A graduate in cap and gown holds up her diploma cover with a crowd of people in the background at Nippert Stadium.

UC prepares for another record commencement

Graduates say they are ready for the next opportunity

By Michael Miller Email Michael 513-556-6757

10 minute read April 25, 2025

The University of Cincinnati will celebrate another record spring commencement as undergraduate ceremonies return to Nippert Stadium.

The spring class of 2025 set new records for both the number of graduates and degrees awarded. Enrollment likewise shattered records with a 2024 fall class more than 4% bigger than the previous year.

UC will recognize spring grads in three ceremonies starting with the Doctoral Hooding and Master's Recognition Ceremony 3 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at Fifth Third Arena. UC will recognize undergraduates in two ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, May 2, at Nippert Stadium.

Tickets are required. Doors open to guests 90 minutes before each ceremony. No purses or bags except clear plastic ones are allowed in the stadium or arena.

The ceremony will be streamed live.

Happy, Celebrate
UC celebrates its 199th all-university Commencement, held in Nippert Stadium.

UC's commencement returns to Nippert Stadium on May 2 with two undergraduate ceremonies. Commencement kicks off May 1 at Fifth Third Arena with the Doctoral Hooding and Master's Recognition Ceremony. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

About the spring class of 2025

UC will confer 7,637 degrees upon 7,503 graduates, according to preliminary figures from the Office of Institutional Research. Some graduates earn multiple degrees.

UC will award 555 associate degrees; 4,631 bachelor's degrees; 1,917 master's degrees and 240 doctoral degrees along with 294 professional certificates. Nearly half, or 48%, are degrees in STEMM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine.)

More than 14% of graduates are first-generation college students. And 213 students in the spring class are graduates of Cincinnati Public Schools. About 3% of grads are U.S. veterans or dependents of veterans.

Graduates hail from 47 states and 78 countries across five continents as far away as Argentina, South Africa and the Philippines.

The youngest grad, earning an associate degree, is 17. The oldest is 76. The average grad’s age across degrees is 25. Among graduates, 34 will celebrate their birthday during the two days of commencement.

UC celebrates its 199th all-university Commencement, held in Nippert Stadium.

A student displays the Bearcat paws during commencement. Students who serve as UC's three-time national championship mascot can reveal their identity on this special day. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

Facing a health crisis

Molly Dunlevy was pursuing a Bachelor of Science from UC’s College of Nursing when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

The mom of two young sons, Carter and Cash, immediately began her treatments.

“I needed two surgeries and radiation,” she said. “The goals I set for myself the previous year — something like this throws everything off.”

Molly Dunlevy and her boys Carter and Cash pose in matching T-shirts and jeans.

UC graduate Molly Dunlevy poses with her two boys, Carter and Cash. Photo/Provided

But Dunlevy said her nursing classes provided a productive outlet during her recovery.

“I just dove into my schoolwork. Today, I have a holistic coaching business. Preventive medicine is a big part of my life,” she said.

“I feel like UC was a good grounding point for me and helped me find strength through uncertainty,” she said. “I would rather look toward the future, so I put my energy into that and healing.”

Dunlevy was accepted into UC’s Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program to pursue a master’s degree.

Her boys keep her on her toes, she said.

“Some people say raising two boys is a handful. I say it’s like having wild animals. But they make life so much fun,” Dunlevy said.

How did she manage to take full-time classes as both a parent and patient?

“Staying on task. Not letting life knock me off balance,” she said. “I feel like I’m pretty carefree, but I focus on the task at hand. You have to use your time wisely.”

Members of Delta Sigma Theta pose together in matching shirts.

UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services graduate Laurynn-Renee Caldwell poses with her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. Photo/Provided

Embracing UC co-op

Laurynn-Renee Caldwell had lots of options when selecting a school but chose UC because of its nationally renowned co-op program.

The cybersecurity major had five co-op rotations while earning a bachelor’s degree in UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. Her experiences working for private companies such as the construction firm Elford, Inc., and the large publicly traded American Financial Group has made all the difference in preparing her for her new career, she said.

Laurynn-Renee Caldwell. Photo/Provided

“None of the other schools I applied to had co-ops. UC did and I thought that was very forward-driven, putting yourself in the corporate world,” she said. “I didn’t realize the amount of impact it would have.”

At UC, Caldwell embraced other aspects of college life, joining the sorority Delta Sigma Theta and serving as a student ambassador for her college, answering questions of prospective students and their parents.

“There is so much to do here,” she said. “Being a member of a sorority is a lifetime commitment. My adviser became a Delta in the 1980s. And seeing how committed she is to our chapter was amazing.”

