On March 25, 2019, the 2018 academic year Graduation Ceremony was held at the Okayama Prefectural Multipurpose Grounds Gymnasium (Zip Arena Okayama) to celebrate the graduation of a total of 3,235 undergraduate and graduate students.

In the ceremony, President Hirofumi Makino presented diplomas and certificates of completion to 22 representatives of the undergraduate and graduate programs, following the singing of the national anthem and the university song. Commendations were also awarded to 16 students who won the Okayama University Kokusho Award, which is given to students who have excelled in both their schoolwork and in terms of character, with an award certificate being given to a representative student.

In his address, President Makino mentioned the five capabilities that can be learned at Okayama University, including the energy to lead society and the ability to realize self-fulfillment. He called these capabilities the “problem-solving genes” passed down from the University to its students through its educational programs. He expressed his hope that the graduates would remember and make full use of the problem-solving genes that they had acquired at Okayama University when they face challenges in the future. Representing the graduates, ZHOU XINLI of the Faculty of Letters and Kyoko Iwata of the School of Law delivered valedictory addresses.

Outside the Gymnasium, many lower classmen who worked with the graduates in club and circle activities gathered to celebrate graduation, giving flowers to them. Unwilling to part from each other, the graduates took photos with their families and friends.