College Graduation Invitations: Best Designs, Wording Ideas, and More
College graduation is a time to celebrate. It may be the end of an era, but it’s also the start of something even bigger as your grad goes on to do great things. Celebrate this milestone achievement with a graduation party filled with friends and family. To help you plan the perfect celebration, we’ve brought together everything you need to create the perfect college graduation invitations — plus plenty of wording and design inspiration.
College Graduation Announcements vs. Invitations
We love a good party, but sometimes you just want to share the good news. To keep things low-key and let friends and family know about your grad’s accomplishment, look at our fun college graduation announcements. These digital announcement cards are a lovely way to stay in touch with loved ones without throwing a party.
However, when you’re in party planning mode, there’s no shortage of options to kick off the festivities. For such an occasion, you’ll want to send college graduation invitations. While you could go the old-school route of paper invites, spare yourself the expense and time. Digital invites are a cinch to customize, plus you can instantly add gift registries and easily track RSVPs without waiting for the mail to arrive.
When to Send Your College Graduation Invitations
Like most events, you’ll want to give your guests enough notice so they’ll have the date free to attend. Chances are they’ll know that graduation season is coming up, so a grad announcement and invitation to a fun-filled bash won’t come as a surprise.
Send your invitations or graduation cards about two to three weeks before your event date. This gives your guests plenty of time to check their calendars and RSVP. It also means they can enjoy finding the perfect gift or planning their outfit without rushing. You know your guests best, so if they’re coming from a distance or have hectic schedules, you might want to let them know a little sooner.
Who to Invite to the Party
Graduations are exciting moments to celebrate, so you’ll have no trouble building a guest list of people who want to be there. Start with close family and friends, then expand your list to include other relatives and people who have a special connection to the guest of honor. Don’t forget to include college friends and even high school friends if it makes sense
What to Include on Your College Graduation Party Invitations
Birthday parties happen every year, so there’s something quite special about throwing a graduation party. If you’re not sure about what to include on your invitations, here’s a simple guide on what your guests will need to know — and some ideas on how to make their experience easier.
Graduation Details
Friends and family want to celebrate the graduate’s milestone moment, so be sure to provide all the details. Share the grad’s full name, school, degree, and year of graduation. If they received any special honors or notable awards, go ahead and include them. It’s time to be proud and celebrate how great they are.
If you have space, adding details about their extracurricular achievements can be a nice touch. Knowing that the grad was part of a fundraising project or captain of a sports team gives your guests another reason to congratulate them.
Party Date, Time, and Location
It wouldn’t be a party invitation without featuring key event details like the date, time, and location. Most graduation parties last for a few hours and usually take place in the late afternoon or evening.
If you’re happy to let the festivities continue without any time limits, let people know they’re welcome to stay late. Don’t be afraid to buck the trend, though — if your college grad would love a celebratory brunch instead, go ahead and make it happen.
Even if you’re hosting at home and most of your guests know where you live, include your full address with your invitations to save any guesswork.
If you’ve invited loved ones from further away, include information that’ll make their journey easier. Greenvelope’s online invitations allow you to add travel details and offer a Google Maps integration to make travel a breeze.
Dress Code
There’s a party theme to suit every grad. Some celebrations will be formal, glitzy affairs, while others are laid-back and cozy. Give your guests a helping hand when it comes to choosing their outfit by mentioning a dress code. Even something as simple as stating whether it’s formal or casual can be useful.
Gift Registry or Causes to Support
Graduation is one of those moments that people love to acknowledge with gifts or donations. Make it simple for guests by including registry information or a link to charities that your grad supports. It can be a lovely way to help your grad raise funds for a cause or crowdfunding effort that they care about.
Heartwarming Graduation Wording Ideas
College graduation is one of those major life moments that deserves a special kind of announcement and celebration. To help you find the right words and set the tone for your event, here are some heartwarming invitation wording ideas:
“We’re delighted to announce (Name)’s graduation from (College)! Join us as we celebrate and toast their future.”
“Congrats (Name) — you’re officially a grad! Let’s celebrate with a BBQ and reminisce about the last several years.”
“Join us as we celebrate (Name)’s graduation from (College) and the next steps on his/her journey.”
“We can’t believe (Name) is graduating already! Let’s toast their hard work and enjoy an evening of food, drinks, and laughter.”
“The end of one journey begins a new one. Join us as we mark this momentous occasion with a graduation celebration in honor of (Name).”
“We are hugely proud of our son/daughter, (Name). Let’s celebrate this joyous moment together at (party venue) on (date and time).”
“(Name) is graduating! We’ve never been so proud of our wonderful son/daughter. We hope you’ll join us to raise a glass and celebrate the moment.”
“(Name) is now an honored grad of (College) — let’s party!”
“We’re so happy to announce that (Name) has graduated from (College). Join us as we celebrate their achievements and look forward to their future success.”
“It’s time to party — (Name) has graduated! He/she will be missed at (College), but we’re excited to celebrate the next step on his/her journey.”
College Graduation Invitation Designs We Love
A celebration like this deserves an invite that impresses from the moment your guest clicks it open. From sparkling and glamorous to modern and fun, these college graduation invitations will help you share the good news in style.
Splatter Hooray Invitation
Design: Signature Greenvelope (Photo courtesy of Patrick Nied)
It’s time to celebrate, and what better way to do that than with this gorgeous gold foil card? There’s space for you to include your favorite graduation photo, which puts your college grad front and center.
Soft Marbling Invitation
Design: Claudia Owen
We love the watercolor feel of this soft marbling graduation invitation. The simple card design is a great alternative to bold and bright patterns, while still adding a touch of luxury for the occasion.
Celebrating the Grad Invitation
Design: Jen Montgomery
Go straight to party mode with this fun tassel invitation design. Stick to traditional colors, customize with your own, or opt for the bright and wonderful rainbow version for something a little different.
Editorial Collage Invitation
Design: Signature Greenvelope (Photos courtesy of Patrick Nied)
This modern photo graduation invite gives your grad plenty of room to shine. Add a handful of their best images from a graduation photo shoot, or feature some of their college highlights.
Gold Stack Invitation
Design: Hooray Creative
Keep things classic with this understated yet glamorous grad party invitation design. The stacked letters exude the same luxury feel as a monogram, while the gold foil accents add some sparkle. Stick with black and gold or customize the design with your school colors for a more personalized look.
Virtual Grad Party
Design: Signature Greenvelope
Throwing a virtual party doesn’t mean you can’t send out gorgeous graduation party invitations like this one. We love how easy this design is to customize to match your grad and their style. Keep it simple and classic with a formal photo, or swap out the dark gray for something brighter to match a colorful photo.
Celebrate Your Grad With the Perfect Party
Graduation doesn’t happen every day, so it’s no surprise that you want to throw an amazing bash to celebrate. Gather loved ones and mark the moment with great food, drinks, graduation party games, and plenty of love and laughter.
Whether you throw a decadent grad party or keep it simple with a backyard BBQ, your guests will be excited to join you to celebrate your grad’s hard work. Let’s toast to this year’s grads, all the wonderful things they’ve achieved, and the bright futures ahead!
