Radford's registrar calendar for 2026-2027 lists "Graduate Hooding & Commencement Ceremony 4/30 (F)" and "Undergraduate Spring Commencement Ceremony 5/1 (Sa)", and for the fall "12/11 (F)" and "12/12 (Sa)". All four weekdays check. Times and venues for 2027 are not restated; the schedule page still carried Spring 2026, where the graduate ceremony was "5-7 p.m." in the "Arena, Dedmon Center" and the undergraduate ceremony "10 a.m.-12:30 p.m." on "Moffett Lawn". The FAQ: "No tickets are required for the spring ceremony"; "There is no limit on guest attendance"; the graduate ceremony "is an indoor event where weather is not a concern"; the undergraduate ceremony "will proceed in most weather conditions, including rain or cold temperatures", and severe weather moves it into the Dedmon Center as "three different ceremonies (starting at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.)". Read on 20 September 2026.
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Two days on the registrar’s calendar
The 2026-2027 academic calendar carries four rows for commencement. For spring: “Graduate Hooding & Commencement Ceremony 4/30 (F)” and “Undergraduate Spring Commencement Ceremony 5/1 (Sa)”. For fall: “Graduate Hooding & Commencement Ceremony 12/11 (F)” and “Undergraduate Winter Commencement Ceremony 12/12 (Sa)”. 30 April 2027 is a Friday, 1 May a Saturday, 11 December 2026 a Friday, 12 December a Saturday. The calendar’s “subject to change” note is attached to the future academic years further down the page, not to 2026-2027.
Friday indoors, Saturday on the lawn
Times and venues for 2027 are not restated on the calendar. The commencement schedule page, still showing Spring 2026 when read on 20 September 2026, gives the shape: “Friday, May 1, 2026 … 5-7 p.m. Graduate Hooding and Commencement Ceremony, Arena, Dedmon Center” and “Saturday, May 2, 2026 … 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, Moffett Lawn”. The FAQ confirms the split in its weather answer: “The Graduate Ceremony is an indoor event where weather is not a concern. The Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony is planned as an outdoor event.” This page carries those as Radford’s practice and the November review checks them against the 2027 postings.
No tickets, no guest limit
“No tickets are required for the spring ceremony.” “There is no limit on guest attendance for the spring ceremony.” Both from the FAQ. An outdoor lawn with no cap is generous to families and hard on the three hotels in town.
The weather plan changes the hour, not just the room
Rain does not move the Saturday: the ceremony “will proceed in most weather conditions, including rain or cold temperatures.” Severe weather, “such as thunderstorms or dangerous winds”, does, and the fallback is not one indoor ceremony but three: “Instead of one ceremony at 10 a.m., three separate ceremonies will be held”, starting at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the Dedmon Center arena, with the FAQ underlining the earlier 9 a.m. start. The schedule page says which graduates go to which ceremony “will be shared in the coming weeks.” A family with a 10 a.m. plan can end up with a 5 p.m. ceremony and a second night.
Saturday traffic, in the university’s words
The FAQ tells students that moving out on commencement Saturday “is strongly discouraged due to significant traffic, parking limitations, road closures and pedestrian congestion across campus.” Guests arriving for a morning ceremony are driving into exactly that. A room on Tyler Avenue, a mile out, means an early walk or a short drive rather than an I-81 approach at 9 a.m.
December: the same two days
Friday 11 December 2026 for graduate hooding and Saturday 12 December for undergraduate winter commencement, per the calendar. The schedule page had not posted the December round, so venues and times are not stated here.
One night, sometimes two
The Friday night for every family; Thursday too for a family attending both the Friday hooding and the Saturday ceremony. Radford has three hotels on Tyler Avenue and about 280 rooms; the where to stay page has them and the ring through Christiansburg and Blacksburg.
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Frequently asked questions
When is Radford's Spring 2027 commencement?
Friday 30 April 2027, graduate hooding and commencement, and Saturday 1 May 2027, undergraduate commencement, per the registrar's 2026-2027 academic calendar read on 20 September 2026. Both weekdays check out.
Where are the ceremonies?
The graduate hooding is in the arena at the Dedmon Center, indoors. The undergraduate ceremony is outdoors on Moffett Lawn, per the Spring 2026 schedule; 2027's venues are not restated yet and the pattern is carried here as the university's practice.
What time?
Not yet published for 2027. In 2026 the graduate hooding ran 5 to 7 p.m. on the Friday and the undergraduate ceremony 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the Saturday.
Do we need tickets?
No. "No tickets are required for the spring ceremony" and "There is no limit on guest attendance for the spring ceremony," per the FAQ, read on 20 September 2026.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Rain or cold does not move it: the undergraduate ceremony "will proceed in most weather conditions, including rain or cold temperatures." Severe weather such as thunderstorms or dangerous winds moves it into the Dedmon Center arena as three separate ceremonies starting at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., with the FAQ flagging the earlier 9 a.m. start. Which ceremony your graduate joins is shared by the university "in the coming weeks" before the round.
When is the December round?
Graduate hooding on Friday 11 December 2026 and undergraduate winter commencement on Saturday 12 December 2026, per the calendar. Venues and times for December were not yet posted on the schedule page.
Is Saturday morning traffic really that bad?
The FAQ tells students that moving out on the Saturday "is strongly discouraged due to significant traffic, parking limitations, road closures and pedestrian congestion across campus." Guests arriving for a 10 a.m. ceremony are in that traffic; stay on Tyler Avenue or arrive early.
How many nights?
The Friday night for everyone; Thursday as well for a family attending both days. The Highlander has 124 rooms a mile from the Dedmon Center; the where-to-stay page has the other two and the ring.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- Radford University Registrar, academic calendar 2026-2027 ("Graduate Hooding & Commencement Ceremony 4/30 (F)"; "Undergraduate Spring Commencement Ceremony 5/1 (Sa)"; "Graduate Hooding & Commencement Ceremony 12/11 (F)"; "Undergraduate Winter Commencement Ceremony 12/12 (Sa)")
- Radford University Commencement, schedule (Spring 2026: "5-7 p.m.", "Graduate Hooding and Commencement Ceremony", "Arena, Dedmon Center"; "10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.", "Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony", "Moffett Lawn"; severe-weather plan)
- Radford University Commencement FAQ (tickets, guest limit, weather, severe-weather plan, Saturday move-out warning)
This page is verified in two stages. Every fact is checked against the primary sources listed above, then the page is reviewed and signed off by our editor, A. Hassan. Corrections and enquiries: hello@graduationstay.com