In-person Commencement ceremonies to be held for the Classes of 2020 and 2021

More than 23,500 graduates from the Classes of 2020 and 2021 can now look forward to in-person Commencement ceremonies, to be held from 1 Oct to 24 Oct 2021.

Plans for in-person Commencement ceremonies were temporarily derailed due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in May this year. NUS instead staged its first-ever online Commencement, celebrating the achievements of graduates in 60 virtual ceremonies from 26 Jun to 3 Jul.

In light of the stabilising situation and resumption of activities nationwide, as well as a greater proportion of the population being fully vaccinated, the University has announced that it will be going ahead with the physical ceremonies.

Graduates can register for the ceremonies from 17 to 31 Aug 2021, and each graduate can have a maximum of two guests for the ceremonies.

Amid the festivities, the graduates’ health and well-being, as well as those of their loved ones, remains NUS’ top priority. All safe management measures necessary to safeguard attendees will be implemented, to ensure that the ceremonies are carried out in accordance with national safety protocols.

Besides temperature screening, assigned seats, Safe Entry check-in, and mask-wearing at all times, attendees will need to be fully vaccinated or undergo a pre-event COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test within 24 hours before the Ceremony, and present proof of the negative test result.

Reflecting on the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic, NUS Students’ Union (NUSSU) President Wee Su-ann, a graduate from the Faculty of Law and University Scholars Programme Class of 2021, said, “As a recent graduate myself, I’m definitely excited to be able to attend the in-person ceremonies! Graduation is a huge milestone worthy of celebration, and I am grateful that we have the opportunity to share this with our loved ones.”

She added, “NUSSU is also very grateful to Registrar’s Office and the Office of University Communications for all the talks in between the preparation of the virtual and physical commencement ceremonies, and the hard work the teams have put in to be able to deliver both formats at such short notice. It is not an easy feat to plan ceremonies for over 20,000 graduates, and I appreciate that we all share the same vision of wanting to ensure the best celebration for the graduates as restrictions will allow.”

Justin Goh Xian Qiang, Valedictorian from the English Literature Class of 2021, also welcomed the news. “The pandemic has separated us from one another like never before; but for that very reason it has also taught us what it means and how important it is to be there for one another during times of difficulty and change.

“The physical ceremonies that countless individuals behind the scenes have worked hard to realise will be an opportunity to do precisely this. I look forward to them with much excitement and gratitude, and am sure many of my peers, as well as their friends, families, and colleagues within and beyond the university, will too.”

Read more about the upcoming Commencement ceremonies on the Commencement website. Graduates from the Classes of 2020 and 2021 can register their attendance here from 17 Aug to 31 Aug 2021.