UGA graduation Countdown

The oldest charter in American public higher education

America's first state-chartered public university, Georgia has been teaching since before the U.S. Constitution was ratified. Today its Athens campus anchors one of the country's classic college towns, and its Grady College of Journalism administers the prestigious Peabody Awards. A defining chapter came in January 1961, when Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes enrolled as the university's first Black students; both graduated in 1963 and went on to distinguished careers in journalism and medicine.

Commencement between the hedges

Spring undergraduate Commencement happens on a Friday evening in Sanford Stadium, with graduates seated on the field between the famous privet hedges — the same "Between the Hedges" turf where the Bulldogs play. Graduate ceremonies are held separately the evening before. The most cherished ritual comes afterward: by tradition, students don't walk under the iron Arch on North Campus — its pillars stand for wisdom, justice, and moderation — until they hold a diploma, so graduation weekend brings long, happy photo lines beneath it. Many grads cap the celebration by ringing the Chapel Bell.

Graduates, class by class

The Class of 1961 sent Fran Tarkenton from Sanford Stadium to a Hall of Fame NFL career; the Class of 1963 graduated Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes, who had desegregated the university two years earlier. The Class of 1982 gave ABC News its longtime correspondent Deborah Roberts; the Class of 1989 produced Natasha Trethewey, later a Pulitzer Prize winner and U.S. Poet Laureate. And Food Network's Alton Brown, who left Athens one credit short in 1985, finally collected his drama degree in 2004.

Planning your Athens graduation weekend

Sanford Stadium seats more than 93,000, so guest space is rarely the squeeze — Athens hotel rooms are. Book early for graduation weekend: rooms downtown and in Five Points sell out months ahead, and traffic builds fast before the Friday-evening ceremony. Arrive early to park and claim seats together, and watch the official commencement site for gate and bag-policy details. Counting down is better with company — share this page with your group chat, your family, and everyone flying in so the whole crew lands in Athens on time.

Quick facts

• Chartered in 1785, UGA is the first state-chartered public university in the United States.
• Spring 2027 undergraduate commencement is Friday, May 7, in Sanford Stadium, with graduate ceremonies on Thursday, May 6.
• Sanford Stadium seats 93,033 — the ninth-largest college football stadium in the country.
• 32,399 undergraduates were enrolled at UGA in fall 2024.
• The Arch's three pillars represent wisdom, justice, and moderation; by tradition, students don't pass beneath it until they've graduated.
• Natasha Trethewey (Class of 1989) became the fifth UGA alumnus to win a Pulitzer Prize.