Seniors Invited to Participate in Minecraft Graduation Ceremony

Some students are hitting Minecraft during their "self-quarantines" to recreate their campuses. And at least one group is planning a national graduation ceremony to take place in their virtual world.

Minecraft, introduced by Mojang and acquired by Microsoft in 2014, is an online world that allows players to explore and play in the game or to build their own experiences and realms using digital blocks. According to reporting by the Boston Globe, students at Berklee College of Music, Boston University and Emerson College are using Minecraft to socialize while their physical campuses are closed to them.

Students are building their campuses "block-by-block," using the game's "creative" mode. They're relying on Google Maps street views, satellite images and photographs to "piece together" the exteriors of buildings and using photographs and their own memories to recreate the interiors.

Now there's a national effort afoot to set up a virtual world in Minecraft for both high school and college graduating seniors all over the country. Quaranteen Commencement 2020, hosted by Quaranteen University, is scheduled to take place in Minecraft on May 22.

The project was kicked off by two BU students who "were bored." As they noted on their website, "Being quarantined in a dorm for a week makes you crazy."

According to the organizers, "Once enough people express interest, we'll select graduation times for everyone .... You'll connect to the world, get dressed into robes dyed in your school's color, have your name called, and walk up to receive your diploma in front of everyone." That ceremony will be live-streamed on twitch.tv. Parents and friends will be invited to take seats in the audience.

As of April 2, 2020, the "QU Class of 2020" had 827 graduates signed on to participate from 291 schools.

Participation is free, though people who want to join in on building the commencement area will need to install a free trial or paid version of Minecraft (Java edition).

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Launches Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has introduced a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • three main icons—a cloud, a user profile, and a padlock—connected by circuit lines on a blue abstract background

    Report: Identity Has Become a Critical Security Perimeter for Cloud Services

    A new threat landscape report points to new cloud vulnerabilities. According to the 2025 Global Threat Landscape Report from Fortinet, while misconfigured cloud storage buckets were once a prime vector for cybersecurity exploits, other cloud missteps are gaining focus.

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major security advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.