Tickets are required for all family and guests at all ceremonies.
All Commencement ceremonies have assigned seating. Section, row and seat location is specified on each individual ticket.
Only graduating UC Irvine students can reserve tickets for their family or guests. All graduates can reserve a maximum of 6 tickets for the Fall Commencement Ceremony when registration opens on October 30. Graduates will download their guest tickets beginning at 10 a.m. on December 3. Graduates will receive an email with information on how to download tickets prior to December 3.
Guests must obtain tickets from their graduate PRIOR to the graduate’s ceremony line- up time. Tickets are not available at the door, nor will any be held for guest pick-up. Your graduate will be able to print copies of reserved tickets to distribute to their guests.
Graduates do not need a ticket. However, they must register to participate in their ceremony during the registration window. Only guests need tickets. Graduates can access their registration confirmation and check-in QR code by signing back into the registration link. Graduates will need their check-in QR code to check-in before the ceremony.
If a child or baby occupies a seat of their own, they will need a ticket. Children who are young enough (under the age of 2) to remain on a parent’s lap for the duration of the ceremony do not need a ticket.
Guest tickets are free for all Commencement ceremonies, but are limited and must be reserved by the graduating student.
UC Irvine undergraduate students can log in to reserve guest tickets if they have met the graduation eligibility requirements and have completed an Application to Graduate form by the respective school deadline. Ticket reservations will be available online via the Registration page. Ticket registration begins on October 30 at 10 a.m and closes November 8 at 5 p.m.
Reserved guest tickets must be printed by the graduate. Tickets will be available for printing, December 3rd at 10 a.m., online through the Bren Events Center Ticket Office.
Additional tickets are not available.
If you would like to split your guest seats to be in different areas, you will be able to do this when you download your tickets. For example, If you have 6 total tickets, you can split them into a set of 3 and another set of 3. You will download one of the sets first and then go back into the system and download the other set the next day. This will give you the full set of 6 tickets and in different areas of the arena.
Purchase your cap and gown and tassel through UC Irvine Alumni Association.
Cap and Gown Sales:
GradExpo
Thursday, November 14th – Friday, November 15th 2024
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Newkirk Alumni Center
Purchase your cap and gown and tassel here »
For questions regarding cap and gown, please email alumni@uci.edu.
The Commencement Office does not have access to regalia or information about regalia orders.
No. Caps and gowns must be purchased online before the deadline. Appropriate regalia is required for a graduate to be able to participate in a ceremony.
Caps can be decorated but must not block the view of any audience members behind the graduate.
Regalia gowns may not be altered or decorated. Gowns must remain in the state they were purchased as that is the appropriate and approved regalia for our ceremonies.
UC Irvine graduation sashes and stoles representing UC Irvine organizations or proclaiming a vocational aspiration may be worn with cap and gown. Wearing multiple stoles is permitted.
Recognition cords, pins and medals awarded by UC Irvine organizations and academic departments may also be worn with cap and gown.
Participation in Commencement is not mandatory. Graduates must be in approved regalia to participate in a ceremony.
Members of religious orders or commissioned U.S. military officers may wear their customary habit or dress uniform.
Graduates must report to their line-up location no later than 75 minutes (one hour and fifteen minutes) prior to the start time of the Commencement ceremony in order to allow adequate time to check in, clear security, verify name card information, and to line up.
Traffic will be heavy so plan to arrive 90 minutes before the ceremony. UC Irvine event staff will direct traffic to the closest available parking lots. Please follow directions from event staff on-site.
The Bren Events Center is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all patrons. Safety protocol will include a walk-through metal detector screening along with a standard bag check for all attendees prior to entering the facility. For security purposes, all bags are subject to search prior to entry for any event. Guests should plan their arrival accordingly to allow ample time for the screening process. Full code of fan conduct »
*This list is not exhaustive. List of prohibited items subject to change.
There is no place to store items. All small items (wallet, phone, clear bag) will need to remain on the person at all times. Graduates will not be allowed to leave items at their seats when they go on stage. Graduates are not guaranteed to return to the same seat after they exit the stage. Graduates should not bring items with them unless necessary.
FOR GUESTS: Only clear bags will be permitted with a maximum size of 12″x12″x6″ — the size of a one-gallon freezer bag.
Bags, backpacks, large purses, etc., are not permitted with the exception of bags carried for medical reasons or manufactured diaper bags that accompany infants and young children.
Items Not Permitted:
*This list is not exhaustive. List of prohibited items subject to change.
For security purposes, all guest bags will be searched prior to entry for any event.
Ushers are located throughout the venue and can provide guest assistance such as:
A variety of concessions are available. Outside food or drink, other than a water bottle, are not permitted.
No. Guests should inform the parking attendant upon arrival at the parking structure of any assistance needed.
