SHREVEPORT – LSU Shreveport will set a new graduation record when 1,845 degrees are conferred Friday at the university’s spring commencement ceremonies.
Many of those will flock to the Bossier City’s Brookshire Grocery Arena to walk the graduation stage and receive their degree in person in morning and afternoon ceremonies.
The record number of graduates smashes the previous best of 1,721 in Spring 2025, and the Spring 2026 total is the sixth consecutive graduation that LSUS has eclipsed 1,500 degrees conferred.
“This continues to reflect well on LSUS and our successes as a teaching-first university,” said Chancellor Dr. Robert Smith. “We aren’t just enrolling more students; we are supporting them through to graduation in increasing numbers.”
LSUS continues its trend of graduating the second-most students in the state, trailing just LSU A&M in Baton Rouge.
More than 1,550 students earned their master’s degrees as LSUS continues to attract and guide multitudes of students through its year-round online graduate programs.
Undergraduate degrees are also on the rise with nearly 300 being awarded this spring, an increase of nearly 50 percent since Spring 2022.
The graduation record follows multiple years of enrollment records, which crossed 10,000 for the first time in Spring 2024 and 11,000 in Fall 2025.
Enrollment has nearly tripled since 2013-14 and underwent a recent spike as well – increasing 30 percent since Fall 2022.
Pam Atchison, an LSUS alumnus and longtime executive director of the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, will deliver the keynote address.
No tickets are required to attend the event, and graduates can invite as many guests as they would like to the 14,000-seat arena. Parking is free.
The ADA entrance is located on the north side of the building, which includes a wheelchair accessible ramp. Parking lot A is reserved for handicapped guests.
The ceremonies, which begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., will be livestreamed through the LSUS YouTube channel.
WHERE ARE GRADUATES FROM?
LSUS spring graduates hail from 49 U.S. states, Washington D.C. and 45 countries.
Louisiana (573) leads the way in total number of graduates with Texas (237), Florida (158), California (132) and Georgia (81) in the top five. Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Illinois and Virginia all logged at least 40 graduates.
The 45 countries outside of the U.S. include places like Cameroon, Cuba, Honduras, Iceland, Iraq, Lebanon, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Vietnam.