College Graduation Announcement Examples

Announcing that you or someone you love is earning a degree from a college or university is a proud event. These announcements should capture the excitement of finally completing those four--or sometimes five or six--years of hard work. Whether you are sending the announcement to family, friends or the local newspapers, here are some simple guidelines to follow.

Because the person writing the announcement doesn't have much room to work with, the announcement needs to contain all relevant information in the fewest words possible. Basically, you want to list just the facts--let the accomplishments speak for themselves:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith are proud to announce that their son, David, will receive a bachelor of science degree in business administration from State University during their Commencement exercises on May 17. At State, David was a student-athlete on the men's basketball team, earned Dean's List honors several semesters and will graduate magna cum laude. David plans to pursue a career in accounting.

An announcement does not have to be written by parents--they can be written by a spouse or by the person graduating. In both cases, the announcement should be written in the third person, and works better if it is written in the past tense:

Jane White earned a bachelor of science degree in psychology from State University during their May 2009 Commencement exercises. At State, Jane served as an editor on the Daily Dime, the student newspaper, and served as an intern at Psychological Associates. Jane has secured a full-time position with Psychological Associates.

Several people send college graduation announcements to their local newspapers. These announcements should read like a newspaper story, and can include more information than personal announcements:

John Smith earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from State University during their May 2009 Commencement exercises. Smith graduated summa cum laude with a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.82. Smith received the Who's Who among Students in American Colleges and Universities, earned Dean's List honors several times and was a starting point guard on the men's basketball team. He also volunteered with several charitable organizations, tutoring neighborhood elementary and high-school students. A native of Anytown, U.S.A., Smith is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Smith. He graduated from Local Area High School. Smith plans to pursue a career in accounting.