Important Dates (subject to change)
| February 1 |
Online Registration Opens |
| March 1 | Cap and gown rental begins |
| April 10 |
Last day to register to have name printed in commencement program. |
| April 21 |
Cap and gown rental prices increase |
| May 11 by NOON |
Last day to file for advancement to candidacy for commencement participation. |
| May 11 by Midnight |
Last day to register in order to participate. No late exceptions. |
| May 18 |
Last day to record your name phonetically by using the Marching Order system |
| May 22-25 |
Pick up cap and gown at the Bookstore Annex (across from southeast store entrance), 9am-6pm |
| June 1 | Last day to complete your graduate exit appointment OR submit a commencement release form. |
| June 13 - Commencement |
3:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. |
| June 18 |
Late cap and gown return fees assessed. |
Eligibility Requirements
All students must be advanced to candidacy as minimum requirement
- Completed Degree - Students who received graduate degrees September - December 2018 as well as candidates for degrees in March 2019 are eligible to participate. Nothing more is required, simply register online.
- Degree in Progress - Candidates who expect to complete their degree requirements before Fall Quarter begins
- completed advancement to candidacy paperwork
- complete your graduate exit appointment OR submit a Commencement Release Form
International Students: Family Travel Visa Support Letter
Please register for Commencement in February 2018 before requesting a letter. Please note that a student's eligibility to participate in commencement will be checked prior to creating a support letter.
International students wishing to request a visa support letter from Graduate Studies in order to have relatives living outside the U.S. attend the commencement need to email their request to Commencement email and include the following information:
- Degree candidate's name
- Degree candidate's gender (for referencing in letter)
- Degree candidate's program of study
- Degree candidate's degree upon completion
- Name(s) of guest(s) and relation to degree candidate (e.g., Mother: Cheng Liu)
Once your eligibility is reviewed and approved you will be sent a PDF letter that can be forwarded via e-mail. If you would like a hard-copy letter please let us know and you will be notified when the letter is ready for pick-up at Graduate Studies. (If you would rather have the letter mailed to a U.S. address, please state this in your e-mail and include your mailing address. We do not mail letters outside the U.S.)
For more information about visitor visas please visit the State Department's Website
Tickets
Admission tickets will NOT be required to attend the UC Davis Graduate Studies commencement ceremony. However, to allow admittance of every student's loved ones, please be considerate and limit your guests to your immediate family members.
Master's and Doctoral Line-up Instructions
Ph.D. students are arranged by faculty presenter last name. This organizational arrangement allows all graduating students to be presented and walk the stage with their chosen faculty member, who may be presenting several students. Please inform your friends and family of this arrangement and provide them with your faculty presenter's name.
Master’s students are arranged alphabetically by graduate program name.
Please see detailed instructions on our Line-Up Instructions page.
Special Requests and Accommodations
If you require any special accommodations, please register online as early as possible. For example, if a sign language interpreter is required, or if you need assistance crossing the stage, we will need to be notified at least two weeks prior to the ceremony so that we can make the necessary arrangements. Your special accommodation requests MUST be entered in the "Special Needs" section when you register online. We are able to offer special accommodations to students only.
You should also visit the Disability Resources page for more information on available accommodations.