Pitt students graduating this winter are preparing to move on from college early, bringing both excitement and grief in their final college days.<\/p>\n
Two years ago, Pitt split their spring graduate ceremony into two, which created the winter commencement ceremony to make the celebration more timely<\/a>. The winter University-wide ceremony celebrates both undergraduate and graduate students together, while the spring University-wide ceremony only celebrates undergraduates, according to University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer.\u00a0<\/p>\n The winter commencement ceremony will take place on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 3 p.m. in the Petersen Events Center. Students who earned their bachelor\u2019s degree this past August or expect to in December are eligible to register to attend until 6 p.m. on Nov. 20<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The winter ceremony is still significantly smaller than the spring ceremony \u2014 the 2025 spring commencement ceremony celebrated 3,081 students compared to the 1,176 students that participated in last winter\u2019s commencement. This winter, the University anticipates 1,000-1,200 students attending, according to Stonesifer.<\/p>\n Many students who end up attending the winter ceremony are graduating a semester early, often because of high school AP credits<\/a> and summer classes. Jess Jobbins, a senior rehabilitation science major, said she is able to graduate early because of transferred credits from her AP classes.<\/p>\n \u201cWith [my APs], I realized that if I just picked up at least three credits over the summer at some point, then I can graduate a semester early,\u201d Jobbins said. \u201cAnd from that, I got to do a bunch of experiences. Part of the reason I was able to graduate early [is because] I did a Maymester <\/a>this past May.\u201d<\/p>\n A student\u2019s major can also play a role in being able to graduate early. Seth Soderquist, a senior architecture major, said many senior-level architecture classes conclude in the winter.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the important classes end in December, so I would only have half a semester worth of classes in the spring,\u201d Soderquist said. \u201cSo I took summer classes, and now I can spend less money on another semester and not just be doing random electives.\u201d<\/p>\n Grace Brignola, a senior marketing and business information systems major, said all her credits fell into place perfectly, so she \u201cmight as well\u201d save a semester of tuition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just going to stay here in Oakland and work around here,\u201d Brignola said. \u201cI do have a job lined up back home in August, so the financial savings are a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n The winter commencement only offers one University-wide ceremony, while spring graduation includes a University-wide ceremony and smaller ceremonies from each school at Pitt. Jobbins said the lack of a School of Health and Rehabilitation Science <\/a>ceremony was disappointing.<\/p>\n \u201cI am grateful that I don\u2019t have to sit through two ceremonies, but I do wish that there was an opportunity to have a smaller SHRS event,\u201d Jobbins said.\u00a0<\/p>\n