About 200 students will receive undergraduate degrees at a commencement ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 in Moody Coliseum. The university will award 62 graduate degrees, with 36 of those students expected to cross the stage.

Registrar Bart Herridge said the number of students graduating is only slightly smaller than last year’s group.

“These classes that were smaller entering classes are going to graduate a little bit smaller,” Herridge said.

Nancy Shankle, interim director of the Adams Center and interim assistant provost for general education, will deliver the charge to the class. The speaker giving the charge to the class traditionally have been faculty members who are well known by many of the graduating class, Herridge said. The office of the provost is responsible for choosing the speaker.

Some students graduating in December are graduating early. Others are graduating to meet their hour requirements.

“Generally speaking, the December folks ended up with more hours than what they could take in their fourth year,” Herridge said.

Lauren Johnson, senior political science major from Newport Beach, Calif., is one of the 205 undergraduate students to participate in the ceremony.

“I’d save a semester’s worth of tuition ,” Johnson said. “That was the main reason [for graduating early].”

Johnson sees this time as “exciting” but “sad.”

“I am leaving ACU and starting something new, so part of it is scary,” Johnson said. “I’m kind of nervous about it, but I’m confident I can do it.”