Frequently Asked Questions

TWU encourages guests to travel light and refrain from bringing bags. Bags up to 4.5"x6.5" in size are permitted into the arena. Clear bags must be no larger than 12"x12"x6". Medical and parenting bags are permitted and are subject to search.

Pepper spray and pocket knives.

All confiscated items may be returned to your car or picked up at TWU PD offices – Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm. 

• TWU PD Address: 1201 Oakland St, Denton, TX 76204
• Phone: (940) 898-2911

We are excited to host each guest for the ceremony they wish to attend. Currently, the doors will open one hour before each ceremony, temporarily close during the procession, and then reopen for late seating. You may wait outside the arena, on the sidewalk, to secure an advanced position in line for the ceremony you would like to attend; however, due to the ticketing policy and each family's desire to view and celebrate their student, only ticketed guests for specific ceremonies are allowed entrance during the allocated time.

We are thrilled that you have many people to celebrate your accomplishments! Currently, each student has been allocated a specific number of tickets. Through student communications, a pool of additional or donated unused tickets is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please reference the TWU Ticketing Policy. 

TWU welcomes our smallest guests. Once you have navigated bag check, inside Kitty Magee Arena, south of the bleachers on each side is designated stroller parking. Strollers are not permitted in the general seating areas, as they occupy seats allocated for other guests. You are welcome to stand with your occupied stroller in the back corners of the arena or leave the stroller and sit in the general seating area with your child on your lap.

We agree! It’s time for hugs and photos!

Denton

Please meet our newest TWU Alumni across Bell Avenue. There are several landmark locations for the perfect photo. A list of popular campus “hot spots” is below, great for first photos of our newest alumni.

• TWU Blagg Huey Library
• TWU Hubbard Hall
• TWU Sign - corner of Bell & Administration Drive
• The iconic TWU Fountain
• Texas Pond
• Dr. Bettye Myers Butterfly Garden I
• Carroll Abbot Wildflower Sanctuary, Dr. Bettye Myers Butterfly Garden II
• Pioneer Woman Statue at Pioneer Circle
• Redbud Lane south of ACT Tower
• Your Dream, Your Legacy Mural
• Old Main Building

Houston

In Houston, please meet your graduate at the fountains located on the west side of the venue.

Commencement is definitely something worth watching! That is why we have a livestream and overflow seating already arranged. Enjoy from the comfort of your chosen location by clicking on the livestream link.  

If you would rather join the campus community as they celebrate our students’ accomplishments, overflow seating is available in Blagg-Huey Library.   

We ask that if you are in the arena, please respect others around you. We would like you to have the opportunity to fully engage in the ceremony. Guests are asked not to hold their phones to video the ceremony.  

Yes, we are happy to share that a contracted professional photographer is available to take images of all students as they cross the stage.

Student photos are contracted through the vendor GradImages. Once the photos are available, the students receive an email and can view photos, placing orders as needed. 

We understand how important it is to plan around this special event. At TWU, it is our target to keep each commencement ceremony within 90 minutes. 

The doors open one hour before each ceremony, closing during the processional and reopening for late seating. Students and their guests are asked to arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to the ceremony start.

Thank you for asking! Yes, some of our colleges do have additional celebrations planned for the graduating class.

The College of Nursing and the College of Health Sciences both celebrate their graduates with additional formal ceremonies. Please reach out to those programs individually for full details.

Summa Cum Laude:  3.900 and above

Magna Cum Laude:  3.700 - 3.899

Cum Laude:  3.500 - 3.699

Graduating with honors is based on the cumulative GPA at the end of the semester prior to the final semester. At TWU this benchmark is 3.500 or higher.

Graduating seniors who meet the requirements for recognition may purchase an honors stole at the TWU campus bookstore, located in Brackenridge Hall on the TWU Denton campus.

Please visit the TWU Registrar website to find forms, timelines and requirements to apply for graduation and to receive your diploma. 

For our guests that are hearing impaired, seating has been reserved in both the Denton and Houston sites in view of an ASL interpreter.

Designated handicap or wheelchair accessible seating has also been provided. 

Please ask an onsite TWU Volunteer to help you find acceptable seating.  

Please note: TWU does not provide personal mobility devices such as walkers, wheelchairs, or scooters for use during commencement activities. Guests are encouraged to bring their personal mobility devices or to reserve necessary items through a local medical equipment company.

For each location, our preferred vendor will be on-site with a limited number of stoles, caps, and gowns for purchase.  

In Denton, they are located on the second floor of PH, rooms 201 and 202.

In Houston, they are located by the south entrance, in the private reception rooms.