Commencement Participation Checklist
Commencement at the Quarry, c/o 2004
Congratulations Class of 2020!
The following steps will ensure you are set up for success in your graduation and commencement. Please read thoroughly and keep a look out for emails from oakesprograms@ucsc.edu.
IMPORTANT: If you are NOT an Oakes Affiliate, but would like to participate in the Oakes Commencement Ceremony, please see the Non-Affiliate Petition page.
Step 1:
Know the difference between GRADUATION and COMMENCEMENT!
Step 2:
Register for Oakes College Commencement
Step 3:
Check Your “Public Information” Status
Step 4:
Order Your Cap & Gown
Step 5:
Submit Disability Accommodation Requests
Step 6:
Understand Parking & Transportation Services
Step 7:
Attend Oakes College Commencement Rehearsal
Step 8: Celebrate Graduation Day!
Step 1: Know the Difference Between GRADUATION and COMMENCEMENT
Your college commencement ceremony and graduation from UCSC are two separate things.
- At UCSC, graduation is the act of conferring an academic degree – receiving your degree or diploma.
- Commencement is a ceremony, where you walk across the stage, symbolizing the end of your undergraduate career.
Graduation and commencement have separate online processes and timelines.
Graduation
Apply to graduate (degree completion and diploma) for the quarter in which you will be finishing your graduation requirements. DO NOT apply to graduate for Spring if you will be finishing your final graduation requirements in a subsequent quarter.
To apply to graduate, you must submit an application via your Student Portal by the posted deadlines to announce candidacy. There is more information about how to apply to graduate on the Registrar’s Office website.
Commencement
This page includes all 8 steps for you to prepare to participate in the Oakes College Commencement Ceremony. Please keep reading to learn how to register, where to order your cap and gown, and all other related information.
Step 2: Register online for Oakes College Commencement by Sunday, May 10th at 11:59PM
Oakes College students who plan to complete all requirements by the end of Fall 2020 are eligible to participate in the June commencement ceremony.
Late registration will be available, but we will not be able to guarantee:
- Tickets to attend on-campus ceremony
- Parking Permits
- Or your name to be printed in the program.
Commencement communication is sent through oakesprograms@ucsc.edu, please ensure this address is not blocked or in the spam folder.
Step 3: Check Your “Public Information” Status
All students have a "Public Information" status (a.k.a. Directory Restriction, FERPA or NRI) with the Office of the Registrar. The status of your personal information is currently set as either "Releasable" or "Restricted." Some students set their status to "RESTRICTED" without being aware of the implications. It is imperative that you check your status and confirm it is set as you wish, in light of the following:
- If your status is set to “RESTRICTED” as of May 11 RCC is required by law to NOT print your name in the print program, regardless of your wishes.
- If your status is set to “RELEASABLE” as of May 11 we can and will print your name in the program, provided you have registered via Step 2.
Check your my.ucsc.edu portal to update. If you have special circumstances and wish to retain a “restricted” status but also wish to have your name printed in the program, please contact oakesprograms@ucsc.edu. For detailed instructions on how to change the options, please click here.
Step 4: Order Your Cap & Gown
Caps and gowns are optional and not required for the virtual commencement ceremony. By ordering through the bookstore, you will receive a keepsake cap and tassel in addition to the rented gown. Announcements, stoles, diploma frames and other custom items are also available at the Bay Tree Bookstore Online Graduation Center for purchase.
Your cap and gown will be made available for pickup at the Baytree Bookstore prior to commencement.
Step 5: Submit Disability Accommodation Requests
American Sign Language
American Sign Language
If you or a guest will require sign language interpretation, please contact the Oakes Programs team, oakesprograms@ucsc.edu, Though we will make every effort, we cannot guarantee assistance if a request is made after the deadline, due to the high demand for university-approved interpreters during the commencement season.
Disability Parking
You may request a disability parking pass in your commencement registration. The only benefit of a disability pass is that the lot is serviced by UCSC vans that have wheelchair-lift capabilities. Please obtain a disability pass only if your guest will benefit because they:
- Use a wheelchair or electric scooter, or
- Are physically unable to board the steps up into a campus shuttle, or
- Will be driving themselves and are unable to walk from a parked car in East Remote to the internal shuttle stop (those that are not driving themselves can be dropped at the internal shuttle stop and wait while the driver parks).
Guests with a regular commencement pass can shuttle from their designated parking area and will disembark in the same location as the vans from disability parking. The wait for a shuttle from the main parking area is significantly shorter than the wait at the disability lot (because there are far more shuttles than disability vans), which is why a disability lot permit should only be acquired in the above circumstances. Thank you!
Wheelchair Seating
There is a limited amount of wheelchair accessible seating available at the East Field. Please help us accommodate everyone's needs by noting in your registration form your needs:
- Wheelchair seating (space to sit in a personal wheelchair)
- Wheelchair transportation (assistance getting to seat due to limited mobility, do not have a personal wheelchair)
If a guest in your party will be sitting in wheelchair seating, please plan to have no more than 1 other person accompany them in the accessible seating area, due to limited space.
Any other requests...
Please note on your registration form or email oakesprograms@ucsc.edu. We will do our best to make all necessary accommodations.
Step 6:
Understand parking & transportation services.
Parking on campus is limited during commencement. Each registered graduate will receive only two (2) parking permits for the day, so you may need to carpool, shuttle, bus, or walk. Those parking passes are eligible for graduates AND guests to use, 2 total. Permits will be available June 1, details on how and where to pick them up will be available at a later date.
Step 7: There will be no rehearsal
Step 8: Celebrate! Oakes College Commencement Ceremony
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
Commencement Ceremony Participation
We have opportunities for students to participate in the ceremony in June. Check your interests in your commencement registration, or fill out the involvement form to sign up for any of the following opportunities:
- Multi-Lingual Greeters (several spots available)
- Student Speaker (1-2 spots available, auditions will be held).
UNIVERSITY HONORS
To be eligible for University Honors, students must have completed 70 or more units at the University of California and have attained in their group a UC GPA that places them in the rankings as follows: Summa Cum Laude, top 2 percent; Magna Cum Laude, next 3 percent; Cum Laude, next 10 percent. Each year and for each group, the Registrar will calculate the GPA thresholds required for these levels of University Honors, based on the GPAs of recent graduates. For more information on University Honors, please refer to the Registrar's web page at http://registrar.ucsc.edu/faqs/students/honors/
Please note: Because "University Honors" are determined on the basis of final grades after the end of spring quarter, this notation will appear on the diploma and transcript only, and will be listed as “candidates for university honors” in the commencement program.
