mailing address in Self-Service will be provided to Parchment. If a graduate needs to update his or her address within the Parchment portal, updates must be made within that 72-hour window. Updating a mailing address in the Parchment portal does not change it with Wake Tech. To have a permanent address change on a Wake Tech student account, update it in Self-Service.

Parchment also will provide degrees and diplomas via the U.S. Postal Service to the mailing address on the graduate's account according to the following schedule:

• Fall semester – Late February
• Spring semester – Late June
• Summer term – Late September

Students are always encouraged to review their current address by logging in to Self-Service and selecting the "User Profile" name under their username in the upper right corner and make any necessary changes before the end of the semester in which student is completing.

Wake Tech, in partnership with Parchment, will provide a digital certificate to the graduate's Wake Tech student email address according to the following schedule:

• Fall semester – Late February
• Spring semester – Late June
• Summer term – Late September

Students will receive an email from Parchment and Wake Tech with all pertinent information on how to access their permanent digital certificate. Here is how the header on that email will look:

Diploma cases are graduation photo props provided only to in-person commencement ceremony participants and are not available after live graduation events. Graduates who do not attend the in-person commencement ceremony are encouraged to visit the Wake Tech Bookstore to view the variety of frames available to protect and preserve their credential.

The Wake Tech Bookstore does not sell diploma cases. Only diploma frames can be purchased at the bookstore.

No. The only names that will be read at the graduation ceremony are of graduates who purchased their regalia by the March 2 deadline and attend the in-person event.

Yes. All graduates must use the Tassel Hub to verify their name pronunciation and retrieve their Stage Pass and guest tickets. 

Tickets are required for the ceremony. Each graduate is allotted a predetermined number of tickets, which can be retrieved in the Tassel Hub.

The electronic tickets will be scanned as guests enter the event. Tickets can be scanned only once and cannot be duplicated. Guests will not be granted entry without a ticket. The event will livestreamed for guests who cannot attend in person.

• Graduates do not need a ticket.
• Every guest must have an admission ticket, including children over the age of 2.
• Children 2 and under may attend without a ticket, but the child must sit on an adult's lap. Any child 2 and under taking a seat will need a ticket. Baby carriers and strollers are not permitted.
• Graduates cannot request or purchase additional tickets.
• Wake Tech employees who aren't part of the ceremony must have a ticket for entry.
• Guests who arrive after the ceremony begins may be denied entry. 

No. Each student is limited to the number of tickets in his or her allotment.

No, there will not be a room available on site for guests without a ticket to watch the livestream.

Any graduate who wishes to invite instructors or any other Wake Tech employee to their ceremony must provide each individual with a ticket from his or her allotment.

Doors will open one hour prior to the start of each graduation event. In an effort to maintain the dignity of the ceremony for all participants, guests may be denied entry once the ceremony starts. Guests are encouraged to plan accordingly due to possible parking and traffic delays.

Commencement programs are provided on a first-come, first-served basis to individuals who attend the in-person ceremony. Programs are typically not available afterward.

Yes. Graduates are permitted to decorate their caps as long as their decorations do not obstruct the view of other graduates standing or sitting behind them.

Degrees and diplomas are not handed out at the ceremony. Wake Tech, in partnership with Parchment, will provide a digital degree or diploma to the graduate's Wake Tech student email address according to the following schedule:

• Fall semester – Mid-February
• Spring semester – Mid-June
• Summer term – Mid-September

Degree and diploma students will receive an email from Parchment and Wake Tech with all pertinent information on how to access their permanent digital degree or diploma. Here is how the header on that email will look:

Degree and diploma students will have the opportunity to verify their mailing addresses in the first 72 hours of the email being sent. Each graduate's mailing address in Self-Service will be provided to Parchment. If a graduate needs to update his or her address within the Parchment portal, updates must be made within that 72-hour window. Updating a mailing address in the Parchment portal does not change it with Wake Tech. To have a permanent address change on a Wake Tech student account, update it in Self-Service.

Parchment also will provide degrees and diplomas via the U.S. Postal Service to the mailing address on the graduate's account according to the following schedule:

• Fall semester – Late February
• Spring semester – Late June
• Summer term – Late September

Students are always encouraged to review their current address by logging in to Self-Service and selecting the "User Profile" name under their username in the upper right corner and make any necessary changes before the end of the semester in which student is completing.