Schedule

What do graduating students need to do to participate in the commencement ceremony?

• Required Information + Featured Works Form
• Fill out the online form to submit required materials to the commencement committee. The submission deadline is Friday, May 30 at 5 p.m. PDT. We will continue to accept submissions after that date, but cannot guarantee that they will be included on the site in time for the ceremony on June 14.
• You will also be required to wear academic regalia. See below for instructions to rent or buy your regalia.

Are tickets required for students and guests?

• UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Commencement is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

What time should I arrive for the ceremony?

• On the day of Commencement, all students must arrive on site by 3:15 p.m. Undergraduate and graduate students will meet on the grassy area in Dickson Court South across from Murphy Hall. 
• Look for the appropriate department signage and check-in with your department advisor at designated tables as soon as you arrive.=
• Candidates for Doctoral degrees will gown with the faculty between 3 p.m - 3:15 p.m. and process into the venue with the faculty and sit on stage. The gowning area will be confirmed and communicated via email closer to the date of the ceremony.
• All students: please DO NOT bring a bag or valuables with you. There will be no place to check such items.

What happens when I arrive for the ceremony and how does commencement work? 

• After you have checked-in and received a colored card with your name on it, candidates for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees will be directed by volunteers to stand in rows according to their department and degree. 
• When degrees are about to be conferred, an usher will indicate that your row should stand and line up next to the stage. You will give your colored card to your department Chair at the podium, who will then read your name. Proceed across the stage to the Dean to receive a certificate and then you will return to your seat.

Do I need a cap and gown and where do I get them?

• Graduation Etc.
• Academic regalia is required for participation in the ceremony. Caps and gowns can be ordered at Graduation Etc. on the A level of Ackerman Union. For questions regarding cap and gown rentals/sale—including prices and policies—visit the Graduation Etc. website or call (310) 825-2587.

What color tassel do I get?

• When you rent or purchase your cap and gown, you will have the opportunity to select the School of the Arts and Architecture and your degree (B.A., M.A., M.F.A., or Ph.D.). The correct tassel color will be selected by Graduation Etc. and included in your order. 
• Bachelor of Arts: brown tassel; Master of Architecture: lilac tassel with lilac hood trim; Master of Arts: black tassel with white hood trim; Master of Fine Arts: brown tassel with brown hood trim; Doctor of Philosophy: old gold tassel with royal blue hood trim.

Do Latin Honors students wear different regalia?

• For undergraduates, the fourragère is a braided cord worn over the left shoulder signifying that the wearer has been awarded or is a candidate for Latin Honors. Graduation Etc. will have a list of those students who graduated in the Fall and Winter with honors, as well as a list of Spring and Summer candidates who, as of the end of Winter Quarter, have met the criteria as a candidate for Latin Honors.

Will the Commencement Ceremony be photographed or recorded?

• There will be an official photographer from Grad Images who will photograph each student as they come on stage. Your name card, which will be given to you at check-in, will be used to request proofs of your photos. There is no obligation to purchase any photos when you request a proof.
• During the commencement ceremony, there will be a designated area from which photos and videos can be taken by family and friends. 
• UCLA Arts also records and photographs the ceremony for publication and use on UCLA’s and the School of the Arts and Architecture’s websites and social media channels.  A recording of the ceremony will be available for viewing following the ceremony.

What happens if it rains or there is inclement weather?

• The ceremony is outdoors. Please dress accordingly. While it is forecast to be sunny and warm, weather can be variable and our ceremony is taking place later than usual. The sun is due to set at 8:05 p.m. The ceremony will take place in the venue, rain or shine!

• Out of respect for all graduates and their families and friends, please follow the commencement rules of conduct and refrain from disrupting the celebration so that all can enjoy the event. The University reserves the right to remove any individual or group from the event who engages in disruptive behavior or compromises the health and safety of event attendees. If any individual or group continues to engage in conduct that prevents participants' ability to engage in the celebration, campus safety authorities may instruct those individuals to leave.

• The recommended parking areas for School of the Arts and Architecture students and visitors are Lots 2 and 3. Parking for the persons with disabilities will be in Lot A and in spaces around Dickson Court and Portola Plaza. 
• Parking permits can be purchased in advance and through the day of the ceremony. Log on to the Bruin ePermit Event Parking Portal to reserve your parking permit.
• Bruin ePermit Event Parking Portal
• Day of parking will be available in visitor parking lots by purchasing through self-service pay station machines or through the ParkMobile app. If using ParkMobile, select Zone 2525.
• Find more information about parking permits and visitor parking on the UCLA Transportation website. 
• UCLA Transportation

• All commencement venues are ADA wheelchair accessible. The campus does not provide transportation or wheelchairs for any guests once they arrive on campus (i.e., no shuttle from parking to the venue, etc.).
• The ceremony will have ASL interpreters on the stage.
• If you have additional questions or if you’d like to coordinate a special circumstance, please reach out to Linda Holmes.

