Apply to Be a Student Speaker

You Could be this Year’s Student Speaker

Graduating students who have something to say can say it before an audience of thousands of graduates and their families at Spring Graduate, Spring Undergraduate, and Winter Commencement. The tradition of a student speaker is as old as Commencement itself.

To apply to speak at Spring Undergraduate or Winter Commencement, you must:

Be a senior graduating in the current term
Have a successful academic record
Be an involved member of the campus community

Your speech will be about 3-5 minutes long, or about 500-750 words. If chosen, you’ll get help with editing and rehearsing. You’ll be seated onstage during Commencement.

Undergraduate Speaker Details

To apply to speak at Spring Graduate Commencement, you must:

Be a graduate student (master's, doctoral, specialist, or artist) graduating in the current term
Have a successful academic record
Be an involved member of the campus community

Your speech will be about 3-5 minutes long, or about 500-750 words. If chosen, you’ll get help with editing and rehearsing. You’ll be seated onstage during Commencement.

Contact the Indiana University Graduate School Bloomington at grdschl@indiana.edu to indicate your interest.

I learned from individuals who believed in me even more than I believed in myself. Without any doubt, our mentors have been the strongest advocates, and without them, standing here today would not have been possible.
Muna Adem, Student Speaker, IU Bloomington Graduate Commencement 2023

_{*Banner image: Gayatri Thiru, 2023 Undergraduate Commencement student speaker}

Apply to Be a Student Speaker

You Could be this Year’s Student Speaker

Commencement resources and social media channels