Graduation announcement wording and etiquette

Graduation is a good circumstance to exercise a little pomp. Graduation announcements are a timeless way of showing off academic accomplishments and, like other cards for milestone events, an easy way to keep in touch with friends and family who might otherwise fall off your social agenda. As the way we communicate changes, some rules for graduation announcement wording and etiquette have modernized and some remain steadfast.

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When to send graduation announcements

Plan to send a graduation announcement roughly two weeks before the commencement ceremony or up to 6 weeks after to let all your friends and loved ones know of your grad’s accomplishments.  That way, you’ll give plenty of time to your recipients to respond with a card of their own, if they like, and maybe even a gift for your hard-working scholar. (By the way—if you’re looking for a graduation invitation, we have those, too.)

How to write graduation announcement wording

You don’t need to do any voluminous writing here—just focus on the key details: the graduate’s name, class year, and school. Feel free to include a personal touch, like an inspiring quotation the grad likes, or words of gratitude or congratulations, too. If you have a senior portrait or a treasured photo from their time at school, by all means, include it.

Who to send graduation announcements to

A good starting point for your graduation announcements mailing list is anyone you’d send a holiday card to—close friends, extended family, and important acquaintances. You may also consider important teachers, tutors, mentors, counselors, and scholastic colleagues for the mailing, as well. It takes a village, as they say, so make sure everyone’s contributions are recognized.

High school graduation announcement wording

You may be asking, what wording should be used in a high school graduation announcement? Really, you can make things as simple or involved as you want, from including just a name, school, and graduation year, to adding the college your kid will soon be attending, or even highlighting which extracurricular activities they were involved in throughout their high school journey.

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College graduation announcement wording

You might be wondering, what typical wording is for a college graduation announcement. The good news is, it’s usually best to keep things simple and as straightforward as possible, adding just their name, school, and year of graduation. However, there are ways to include other relevant info, if you choose. 

College graduation with honors announcement wording

Every college graduation is impressive and exciting, but when a student graduates with honors, you may want to highlight those extra accomplishments. Thankfully, there are no hard and fast rules as to where you should mention said honors on your graduation announcement. Depending on the design of the card you choose, you can incorporate the information alongside the college name and year. However, we’d suggest against putting your student’s honors front and center on the card, as it might come across as exceptionally braggadocious. (Though, to be fair, your kid has earned the right.)

College graduation announcement wording with mention of a job

The majority of graduates haven’t already found a full-time job upon graduation, so leaving this part out is no big deal. However, if your student has secured an exciting position, you can of course include it in their graduation announcement. At the end of your card, you can simply put, “NAME has accepted a position at NAME OF COMPANY.” 

Medical school graduation announcement wording

Celebrating medical school graduation? You’ll almost certainly want to share the exciting news with family and friends. Here’s a bit of advice on how to word your med school graduation announcements. 

Medical school graduation announcement wording

Graduating from medical school is a particularly admirable accomplishment and one that’s very much worthy of highlighting. In addition to your typical graduation announcement wording, mention the medical school and program your graduate is leaving behind. You can also include cute, punny statements like “There’s a doctor in the house!” or something directly related to the field of medicine the graduate will be practicing. 

Wording when husband and wife are both graduating doctors

First of all, congratulations on this incredible achievement. Just like before, be sure to clearly state the names, schools, programs, and graduation year of the new doctors. If they have a healthy sense of humor, you might want to include a cute, clever quip about how they can help each other out using their respective new medical fields. 

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Graduation gifts and thank you notes

Graduation announcements don’t require your recipients to send gifts in reply. However, if people do send gifts (or bring gifts to a graduation party) you shouldn’t consider the announcement the last word on giving thanks. Have your grad send a thank you note to every gift-giver. 

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