Watch the Commencement Livestream and Celebrate on Social!
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.
TESU Annual Commencement
Thomas Edison State University’s 2023 Commencement Ceremony will be held on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.
Please accept our sincere congratulations on earning your degree!
Thomas Edison State University’s Annual Commencement Ceremony has been scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, N.J. Doors for graduates and their guests will open at 11 a.m.
Your Commencement ceremony is a momentous occasion and a reward for the hard work and dedication it took to complete your degree. Here are a few tips to help you and your loved ones prepare for your big day:
When to Arrive
- Doors open for graduates and guests at 11 a.m.
- Line up for your class procession by 12:30 p.m. on the concourse near section 103.
- The ceremony will begin promptly at 1 p.m. and is expected to last approximately 2 hours.
Tickets
For security purposes, all guests, including graduates and children, will need a ticket to enter the arena. All graduates have received the link to register for the TESU 2023 Commencement via Eventbrite to access, download and print your tickets.
If you need additional tickets, simply return to the site, add the number of tickets you need on the right-hand side, click on “Reserve a Spot”, and enter your information to have more tickets emailed to you.
What to Expect
All graduates must enter through Gate C to register. Guests may enter through Gates A, B, or C and arrange to meet up with their graduate once on the concourse. Any guests or graduates requiring ADA assistance should enter through Gate A.
When you arrive, proceed to our Registration area, located on the main concourse at Gate C (street level):
- If you have been notified that you earned specific honors, you will pick up your cords at registration.
- If you did not receive your cap and gown already, we will have it available for pickup.
- If you are a member of the military or a veteran, you will also pick up your cord and stole at registration.
For family and friends who are not able to join us but would like to watch online, the livestream of the ceremony will be available on the Commencement website and also accessible from the main page of the TESU website.
Graduates receiving honors have been notified at the completion of their graduation cycle. Honor cords and stoles will be distributed to eligible graduates at the CURE Insurance Arena on the morning of the ceremony. To learn more about your eligibility for honor cords, please refer to the Awards and Honor Societies page or learn how to earn your Philanthropy Cord by supporting future graduates.
Keep an eye on your email and stay tuned to the Commencement website for additional details and the most up-to-date information.
Not sure when you should apply for graduation? Learn more about deadlines and Graduation Information.
For additional questions or more information, contact the Office of the Registrar at (609) 984-1180 or commencement@tesu.edu.
We are excited to celebrate with you this weekend!
For family and friends who are not able to join us but would like to watch online, the livestream of the ceremony will be available on the Commencement website and also accessible from the main page of www.TESU.edu.
We are very fortunate in that the CURE Insurance Arena is large enough to accommodate all our graduates and their guests so there is no limit to the number of tickets per graduate. You are welcome to bring as many people as you would like and tickets are general admission so your guests may sit anywhere they would like.
Graduates have all received the link to order tickets by registering for the TESU 2023 Commencement via Eventbrite and indicating the number of tickets you will need for you and your guests.
A PDF of your tickets will be immediately available to download and print after you register. Once downloaded, tickets can be forwarded to guests electronically and printed at home. For security purposes, all guests, including graduates and children, will need a printed ticket to enter the arena.
Don’t worry, if you experience trouble accessing or printing their tickets, or if your guests arrive without a ticket, extras will be available at Will Call, and TESU volunteers will be distributing tickets to guests of attending graduates at the door to the arena.
Associate degree graduates will receive a burgundy gown, burgundy mortarboard cap and tassel with a 2023 charm.
Bachelor degree graduates will receive a black bachelor’s gown, black mortarboard cap and tassel with 2023 charm.
Master degree graduates will receive a black master’s gown, an academic hood with colors that reflect the specific master’s degree they have earned, a black mortarboard cap and tassel with a 2023 charm.
Doctorate degree graduates will receive a black doctoral gown, an academic hood with colors that reflect the specific doctoral degree they have earned, a black doctoral tam (cap) and a gold tassel with a 2023 charm.
You may not wear anything not provided by the University or a TESU recognized honor society on top of your academic regalia.
Are you decking out your regalia to stand out in the crowd? Enter our Cap Decorating Contest!
View more information and enter contest »
The doors to the CURE Arena open at 11 a.m. for graduates and their guests and the ceremony will begin promptly at 1 p.m.
Graduates need to begin lining up for the procession near Section 103 on the arena concourse by 12:30 p.m.
Please arrive before your ceremony. This gives you time to:
- Check in at Registration located on the main concourse at Gate C (street level). We will ensure that you have all your academic regalia and any earned honor cords and help you robe properly. If you are a member of the military or a veteran, you will also be able to pick up your cord and stole.
- Stop at the Foundation’s Philanthropy cord table, donate $23 or more and receive a cord to wear during the ceremony.
- Stop by the Admissions table for your graduation gift!
- Put the finishing touches on your regalia.
- Allow your family members and guests to settle in.
- Line up for your class procession by 12:30 p.m. at Section 103 on the Concourse..
The arena's food vendors will be selling food and refreshments.
- When you walk on stage, you will announce your own name into the microphone. Members of the military may add your rank and branch of service. As a courtesy to other graduates and guests and to help ensure the ceremony concludes on time, please refrain from making any additional comments at the microphone.
- Legacy Photographics will be taking photos as you cross the stage and in front of a TESU photo backdrop once you descend the stage. There is no obligation to purchase pictures. Proofs will be emailed to each graduate within 48 hours and you may select and purchase photos at that time. For more information visit www.legacyphoto.com.
- The ceremony is expected to last approximately two hours.
Join the TESU Genius Program!
The Office of Alumni Engagement is dedicated to maintaining meaningful lifelong connections with TESU alumni. Throughout the University’s nearly 50 years of serving adult learners, more than 60,000 alumni have been TESU’s biggest advocates. Last year alone, alumni referred 531 applicants to the University.
The TESU Genius Program is a great way to stay connected and support the mission of the University! By attending Commencement, you have already completed the Wizard Step. Post a photo of your graduation celebration using the hashtag #TESUGrad and you will have completed the Illumniator Step. Stop at the Philanthropy Cord table and become a donor and you will complete the Entrepreneur Step. After completing all 5 steps, you will receive a custom TESU Coin!
Learn more about the TESU Genius Program and how to stay connected on the Alumni website.
Photos will be taken at the Commencement Ceremony. Please take a moment to read the Photo Release information below:
As event registrants, you and your guests accept the terms and conditions: I do hereby give Thomas Edison State University, its assigns, licensees and legal representatives, the irrevocable right to use my name (or fictional name), picture, image or photograph in all forms and media, and in all manners for advertising, promotional or educational purposes, trade or any other lawful purposes, and I waive any right to inspect or approve the finished product, including written copy, that may be created in connection therewith. I am of full age. I have read this release and am fully familiar with its contents.
A separate photo release will be obtained for anyone participating at “Share Your Story” before the ceremony.
For additional questions or more information, contact the Office of the Registrar at (609) 984-1180 or commencement@tesu.edu.
Toni M. Terry, BA
"I am 67 years old, soon to be 68, and to be able to say I did this at this day in my life is just gratification for my own self."