UMD moves 2026 commencement to Thursday amid extreme heat forecast
UMD pushed its main commencement to Thursday as College Park braces for 95-degree heat and thunderstorms, forcing thousands of families to rethink travel plans.
The University of Maryland moved its main 2026 commencement ceremony to Thursday, May 21, after forecasts called for punishing heat and possible thunderstorms in College Park, a last-minute shift that will ripple through graduation day travel, staffing and family plans across Prince George’s County.
The ceremony had been set for Wednesday, May 20, at SECU Stadium, but university officials said the change was made because of safety concerns tied to the weather. The time of the processional and program will stay the same, and the ceremony will still be held at SECU Stadium, a completely outdoor venue where the main event is rain or shine.
UMD said the rescheduled ceremony will honor Spring 2026 graduates along with Summer 2025 and Winter 2025 graduates, recognizing more than 9,000 bachelor’s degrees, 3,000 master’s degrees and nearly 700 doctoral degrees. The university’s 2026 commencement speaker will be Jeanette Epps, a NASA astronaut and UMD alumna with a master’s degree from 1994 and a doctorate from 2000. Jason Laucel ’26, an information science major and AI ethics advocate, will be the student speaker. President Darryll J. Pines and Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice are also scheduled to take part.
The weather outlook made the decision harder to ignore. The National Weather Service forecast for College Park called for a hot Wednesday with highs near 95 to 97 degrees, followed by showers and thunderstorms later in the day. Thursday’s forecast turned cooler, with a high near 68 degrees and showers likely. The broader regional outlook said an early-season heat wave was challenging temperature records across the eastern United States before easing later in the week as a cold front moved through the area.
UMD’s commencement team also reminded graduates to bring a personal water bottle and begin hydrating at least 48 hours before the event. Graduates were assigned 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. arrival times, and the university said traffic is expected to be heavier than usual on the new date. Media Relations asked reporters to allow extra travel time, another sign that the shift will affect not just graduates but also families, campus workers and anyone trying to reach College Park on short notice.
The change marks the second straight year UMD’s main outdoor commencement has been disrupted by weather, underscoring how extreme heat is forcing more institutions to treat spring graduation as a weather-sensitive event rather than a fixed ceremonial date.
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