She is looking forward to her graduation. Caldwell invited friends and family to help her celebrate.

“I graduated from high school during COVID, so I didn’t get a graduation ceremony,” she said. “So getting one now makes me ten times more excited.”

University of Cincinnati president Neville G. Pinto, faculty staff, students and families enjoyed the spring commencement at Nippert Stadium Saturday April 29, 2017. UC/Joseph Fuqua II

Graduates will return to Nippert Stadium for spring commencement. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC

Mother-son grads

Melissa Lohr and her son, Todd Smith, are graduating together this spring after both decided coincidentally to return to college after years away from academia.

Lohr earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences. Smith earned an associate degree in paralegal studies from UC Clermont. He also enrolled in classes in the fall to pursue a career in the legal field.

“It’s fun to graduate together, but the timing was by complete chance,” he said.

Melissa Lohr and Todd Smith pose in front of a Christmas tree.

Online students Melissa Lohr and her son Todd Smith will graduate together. Photo/Provided

Lohr also earned a certificate in deaf studies while learning American Sign Language, which she hopes to put to good use in her career. She owns a wedding planning business.

“In the wedding industry, I meet a lot of people. It’s important to me to honor inclusivity. It’s another way to better serve a marginalized community,” she said.

“I’d love to be able to sign a wedding ceremony at some point,” Lohr said.

In any case, she and her team have found American Sign Language to be extremely useful to communicate over loud, crowded banquet halls, she said.

As nontraditional students, Lohr and Smith said they appreciated being able to pursue their degrees in online programs around their busy work schedules.

“I’m not sure I could attend in-person classes anywhere,” he said.

They plan to take part in commencement together and have invited their entire family to watch at Nippert Stadium.

“It’s so cool to see him flourish and find something he’s passionate about and is good at,” Lohr said.

Caden Elrod poses in front of the University of Cincinnati fountain.

UC College of Arts and Sciences graduate Caden Elrod began taking classes at UC at age 12, pictured here. This spring he is graduating simultaneously from high school and UC through UC's College Credit Plus program. Photo/Provided

First College Credit Plus grads

Among the record spring class are Caden Elrod and Sai Gollamudi, the first two graduates of UC's College Credit Plus program, which allows students to take college courses while in high school.

Elrod earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences while simultaneously attending high school, where he played tennis, golf and Ultimate Frisbee and ran cross country. He began taking college classes through College Credit Plus when he was just 12 years old, riding the Metro from Walnut Hills High School to UC's Uptown campus.

Caden Elrod poses in front of the Mantei Center on UC's Uptown campus.

Graduate Caden Elrod studied math and computer science at UC. Photo/Provided

“I wanted to challenge myself. College Credit Plus was an opportunity to do that,” he said.

A UC, Elrod joined the mock trial team, an intercollegiate competition in which teams argue cases in court before judges of volunteer attorneys.

After graduation, he is moving to Indiana to work on autonomous systems and machine learning in a U.S. Navy lab. Caden minored in computer science and studied artificial intelligence as a UC research assistant.

Most students in College Credit Plus do not take on a full college course load like Elrod did. But his mom, Tonia Elrod, said it provides a financial advantage for the families of students who are ready to take college classes.

“Caden received the equivalent of a full ride to UC,” she said.

UC graduate Sai Gollamudi studied neuroscience. Photo/Provided

Gollamudi earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences. Now he has been accepted at ivy league schools such as Yale and Princeton to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in business.

He began taking classes at UC while he was in eighth grade. Gollamudi said he feels like he was able to get the most out of high school and college through the program. He joined the Bioethics Club at UC and the American Medical Student Association.

“I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. I don’t have any regrets,” he said.

Indeed, Gollamudi said the program allowed him to pursue deeper interests in biology and neuroscience. His family plans to attend commencement to help celebrate.

“I’m very proud of him,” his father, Amar Gollamudi, said. “It’s taken a lot of work, but it all paid off and we’re very proud.”

UC also will celebrate its first Marian Spencer Scholar graduate, Katelyn Cotton. Spencer scholarships are for high-achieving Cincinnati Public Schools graduates. Cotton is a senior majoring in political science in UC's College of Arts and Sciences.

“I just loved the political sciences classes at UC,” Cotton said. “You get to see so much of the world and how it operates. The classes are full of people who love to talk, which is great. We get into lots of debates. I don’t necessarily agree with everyone, but we talk. I love how open UC is and lets you chart your own path.”

Featured image at top: UC will celebrate spring commencement at Nippert Stadium. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

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UC prepares for another record commencement