Graduates

Students must wear regalia (cap and gown) in order to participate in commencement.

For details about regalia, including orders, pickup, and more, contact the bookstore directly

• Email: Cap-gown@ufl.edu
• Phone: (352) 392-0194
• Website: https://businessservices.ufl.edu/services/uf-bookstore/graduation/ 

Please note, the commencement office cannot assist with regalia orders. Orders MUST go through the UF bookstore.

Students graduating this semester must apply to graduate by September 13, 2024. The deadlines for applications for the Fall of 2024 semester can be found in the catalog of the Registrar’s Office UF Registrar Dates & Deadlines

The application for graduation can be found in a student’s OneUF. https://registrar.ufl.edu/services/degreeapp 

In the application, there is a box that asks the degree applicant whether UF has permission to print their name in the commencement program. If the box is not marked, "yes" by the applicant, we CANNOT print the name of the applicant in the commencement program.

Please note: due to printing deadlines, we gather names for the commencement program a week after the degree application deadline. This is also when the honors status of degree candidates (cum laude, etc.) are collected. If a graduating student does not apply for graduation on time, or if their honors status changes during the second part of the semester, they may not be accurately reflected in the program.

90 MINUTES BEFORE THE POSTED CEREMONY TIME - Arrive at Gate 4 of the O’Connell Center

• Check in at Gate 4 wearing your cap and gown and with your Marching Order "GradPass" saved on your mobile device or printed out from home
• Doctoral candidates- wear your tassel on your left (you don't move your tassel during the ceremony, only undergraduates do that). Carry your hood, draping it over your left arm.
• Master's and Specialist’s degree candidates- wear your hood, wear your tassel on your left (you don’t move your tassel during the ceremony, only undergraduates do that)
• Bachelor’s degree candidates- wear your tassels on the right.

Families can begin entering the O'Connell Center 90 minutes before the ceremony, entering through Gates 1 and 3.

20-30 MINUTES BEFORE THE POSTED CEREMONY TIME - Candidate processional line will start to move

• College by college, you’ll be moved out of your line-up rooms and start to enter the arena floor to be seated. All seating will be completed 5 minutes prior to the posted ceremony time.

NOTE: If your college processes and you are not in line, you will not process with your college and will not be seated with your college. There will be no seat-saving permitted by candidates during the processional and seating.

5 MINUTES BEFORE THE POSTED CEREMONY TIME - Platform processional line

• Those who will be on the stage will enter the arena, including the university president, deans of the colleges, etc.

NOTE: It is appropriate for candidates and guests to stand at this time.

POSTED CEREMONY TIME

Ceremony will officially start on the stage at the posted ceremony time, beginning with the National Anthem.

2 HOURS AFTER THE CEREMONY BEGINS (approx.)

No ceremony will last longer than two hours past the posted stage start time.

Doctoral Graduates: Following the platform recessional, there will be a formal recessional led by the faculty marshals who led you in.

Master’s, Specialist's, and Bachelor’s Graduates: Following the platform recessional, you will exit the arena through the gates you entered. There is no formal recessional.

HINT: Due to large crowds leaving the arena at once, plan to give yourselves plenty of time and establish a meeting point. Select less-common locations to meet your party. The Bull Gator or Heisman Trophy statues are where most people choose to meet.

Diplomas are ordered for all graduates by the Office of the University Registrar at the end of the semester after grades have been posted. It takes approximately 8 weeks for students to receive their diplomas after the close of the semester.

Diplomas are mailed to the graduate's DIPLOMA MAILING ADDRESS as it appears in their ONE.UF at the end of the semester. Students are responsible for correcting or updating their address as necessary.

More information about diplomas, paper and electronic, can be found on the Registrar's Office Diploma page.

The Commencement Office is working to move our Ceremonies into the current century. We are using a web based service, Marching Order, to provide the displayed and announced names for our Graduates as they cross the stage. 

Candidates who apply to graduate via their ONE.UF will be sent an invitation to create a profile on Marching Order. One portion of this profile is providing the phonetic pronunciation of your name, BUT we also ask that you provide an audio recording of your name. These are then sent to voice actors who will create a professional recording of your name that will be used in the ceremony. 

once this recording has been completed, that file will be tied to the Graduates "GradPass" which you can save to your mobile device. the "GradPass" contains your name, which ceremony you will attend and a QR code that when scanned as you step to the stage, will trigger the display of your name and the audio recording of your name being announced.

Candidates have until TBD, 2024 to set up their Marching Order profile and provide the voice actors with the tools they need. Candidates who do not take advantage of the system will be provided a paper name card and a volunteer name reader will announce from the stage.

Graduates will receive two copies of the printed university commencement program when they arrive for the ceremony. These keepsake programs have the names of all students graduating this semester.

(please note this may not be a fully exhaustive list, as it reflects applications turned in by the application deadline. Academic honors designations in the program are also based on their GPAs at that point in the semester. We understand students may apply to graduate after the initial deadline, and that GPAs may fluctuate during the course of the semester, but due to the printing timeline, we must use this as our deadline.)

Approximately two weeks before graduation weekend, the full PDF of the program will be available online at  https://commencement.ufl.edu/past-programs/. This version can be viewed and/or downloaded at any time after it appears.

If you are an international student who may need assistance with the proper documents for family or friends to attend your ceremony, you should contact UF’s International Center for assistance.

• Forms page: https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/forms-resources 
• Location: 1765 Stadium Road, Suite 170 Hub Gainesville, FL 32611
• Phone: (352) 392-5323