Over 690 students are graduating from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) on Dec. 12 and 13, during the university's fall 2025 Commencement ceremonies. 

This fall’s class highlights growth in the Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business and the College of Performing and Visual Arts, with both awarding more undergraduate degrees than in any fall semester over the past five years. The percentage of graduates who identify as Hispanic/Latino at both the undergraduate (30.1%) and graduate (15.8%) levels also show continued growth, exceeding those in any fall semester since 2021. 

• More Highlights About our Fall 2025 Class
  • This fall, there are approximately 693 students graduating from the University of Northern Colorado. About 285 are earning their master’s, specialist or doctoral degree and about 408 are earning their bachelor’s degree. 

  • The Monfort College of Business is awarding its largest number of undergraduate degrees in a fall semester since 2021 with 73 students earning a degree in Business Administration.  
    

  • The College of Performing and Visual Arts is awarding its largest number of undergraduate degrees in a fall semester since 2021 with 43 students earning bachelor’s degrees in Art and Design, Music or Theatre Arts and Dance. 
    

  • This fall, the number of Music degrees at both the undergraduate (18) and graduate (11) levels and the number of Education degrees at the graduate level (19) are the highest in a fall semester in the past five years.   

  • Among fall graduates from the past five years, this fall’s class has the highest percent of undergraduate (30.1%) and graduate (15.8%) students who identify as Hispanic/Latino.
    

  • Among our fall undergraduate graduates, 26 started as Aims2UNC students.
    

  • The undergraduate students graduating this fall received over $11.5 million in combined merit-based and private scholarships and grants (aid that doesn’t need to be repaid) throughout their UNC education
    

  • The fall class includes 187 undergraduate students (46%) who are the first in their families to earn a college degree.  
    

  • The fall 2024 class includes 12 undergraduate and graduate student-athletes across the following sports: football, volleyball, women’s indoor track, women’s soccer and baseball.  
    

  • The fall class includes 32 United States veterans; 20 undergraduate students and 12 graduate students.  
    

  • The graduates come from 42 Colorado counties, 42 states and six countries, including the U.S.  
    

  • The youngest graduate this fall is 19 years old and the oldest is 62.  
    

  • The College of Natural and Health Sciences has the largest number of undergraduate students (124), followed by the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences (107), College of Humanities and Social Sciences (78), the Monfort College of Business (65) and the College of Performing and Visual Arts (38).  
    

  • The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences has the largest number of graduate students (166), followed by the Monfort College of Business (42), College of Natural and Health Sciences (37), the College of Performing and Visual Arts (28) and College of Humanities and Social Sciences (12). 
    

  • Business Administration (66) was the most popular undergraduate degree this fall, followed by Psychology (53), Nursing (49), Elementary Education (35) and Sport and Exercise Science (24). 
    

  • Special Education (43) was the most popular graduate degree program this fall, followed by Business Administration (42), Educational Leadership (24), Clinical and Mental Health Counseling (22) and Education (19).  

  • With the fall 2025 graduating class, UNC now has more than 132,000 living alumni living and working in 51 states and U.S. territories and 91countries. 
    

  Data about UNC’s fall 2025 class is preliminary and based on demographics of students who have applied to graduate as of Nov. 20, 2025. Degrees are officially conferred January 2025.

UNC’s Graduate Commencement ceremony, recognizing approximately 285 students receiving a doctoral, specialist or master’s degree, will take place on Friday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m.  

Undergraduate Commencement consists of two ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 13, for the approximately 408 students receiving bachelor’s degrees.  

The 9 a.m. ceremony will recognize graduates of the Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business, College of Natural and Health Sciences and College of Performing and Visual Arts.  

The 12:30 p.m. ceremony will recognize graduates of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. 

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RELATED: Faces of Fall 2025 Graduates

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All ceremonies will be held at UNC’s Bank of Colorado Arena. Tickets are required for entry and are distributed to graduates electronically via their BearMail accounts. Guests must obtain tickets in advance of the ceremony as they are not available at the door.    

The ceremonies can be viewed in many ways, including livestream via UNC’s website and on social media platforms for family and friends watching from home. The university also offers live Spanish-language interpretation services and viewing spaces on campus for people who want a less crowded viewing space.   

More information about tickets, parking locations and a campus map are available on UNC’s commencement website. 

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Graduate Commencement Ceremony Student Speaker

Guofeng Shen is a doctoral candidate in Special Education at the University of Northern Colorado. Her research focuses on culturally responsive interventions for children with disabilities and their families, with an emphasis on behavior analysis and family-professional partnerships. Originally from China, Shen came to the United States to pursue advanced study and expand opportunities for inclusive education across cultures. She has presented at national conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals and remains committed to bridging research and practice. Upon graduation, she aspires to continue her work as a scholar, educator, and advocate for children and families worldwide. 

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Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Speakers

Claudia Hernandez is a Finance major with a minor in Entrepreneurship. As a first-generation, non-traditional student and daughter of immigrants, she is passionate about using her knowledge to help others. Earning her bachelor’s degree is one of her proudest accomplishments. 

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Cheyenne Smith is a Biological Sciences - Cellular and Molecular Biology concentration major with a minor Chemistry. As a McNair scholar she is looking into going to graduate school for a doctoral degree in Cellular Biology. Smith was involved in the Tribeta Biological Honors society as vice president for two years and she worked in Professor Judy Leatherman's research lab since 2023. 

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Shayla Bermudez is a McNair Scholar graduating with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. During her time at UNC, she served as student body vice president, resident assistant, Writing Center consultant, and University 101 class leader. Her favorite part of her time here has been building community either in residence halls, classrooms or student government. After graduation, Bermudez plans to pursue graduate study in industrial organizational psychology and a career in human resources, continuing her commitment to creating supportive communities in every environment she enters. 

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Jo Weaver-Douglas is graduating with a bachelor's degree in Sociology with minors in Africana Studies and Multicultural Anthropology and a certificate in Equity & Inclusion. Weaver-Douglas is known around campus in their capacity as a leader, facilitator and advocate. They are passionate about creating safe community spaces for marginalized groups, which led them to develop their undergraduate thesis I (don’t) Think I Mattered: Factors That Contribute to Black Student Attrition at UNCO (2025). Combining research, advocacy and support, Weaver-Douglas is determined to bridge institutional gaps in educational outcomes in an effort to uplift and liberate marginalized communities in academia.