The U of A will celebrate its spring graduating class with a full schedule of ceremonies on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, in Bud Walton Arena and Barnhill Arena.
Congressman Steve Womack (R-3rd District), will be the featured speaker at Friday’s university commencement.
More information for families and guests can be found at commencement.uark.edu.
2026 Spring Commencement Schedule
Friday, May 8, 2026
University Commencement (only graduate students recognized) – 8:30 a.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Featured speaker: U.S. Rep. Steve Womack
Only students earning advanced degrees are recognized at the university commencement.
Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences No. 1 – 1:30 p.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Student speaker: Amanda Hux
Will include graduates from School of Art, Music, Theater, English, History, Journalism, Philosphy, World Languages, Communication, Interdisciplinary Studies, International and Global Studies, and School of Social Work
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food & Life Sciences – 2:30 p.m. (Barnhill Arena)
Student speaker: Cason Frisby
Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences No. 2 – 4:30 p.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Student speaker: Abbi Melton
Will include graduates from Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, Criminology and Sociology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences and Physics
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Sam M. Walton College of Business No. 1 – 8:30 a.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Will include graduates from Accounting, Economics, International Business, Finance and Information Systems
College of Engineering – 9:30 a.m. (Barnhill Arena)
Speaker: Sam Alley, chairman, VCC Construction and U of A graduate
Sam M. Walton College of Business Master's Students – 11 a.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design – 1 p.m. (Barnhill Arena)
Speaker: Sloan Aulgur, architectural designer, Rockwell Group and 2020 U of A graduate
Sam M. Walton College of Business No. 2 – 1 p.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Will include graduates from General Business, Management, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Venture Innovation
School of Law – 4 p.m. (Barnhill Arena)
Speaker: Judge John Threet, Arkansas Circuit Court judge and 1990 U of A School of Law graduate
College of Education and Health Professions – 4:30 p.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Speaker: Dr. Ashlie Hilbun, executive vice president and chief strategy and communications officer, Arkansas Children’s, and 2013 U of A graduate
Guest Information
Each college or school will recognize their graduates at their respective ceremonies. Only graduate students will be recognized at the university commencement.
Livestreaming of all ceremonies will be available on the U of A YouTube channel.
Doors will open 45 minutes prior to each ceremony, and guests are encouraged to be seated 15 minutes prior to the ceremony's start.
For ceremonies on campus, all guests will be required to enter through the south or west entrances of Bud Walton Arena and the north and upper-south entrances of Barnhill Arena.
Tickets are not required at any ceremony, but a clear bag policy will be in effect. Compact umbrellas are allowed, but balloons, wrapped packages and strollers are not allowed in either arena. A full list of prohibited items is available online.
Printed program books will not be distributed to guests, but they will be handed out to graduates and will be available online beginning the week of the campus ceremonies.
Free parking is available in any unrestricted parking lot on campus. Download a map of all parking areas here.
Campus drop-off for people with disabilities is located at the south entrance of Bud Walton with disabled parking available in lot 60. At Barnhill Arena, parking for people with disabilities can be found in lot 45A and 45B on the west and south sides of the arena, respectively.
About the University of Arkansas: Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas’ fundamental purpose as a land-grant institution and state flagship remains unchanged — to serve the state of Arkansas. The U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs and contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy . Through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, as well as discovery through research and creative activity, the U of A is among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity classified by the Carnegie Foundation. U.S. News & World Report also annually ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. The U of A represents the best of public higher education, advancing Arkansas while building a better world.