Guests should not contact UC Irvine Parking & Transportation to request a disabled parking space.
The ceremony will be approximately 2 hours, depending on the number of graduates.
Guests should designate a place to meet their graduate after the ceremony!
Out of respect for the graduates and their guests, attendees are asked to remain for the duration of all of the events.
UC Irvine and Commencement will align with the latest state guidance regarding indoor events as well as county, city and campus directives. Please note that guidelines may be updated at any time. Throughout your visit to campus please be sure to always follow campus guidelines
No. UC Irvine is proud to be a smoke-free campus. Additionally, marijuana, vape pens and e-cigs are not permitted.
With the passing of Proposition 64, which legalized marijuana use in the State of California, there may be confusion about what is allowed on UC Irvine’s campus. While the new law allows for the purchase and recreational use of marijuana, UC Irvine abides by the policies of the University of California, as well as federal law. The applicable policy, viewed here, clearly states that the use, possession and sale of marijuana, in all forms, is prohibited on campus property, including all university-owned and leased buildings, housing and parking lots.
An announcement is used to formally communicate with friends and family that a graduate will be completing their degree.
Graduation announcements, thank you notes and a variety of paper goods can be ordered from Jostens.
An invitation invites people to come to Commencement and is usually given to those who have made the greatest investment in a graduate’s education. Graduates inviting people to attend their Commencement ceremony should be sure to inform guests that tickets are required for entry, in addition to providing them with their tickets prior to the ceremony.
More UCI and graduation-related items are available for purchase at The Hill.
The Commencement Office cannot provide information about individual graduates, their status or their reservations to anyone that is not the graduate. The office can only communicate directly with graduates to assist them with their registration and ticket questions.
Graduates wishing to opt out of being listed in the digital program should do so in November emailing the University Registrar at registrar@uci.edu.
Undergraduate students who have completed their course work in Summer ’24, or by Fall ’24, are eligible to participate in the Fall 2024 Commencement event if their specific school participates in the December ceremony. You must not have participated in any ceremony previously and must have your graduation application set as received by your respected school.
Graduate students receiving their Master’s degree from the The Henry Samueli School of Engineering or Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences may be able to participate if they plan to complete their degree before or during Fall ’24 and have not participated in a ceremony previously. Please check with your academic advisor to determine if you are eligible.
Graduates can write their own invitation letter for their family members. Also, the International Center encourages graduates to obtain an enrollment verification from the Office of the Registrar.
UC Irvine does not write these letters, nor are they required by the U.S. Consulate. For additional information, please contact UC Irvine’s International Center.
For more information on inviting family members to the U.S.A. and a sample letter of invitation, click here.
If you have any questions regarding the UC Irvine Yearbook please contact info@yearbook.uci.edu or visit their website’s FAQ page here.
Diplomas can have either your legal or preferred name. You may set your preferred name via StudentAccess. Requests for a preferred name may be submitted only by the student.
You may submit a Request for Name Change to ask that your name be changed on university records. The form is also available at the University Registrar’s office.
Minors are not noted on diplomas. Minors are posted to academic transcripts.
Diplomas are typically available four months after the end of the quarter in which the student graduated. Degrees are posted on official transcripts approximately six to seven weeks after the end of the quarter in which they are awarded. The degree award date is the last day of the graduating term
https://www.reg.uci.edu/services/diplomas.html
Graduates can email the Registrar’s Office directly to see if they can assist you with an update specific to your diploma. They can be reached at Registrar@uci.edu.
Degrees are noted on official transcripts approximately six to seven weeks after the end of the quarter in which they are awarded.
Diplomas measure 8 1/2 inches high by 11 inches wide.
School of Law diplomas measure 11 inches high by 17 inches wide.
Medical Doctor (M.D.) diplomas measure 11 inches high by 17 inches wide.
The digital Commencement Program lists the names of all qualified students who applied on time for graduation.
Undergraduate students who earn their degrees in Summer Session and Fall will have their name and major included in the online Commencement Program as long as their school participates in the ceremony. Graduate students who earn their degrees in Summer Session and Fall, are eligible to have their name included in the online Commencement Program.
Undergraduate students that apply to graduate past the deadline will not have their name listed in the program.
Graduate students that register late will not have their name listed in the program.
The digital program will be posted the day of Commencement.
Deans are responsible for certifying that students have met GPA, unit, residence, breadth, university, minor, school and major requirements. Awarding a degree signifies completion of coursework on or by the degree certification deadline. Transcripts of work taken at other institutions must be received by the university and posted to the academic record by the deadline. Any necessary last-minute grade changes and/or post-quarter add/drop/changes must be processed by the deadline or accompany the degree certification list.
When UC Irvine course work is completed after the deadline or credit is given for course work completed elsewhere after the degree certification deadline, the degree should be awarded for the following quarter.
