The University of Georgia welcomes its newest alumni on May 8 as 5,958 undergraduates and 1,366 graduate students—for a total of 7,324—have met requirements to walk in the university’s spring Commencement, tentatively scheduled for the fall if federal and state health officials deem it safe.

The undergraduate ceremony is planned for Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Sanford Stadium.

Forty-four students will be recognized as First Honor Graduates during the undergraduate exercises for maintaining a 4.0 cumulative GPA in all work completed at UGA, as well as all college-level transfer work done prior to or following enrollment at the university.

An estimated 218 doctoral candidates and 1,148 master’s and specialist degree students will be eligible to walk in the scheduled Dec. 18 graduate ceremony at 2:30 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.

To commemorate the May 8 graduation date, a congratulatory online message will be posted Friday, May 8, at 10 a.m. to recognize the Class of 2020 and acknowledge the conferral of degrees. The online message will be available at commencement.uga.edu.

Alumni, family and friends are invited to join in the May 8 celebration by sharing a photo or short video with encouraging words and congratulations using #UGAgrad on social media.

The university recognizes that some graduates might want to have their photo taken at the Arch. While the Arch will be available over the summer and at the time of the ceremonies in the fall, those who choose to visit the campus now for photographs should follow CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and keep 6 feet apart.

For UGA graduates with mobility limitations who want to pass through the Arch, the university will have a temporary platform in place on Sunday, May 10, from noon to 6 p.m. A platform will also be put in place following the October ceremony at a time to be announced closer to the event. For updates, please see commencement.uga.edu.