Commencement
The university honors all graduating students upon completion of their undergraduate, master's or doctoral degrees during the spring semester of each year. There is no formal commencement at the end of fall semester although fall graduates are invited to walk during the spring ceremony. In addition to the University Commencement ceremony, many colleges/schools, programs, and departments have individual convocations to honor their graduates. For current information regarding the upcoming University Commencement and for a complete list of individual commencement activities, visit the Student Activities and Leadership Development website here or call 559.278.2741.
Caps, Gowns, Announcements, Etc.
You order caps and gowns from the Kennel Bookstore. They start going on sale on March 24. It is a good idea to come on Tuesday, March 24 or Wednesday, March 25 because the Alumni Association will be sponsoring the Grad Fair (see below).
Commencement – University Wide Commencement – Saturday, May 23
You can attend multiple different ceremonies depending on your department and/or affiliations while you were in school. For example, if you attended the Craig School of Business, you could go to their Friday ceremony as well as the university wide ceremony on Saturday morning.
Click here to see the website for commencement schedules. Check the date, because if you look too early, last year's dates may still be posted. This year's university wide commencement is on Saturday, May 23. You do not have to RSVP to come that ceremony, although you do have to RSVP for most of the smaller college or departmental ceremonies. The website I included above also links you to the coordinators of the various ceremonies, so you can contact those people for further detail.
Did you Apply to Graduate?
It is not enough to simply have all your requirements completed, you actually have to APPLY to the Evaluations department during the first two weeks of the semester in which you intend to graduate (you can find instructions here). Did you do that? If not, call the Evaluations office immediately to see if it is too late. Late fees may apply.