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Commencement

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Faculty FAQs

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Each academic college appoints a commencement coordinator. For college/ceremony-specific information, contact your coordinator.

Common Faculty Questions

Faculty can rent or purchase their regalia by emailing Mari Ruiz at mruiz@csus.edu. The order deadline to rent regalia is March 29, 2024. For pricing info and additional details, click here.

  • If faculty are officially volunteering or participating with their academic college as part of the ceremony, then no ticket is required to enter Golden 1 Center. A staff/volunteer badge will be required to enter through a special entrance, and can be received from your college coordinator.
  • If a faculty member wishes to attend a ceremony as a spectator or guest, they will be required to present a ticket upon entry. Contact your college coordinator if you have any questions.

Faculty and staff who plan to work at commencement and need an accommodation for a disability, should email Scott Oleinik at soleinik@csus.edu with the subject line “Commencement Request” and include name, phone number, and requested accommodations in the body of the email. Please be sure to cc your college coordinaotr. For best assurance of accommodation requests being met, contact Scott Oleinik by May 3, 2024.

  • Faculty volunteering at Commencement must sign up as an official Commencement volunteer or as a volunteer with their academic college in order to attend Ccommencement. Faculty must be on a pre-approved list in order to enter into Golden 1 Center.
  • Faculty must enter G1C through the Volunteer/Faculty/Staff Entrance notated on this map and must show Commencement staff/volunteer badge and personal identification (driver’s license/passport) at the security station. The entrance is on the L street side of the building. Once inside, signs will direct you to the Faculty Lounge.
  • College coordinators will provide Commencement staff badge to faculty approved to volunteer or participate in their ceremonies.
  • Please note that faculty will not be permitted entry via the graduate entrance.

Common Graduate/Student Questions

The most frequently asked questions or common misunderstandings about Commencement can be found below for your reference. For a full list of graduate FAQs, visit the Graduate FAQ page.

  • Undergraduate Students receiving a bachelor’s degree must file a petition to graduate with the Office of the University Registrar by Oct. 1 of the previous year if graduating in the spring/summer, and Feb. 1 of the current year if graduating in the fall. Visit the Graduation Advising websitefor additional details.
  • Graduate Students must have filed petitions with the Office of Graduate Studies by Feb. 1 if graduating in the spring/summer, and by Oct. 1 if graduating in the fall. Contact the Office of Graduate Studies at grad_degreeservices@csus.edu with any questions.
  • Teaching Credential Candidates do not petition to graduate. The Credential program has provided information to the Commencement Office for inclusion of eligible students in the event program and for access to guest tickets. When credential candidates claim guest tickets, it also serves as their confirmation of intent to participate in Commencement. Contact your college coordinator, Debbie Santiago (916-278-3618 -or- santiago@csus.edu) with any questions.

Eligible Grads (students that applied to graduate with a graduation term of Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024 reflected in their Student Center) can RSVP to participate in commencement starting March 4, 2024, at which time a link will appear in their Student Center granting them access to RSVP for commencement and claim commencement guest tickets. Below is a schedule showing registration windows.

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Only Fall 2023, Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 graduates are invited to attend the May 2024 Commencement ceremonies. At this time, we are unable to accommodate any requests for exceptions to the eligibility requirements to participate in 2024 Commencement.

No. Graduation fees cover the cost of participation in one Commencement ceremony. Graduates with multiple majors will automatically be granted access to ticketing and participation in their primary academic college, as noted in their Student Center. If a double-major wishes to attend a different ceremony, they must contact the Commencement Office for further instructions at commencement@csus.edu (must include their student ID, preferred ceremony date and time in the email).

Our Commencement team is hard at work on back-up plans to move commencement ceremonies to Hornet Stadium should the Kings make it past the first round of NBA Conference playoffs.

Overall dates for Commencement will not change regardless of venue, but ceremony times may be modified. Click here to view the regular and contingency Commencement schedules.