How can I ensure that my name appears on the Class of 2025 website?

• If you have a degree expected term of Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025, you will automatically be part of our list of candidates on the website.
• If there is a privacy restriction on your name, it will not appear on the Commencement website. If you wish to remove this restriction, you may do so through MyUCLA under “privacy options ” or consult with an advisor in the Office of Student Services.
• If you have not placed a privacy restriction on your name, your name will appear on the Commencement website according to how your name appears with the Registrar, including those with a verified preferred name.

How do I update my name on the commencement website?

• The lived name is the primary student name used by UCLA. If a lived name is not established when the student applies to UCLA, the legal name is used as the student lived name. The MyUCLA Lived and Legal Names feature can be used to view and update the student lived name.
• Lived and Legal Names
• Please update your lived name as soon as possible and no later than Friday, May 30 at 5 p.m. to ensure that it appears appropriately on the Class of 2025 commencement website.

How do I submit work to the Grad Gallery on the Class of 2025 commencement website?

• Please complete this Required Information + Featured Works Form no later than Friday, May 30 to submit your portrait, bio, work samples, and messages to your fellow graduates; which will appear on the Class of 2025 Commencement Website. 
• Required Information + Featured Works Form
• We will continue to accept submissions after that date, but cannot guarantee that they will be included on the site in time for the ceremony on June 14.

When will I get my diploma?

• Diplomas are available approximately three months after the end of the term. Approximately six weeks after your final term, you will receive email notification from the Registrar about the availability of your diploma and options for in-person pick up or for delivery by mail. For more detailed information regarding diplomas, visit the Registrar's Website.
• Registrar

Does UCLA offer formal graduation portraits?

• Formal and candid portraits can be scheduled at the Campus Photo Studio on the A level of Ackerman Union. Visit the Campus Photo Studio website for more information—including fees, cap and gown rentals, and scheduling.
• Campus Photo Studio

How do I order a class ring?

• Class rings are custom made and vary in price. Visit the Jostens website for more information.
• Jostens

• In support of UCLA’s Sustainability Plan, the School of the Arts and Architecture has transitioned to a content rich, interactive online commencement platform and is no longer producing a full printed program.
• UCLA's Sustainability Plan

Is there a Senior Survey?

• If you have not already completed the 2025 Senior Survey, please do so. We greatly value your feedback and encourage you to use this survey as a means to provide your input toward the continued improvement of the undergraduate experience of future UCLA students.
• Senior Survey

• The recommended parking areas for School of the Arts and Architecture students and visitors are Lots 2 and 3. Parking for the persons with disabilities will be in Lot A and in spaces around Dickson Court and Portola Plaza. 
• Parking permits can be purchased in advance and through the day of the ceremony. Log on to the Bruin ePermit Event Parking Portal to reserve your parking permit.
• Bruin ePermit Event Parking Portal
• Day of parking will be available in visitor parking lots by purchasing through self-service pay station machines or through the ParkMobile app. If using ParkMobile, select Zone 2525.
• Find more information about parking permits and visitor parking on the UCLA Transportation website. 
• UCLA Transportation

Parking for guests with disabilities will be available in Lot A and in the parking spaces around Dickson Court and Portola Plaza. To arrange special parking, wheelchair rentals, and more, contact the Center for Accessible Education (CAE) by visiting Murphy Hall room A255 or by calling 310-825-1501 (voice phone) or 310-206-6083 (tty).

Following the ceremony, everyone is invited to join the graduates, their families, friends, faculty, and staff at a reception at Dickson Court South, located near Schoenberg Music Building.

• In support of UCLA’s Sustainability Plan, the School of the Arts and Architecture has transitioned to a content rich, interactive online commencement platform and is no longer producing a full printed program.
• UCLA's Sustainability Plan

Since the ceremony is outdoors and the weather can be variable, please dress accordingly. The ceremony will take place in the venue, rain or shine!

Out of respect for all graduates and their families and friends, please follow the commencement rules of conduct and refrain from disrupting the celebration so that all can enjoy the event. The University reserves the right to remove any individual or group from the event who engages in disruptive behavior or compromises the health and safety of event attendees. If any individual or group continues to engage in conduct that prevents participants' ability to engage in the celebration, campus safety authorities may instruct those individuals to leave.

• Use online form to share your congratulatory messages for the Class of 2025.
• Congratulatory Messages Submission Form
• The videos, photos, or text that you share will be published on our 2025 Commencement website.