UTA’s spring 2027 commencement ceremonies will be held on campus after the university’s contract with Globe Life Field ends.
File photo / Samarie Goffney
On Friday, the Division of Student Affairs announced in an email that commencement ceremonies will return to campus in spring 2027.
While the location of each ceremony has not been decided yet, College Park Center and Texas Hall are being considered, said David Eberhardt, assistant vice president for Student Affairs administration.
UTA has had a contract with Globe Life Field, where the ceremonies were previously held, since around 2023, Eberhardt said. He said the university has had a good experience with the stadium providing a space for a big celebration and for each student to have up to 25 guests.
One of the reasons they are not renewing the contract is scheduling issues, Eberhardt said.
Last May, students graduated on a Sunday, after the ceremony was pushed because the Texas Rangers were scheduled to play around the same time as the ceremony. While they knew there was a possibility of that occurring, working around the scheduling conflict was difficult, Eberhardt said.
He said stadium management told Student Affairs there was another potential scheduling conflict for the December commencement ceremonies. This brought additional challenges with trying to work out a day when students do not have exams or class and the stadium is available, Eberhardt said.
“We looked at the value of what we were paying for being out there and the challenge we bumped up against, and it just made sense to come back to campus,” he said.
Lindsay Ray, director of marketing and communications for Student Affairs, said the university is still working out exactly how the ceremonies will be conducted. Different options have been proposed, like individual ceremonies for each college and school, but nothing has been decided on, she said.
“Some people are excited about the shorter, more intimate ceremonies with the people they know. I think I’ve seen some faculty say, ‘Oh, hey, we might be more involved because it’ll be on campus,’” Ray said.
Plans are being made to make the campus more spirited for students and make it feel more like commencement to better encapsulate their experience, she said.
With more ceremonies, Eberhardt said, more volunteers will most likely be required to help students follow the procession.
However, he said the university will be able to give itself allowances for time, clean-up and set-up, which will help ease administrative challenges.
Logistical issues, like figuring out the timing of ceremonies, are expected to arise, Ray said.
“Commencement itself is a very complex event when you think about it being actually a series of mini events within one heading,” she said. “I think no matter where we held it, it would continue to be a complex event to carry off and carry off well.”
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