  • Graduates may purchase regalia at Grad Fest, online at asi.csus.edu/services/student-shop or at the Associated Students, Inc. Student Shop in the University Union, 3rd Floor, Room 3231.
  • To find out if they are receiving academic honors or to purchase an honor cord, graduates can check with the Student Shop office at (916) 278-7916 after Grad Fest. All students participating in Commencement must wear academic regalia.

  • Grad caps can be decorated, but must be respectful when doing so. Any caps deemed to have lewd, indecent, or offensive language or images on them by Commencement Administrators, will be asked to remove the cap to continue participation in Commencement. If they do not, they will not be permitted to participate in Commencement.

  • Please note that graduation gowns should not be decorated.

Ticketing FAQs

The most frequently asked questions or common misunderstandings about Commencement tickets can be found below

  • If faculty are officially volunteering or participating with their academic college as part of the ceremony, then no ticket is required to enter Golden 1 Center. A staff/volunteer badge will be required to enter through a special entrance, and can be received from your college coordinator.
  • If a faculty member wishes to attend a ceremony as a spectator or guest, they will be required to present a ticket upon entry. Contact your college coordinator if you have any questions.

Graduates can claim up to eight (8) guest tickets for the 2024 ceremonies. Beginning March 4, 2024, all eligible graduates (with graduate terms of Fall 2023 or Spring/Summer 2024) can claim their tickets by logging into their Student Center. A step-by-step guide will be posted to the Commencement tickets page as well.

No, tickets are only required for guests. Feel free to visit our guest tickets page for further information.

Guest tickets may not be sold or traded for anything of monetary value. Students may give unused tickets to peers who are participating in the same ceremony.

Accessibility & Accommodation FAQs

Visit our Accessibility & Accommodations page for all the details you or your students may need about accommodations at Commencement!

Participating students who need additional accommodations should contact the Disability Access Center (formerly Services for Students with Disabilities) at DAC@csus.edu. Be sure to have the subject line read "Commencement Request" and include your name, phone number, student ID, and requested accommodations in the body of the email.

For best assurance of accommodation requests being met, please contact the DAC office by May 6, 2024.

Faculty and staff who plan to work at commencement and need an accommodation for a disability, should email Scott Oleinik at soleinik@csus.edu with the subject line “Commencement Request” and include name, phone number, and requested accommodations in the body of the email. For best assurance of accommodation requests being met, contact Scott Oleinik by May 3, 2024.

Guests can visit Golden 1 Center's ADA/Accessibility information webpage for information on accessibility and ADA compliance. If they have questions regarding ADA-related accommodations, they can contact guestservices@kings.com.

Guests who use wheelchairs/scooters/canes and other mobility devices can use the Premium Entrance noted on the G1C diagram. Golden 1 Center has both limited mobility and wheelchair accessible seating. The seating is all general admission and on a first come, first serve basis. Golden 1 Center will make every effort to ensure that all guests requiring ADA seating are accommodated. There is high demand for ADA locations, therefore Golden 1 Center requests one companion per ADA seat, additional people in the party are welcome to find seats near that location. If there are additional questions please contact guestservices@kings.com.

Graduate Names FAQs

Students' names will be pulled from their Student Center (including preferred name and primary name). During the Commencement registration process, students will have the option of selecting which name they prefer to be read aloud, and which name they would like displayed on the screen during the ceremony.

Students can update their preferred name in their Student Center. Click here for a detailed video about changing preferred names. Once you have completed the process of changing your preferred name, you must log back into the Commencement ticketing/RSVP system to assure the name change has been captured before the initial registration deadline.

  • If grads are eligible for graduation in Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024 and they have applied to graduate prior to March 26, 2024, their name will be included in the program. Otherwise, their name will not be included.
  • If grads have legally changed their name since applying for graduation, please advise them to contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@csus.edu to update their student record.