Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont will hold its 224th commencement ceremony this Sunday, May 18, celebrating just under 3,000 graduates on the historic University Green in Burlington.
Friends, families and well-wishers will also have the opportunity to celebrate graduates at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, where eight UVM colleges will hold additional ceremonies for the first time this weekend. This new indoor venue will bolster the experience for graduates and families with improved access, parking, air conditioning, and food offerings.
“These exceptional graduates are among the most talented and academically prepared Catamounts in UVM’s proud history—we look forward to celebrating them,” said UVM interim president Patricia Prelock. “Student success is UVM’s top priority, and these students have distinguished themselves through their excellence and their commitment to people and planet.”
The main ceremony’s speaker is James M. Betts, ’69, MD’73, a pediatric surgeon, former Olympic Team Physician and volunteer firefighter with a passion for helping communities hit by natural disasters. UVM’s three 2025 honorary degree recipients are Betts, former UVM board chair David A. Daigle ’89, whose leadership brought crucial STEM facilities to campus, and Roy V. Hill II, for his contributions to Vermont’s community institutions. Other speakers will include Prelock, UVM Board of Trustees chair Cynthia Barnhart, and Student Government Association president Mahder Teferra ‘25.
All week, UVM’s website and social media will share the stories of UVM’s graduating class, which includes members of the 2024 national championship men’s soccer team. Other highlights of the current academic year: UVM joined the ranks of the nation's top-tier research institutions by achieving a coveted R1 Research Activity Designation, and hired a new president, Marlene Tromp, who will start this summer.
UVM will confer approximately 2,992 bachelor’s degrees on Sunday. Other ceremonies over the weekend will see 483 masters, 173 doctoral, and 112 medical degrees awarded. The graduating class includes roughly 930 Vermonters.
Members of the 2025 class receiving undergraduate or graduate diplomas are eligible for the Green Mountain Job and Retention Program, a partnership between the State of Vermont, UVM, and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, which provides $5,000 in student loan relief for graduates who choose to live and work in Vermont for at least two years. Applications for the program open on July 7.
Each year, over 1,100 UVM graduates stay to live and work in Vermont, with 5,500 Catamounts joining the state’s workforce over the last five years. This growing number illustrates UVM’s role as the largest talent magnet in the state. The skills and experience of UVM graduates are critical to our state’s workforce and overall economic vitality.
All ceremonies will be live streamed at https://www.uvm.edu/commencement.
For updates and information, including a full schedule, parking information for all venues, and shuttle buses information, please visit https://www.uvm.edu/commencement. More information will be posted this week.
Media Registration
- Journalists are requested to confirm their attendance in advance to Basil Waugh at [email protected] or 802-557-4554.
Multimedia
- Link to online press release: https://www.uvm.edu/uvmnews/news/uvm-class-2025-graduate-may-18
- Photo attached for media use. Credit: UVM.
Street Closings
- University Place from Colchester Avenue to Main Street, will be closed from Friday, May 16, 7 a.m. through Sunday, May 18, 7 p.m.
- South Prospect Street will be closed from College Street to the University Health Center entrance starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 16 until Sunday, May 18 at 7 p.m.
- In addition, on Sunday, May 18, from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., South Prospect Street will be closed from Colchester Avenue to Main Street, and College Street will be closed from South Prospect Street to South Williams Street. The northern most west bound lane on Main Street from University Heights Road to South Prospect Street will also be closed.
Severe Weather
- University Commencement will be held rain or shine. If severe weather is expected Sunday, an updated commencement plan will be posted on UVM’s Commencement website by 1 p.m. on Saturday.
About UVM: For People and Planet
Founded in 1791, UVM is the leading public university where discovery, creativity, community, and action coalesce to secure a thriving future for people and planet. Recognized among the nation’s top R1 research institutions, Vermont’s land-grant university attracts $260 million annually for groundbreaking research and enrolls approximately 14,000 students from 50 states and 75 countries. At UVM, students, faculty, and staff work together in pursuit of a healthier, greener future. Learn more at uvm.edu.
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