Celebrating Emory's Class of 2022
The One Hundred Seventy-seventh Commencement

Emory University Commencement returns to the Quad on May 9 to celebrate the spirit, resolve and extraordinary accomplishments of the Class of 2022. 

Visit Emory’s Commencement website for the full schedule of events, including diploma ceremonies for each of the university’s nine schools. You can also share your thoughts on the Memories Wall.

For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emory University Commencement returns to the heart of campus May 9, when graduates of each of the university’s nine schools will come together on the Quad for the official conferral of degrees and to hear from keynote speaker Tyler Perry.

Scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday morning, the university-wide ceremony is a ticketed event for the Class of 2022 and their guests. The event will also be livestreamed.

“Tyler Perry is a visionary creative force — writing, directing, producing and performing in plays, films and TV shows that move, entertain and inspire,” says Emory President Gregory L. Fenves. “Equally impressive are his endeavors as a philanthropist, humanitarian and social justice advocate. Whether funding scholarships for talented students, covering the grocery bills of elderly Atlanta residents, or supporting global disaster relief, he is renowned for creating opportunities and giving back to his community.”

Steeped in tradition and ritual — from the opening bagpipers to the procession of graduates to the final singing of the alma mater — the ceremony also includes remarks from Fenves, the presentation of key student and faculty awards, and the presentation of honorary degrees. In addition to Perry, Emory will award honorary degrees to former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates and community philanthropist and longtime Emory supporter Lou Glenn.

“With Tyler Perry as the keynote speaker, extraordinary honorary degree recipients, and a much-anticipated return to the Quad, this year’s Commencement ceremony will be an especially meaningful celebration of our graduates and all they have accomplished,” Fenves says.