How the Class of 2020 will graduate during a pandemic

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Universities livestreaming or postponing graduations during COVID-19

College seniors express heartbreak at the loss of an in-person ceremony; Alex Hogan reports from New York City on the alternatives.

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As universities continue to call off graduations due to the coronavirus pandemic, the class of 2020 will close their collegiate careers with virtual celebrations, forgoing final memories and in-person goodbyes. Many students say the real world came much sooner than expected.

"It was immediate tears to the face and a call to my mom," says Amanda Sivin, a graduating senior at University of Michigan. "That was a day I've been dreaming about since I could remember. Both of my parents went to Michigan."

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Many universities will offer live-streamed ceremonies with musical performances. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is joining forces with John Legend and Jimmy Fallon to offer students online commencement speeches.

Some colleges gave the class of 2020 the deciding vote on when to celebrate their academic achievements. Michigan, Harvard, Yale, NYU, Johns Hopkins University, Grambling State University, and Penn State University are among schools planning potential celebrations in the future.

Vanderbilt University will formally celebrate the class of 2020 next spring, while Boston Universitys campus could potentially be closed until 2021.

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University of Mississippi senior DeAndria Turner, a first-generation college student, says graduation is as big of a moment for her family as for her.

"It was like one of those things not only for me to celebrate, but also my family to celebrate and future generations behind me to celebrate, too," Turner says. "You can do it, too,"

For students entering the workforce, it's an abrupt end with final classes online. "We all feel the same anxieties of going into a job market that is more focused on who they're about to lay off rather than who they're about to hire," says Fredrick Leighton, a senior at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

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“The majority of my friends, we all had great internships that could've launched us into our careers and they got cut so short so quickly," says Rachel Brandon, a senior at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. "I know a lot of us are feeling those same struggles."

Syracuse University says it will slash graduate school tuition by up to 50 percent for undergrads unprepared to enter the workforce. Dr. Mike Haynie, Syracuse vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, says the move is to "create a pathway for them to return to Syracuse University as graduate students, given the challenges that many of them may face on the job market."

Courtney Crawford contributed to this report.