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 UCI students can reserve tickets for their family or guests. All graduates can reserve a maximum of 5 tickets for the June Commencement Ceremony when registration opens on April 1. Graduates will download their guest tickets beginning at 10 a.m. on May 22nd. Graduates will receive an email with information on how to download tickets prior to May 22nd.
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 pre-register to participate in their ceremony. All guests need tickets.
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 in early November.
UCI 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 Tickets page. Ticket registration begins on November 1st at 10 a.m.
Reserved guest tickets must be printed by the graduate. Tickets will be available for printing starting November 28th 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 UCI Alumni Association.
Cap and Gown Sales:
Dates to be released soon.
For questions regarding cap and gown, please email alumni@uci.edu.
No. Caps and gowns must be purchased online. Dates to be released soon for online purchasing. 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 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.
UCI graduation sashes and stoles representing UCI 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 UCI 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.
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, or for Summer Session, the last day of Summer Session II.
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, Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters, and the following Summer Session are eligible to have their name and major included in the online Commencement Program. Graduate students who earn their degrees in Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters, and the following Summer and Fall sessions are eligible to have their name and major 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.
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 UCI 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.
UCI 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.
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. Graduates must come already dressed in the appropriate cap and gown. No backpacks or large bags are allowed in the graduate check-in area. Graduates should only bring their wallet, phone, ID, and/or a small purse. For security purposes, all bags are subject to search prior to entry for any event.
Family and guests should plan to arrive at the Bren Events Center at least 75 minutes before the event to allow ample time for parking or traffic congestion. Guests will also need to go through a security check before entering the venue.
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 the standard bag check policy for all attendees prior to entering the facility. Guests should plan their arrival accordingly to allow ample time for the screening process.
For security purposes, all bags are subject to search prior to entry for any event.
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 no longer permitted with the exception of bags carried for medical reasons or manufactured diaper bags that accompany infants and young children.
Items Not Permitted include:
Alcohol
Animals, with the exception of trained disability service animals
Artificial noisemakers
Bottles, Cans or Coolers
Flash Photography
Glass
Outside food or beverage
Professional cameras
Sealed or wrapped packages of any kind
Selfie Sticks, monopods, tripods or telescopic devices
Signs larger than 20″ x 24″
Video recording devices
Weapons
For security purposes, all bags are subject to search 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.
Each ceremony will be approximately an hour and 45 minutes, depending on the number of graduates.
Guests should designate a place to meet their graduate after the ceremony!
No. Out of respect for the graduates and their guests, attendees are asked to remain for the duration of all of the events.
No. Guests should inform the parking attendant upon arrival at the parking structure of any assistance needed.
If parked at the Student Center Parking Structure (SCPS), golf carts will be available to transport elderly/disabled guests to the Bren Events Center.
Shuttles are available for assistance to/from parking structures.
Guests should not contact UCI Parking & Transportation to request a disabled parking space.
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 UCI’s campus. While the new law allows for the purchase and recreational use of marijuana, UCI 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.
All Ph.D., D.N.P. and M.F.A. candidates who have completed or are expected to complete their degree during Fall 2023- Fall 2024 quarters who have not previously participated in the Graduate Hooding Ceremony.
PLEASE NOTE: The School of Law holds their own ceremony. School of Medicine M.D. are also in their own ceremony. They are not included in the Graduate Hooding ceremony.
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 CB Graduation Announcements, 800.433.0296.
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 early May by emailing the University Registrar at registrar@uci.edu.
Undergraduate students who have completed their course work in Summer ’23, Fall ’23, Winter ’24, Spring ’24, or will complete their coursework in Summer ’24 are eligible to participate in the 2024 Commencement events.
Undergraduate students completing their course work in Fall ‘24 would NOT be eligible to participate in the June ceremonies.These graduates will participate in the December 2024 ceremony.
Graduate students receiving their Master’s, D.N.P, or Ph.D. may be able to participate if they plan to complete their degree before or during Fall ’24. 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.
UCI does not write these letters, nor are they required by the U.S. Consulate. For additional information, please contact UCI’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 UCI Yearbook please contact info@yearbook.uci.edu or visit their website’s FAQ page here.
