FAQs

YES.

When a student fills out their application for graduation in their https://one.uf.edu/, they will also fill out their registration for both the University Wide Commencement AND the College Recognition Ceremony.

Candidates who wish to change their responses can do so at any time by going back to their https://one.uf.edu/, going to their "Graduation Checklist," going to their "RSVP for the Ceremonies," then changing their responses.

The University Wide Ceremony, scheduled for Friday, May 3 at 7pm in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is where candidates of all degree levels from all the colleges can celebrate together. This is the ceremony where the president will preside, the celebrity speaker TBD will deliver the commencement address, the band will play, the choir will sing, and the degrees will be conferred; bachelor's degree candidates will turn their tassel from right to left. We do not announce names at this ceremony.

The College Recognition Ceremonies are where candidates are individually recognized and celebrated as their names are called. These ceremonies vary in date, time and location. The dean of the college presides over the ceremony. It is an opportunity for the college to celebrate its graduates. 

The Doctoral Degrees Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, May 2 at 9am in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. This is where doctoral candidates earning a PhD, EdD, AuD, DAT, DBA, DMA, DNP, DPM, DPT, or OTD are individually recognized and hooded by their faculty mentor.

Candidates and their guests should attend both the University Wide Commencement and their Recognition Ceremony. Each ceremony has a different purpose and provides a valuable once-in-a-lifetime experience. They're separate celebrations that allow us to fully congratulate and acknowledge the achievements of our many spring graduates.

However, ceremony attendance does not affect graduate status nor a candidate's ability to receive their diploma.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: Tickets are not required for the University Wide Ceremony in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium scheduled for May 3 at 7pm.

Phillips Center for the Performing Arts: Ceremonies in this venue will be ticketed (except for the College of Nursing). The number of tickets per candidate is based on the registration numbers. Ticket distribution procedure and numbers are determined by each college and communicated directly to the candidates.

Stephen C. O'Connell Center: The College Recognition Ceremonies nor the Doctoral Ceremony scheduled in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will require tickets.

Other Venues: If your college holds their recognition ceremony in an alternative venue, it may be determined that ticketing is necessary due to capacity limitations. If this is the case, your college's ceremony coordinator will provide the details regarding ticket procedures, including the number of tickets per candidate and ticket distribution procedures.

Generally, you should plan on each ceremony lasting about 2 hours.

We recognize there are a handful of candidates whose final exam times may conflict with their ceremony times. We will work with your professors to ensure that you are able to cross the stage. There will be flexibility in these very specific situations for candidates to take their exams at a different time.

It is the responsibility of the candidate to speak with their professor about their ceremony/final conflict in a timely manner so we can work together to resolve the issue.

Students finish taking finals on Friday, May 3 at 5pm, so grades aren't finalized graduation weekend; they're finalized the following Tuesday. For this reason, diplomas are not distributed at any ceremony.

It takes about 8 weeks to input grades, update records, certify degrees, print diplomas, sort them for mailing, and put them in the mail to a graduate's diploma mailing address. So, graduates receive their diplomas in the mail in July.

Diplomas are managed by the Office of the University Registrar's Office. More details about diplomas, electronic and paper, can be found on their Diploma Information page.

Video, film, and digital cameras are permitted, including those with interchangeable lenses. For both the safety and consideration of those around you, the following rules are in place:

• Due to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium's clear bag policy (bags must be clear and no larger than 12"x6"x12"), camera bags are not permitted in this venue.
• Camera bags are permitted in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, but they are subject to individual security inspection.
• Tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, or similar apparatuses that can obstruct aisles or others' view are not permitted in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Phillips Center or the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

Professional photographers from University Photography take photos during our ceremonies, they've been our ceremony photographers for more than 30 years. Proofs of those photos are sent to graduates' UF email addresses approximately 10 days after the ceremony. For privacy reasons, the proofs must be sent to the graduates directly.

Family members nor privately hired photographers will be allowed in graduate seating areas or the stage.

Candidates will receive two copies of the printed university commencement program at their recognition ceremony. These keepsake programs have the names of graduates this semester.

(Please note this may not be an exhaustive list, as it reflects applications at a given point in the semester; academic honors designations are determined at this time and may have fluctuated through the course of the semester)

Approximately two weeks before graduation weekend, the full PDF of the programs will be available online at past commencement programs. This version can be viewed and/or downloaded at any time once it becomes available.

A student must apply for graduation before they can order regalia (cap and gown). Regalia is ordered through our vendor Herff Jones and is then mailed to the candidate.

Orders placed after the March TBD deadline will incur a late fee and will not be shipped to candidate; instead they will pick them up at the bookstore starting TBD date. 

• Doctoral candidates rent a tam with orange tassel, blue open sleeved robe, and hood. There is an option to purchase the hood as a memento. The tam and tassel are yours to keep. The robe must be returned using the mailing label provided.
• Master's and Specialist's degree candidates purchase a cap with black tassel, gown with slitted sleeves, and hood depicting the color of the college or program.
• Bachelor's degree candidates purchase a cap with a tassel depicting the color of the college and/or degree and gown with pointed sleeves.

Regalia orders are managed through the UF Bookstore. For questions contact cap-gown@ufl.edu. Further information can be found here: Regalia Services

Please note, the commencement office cannot assist with regalia orders, they must go through the UF Bookstore.

Honor Cords
Cords that represent academic honors, such as magna cum laude, are purchased at the bookstore. A student can only purchase the level of cords they are qualified for. The bookstore is given a list from the Registrar's Office that identifies which candidates qualify for which honors. They can be pre-ordered or purchased at the time of regalia pickup starting April 22. Honors levels are only for undergraduates. 

Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars Cords
Cords that represent this program are purchased at the bookstore. They can be pre-ordered or purchased at the time of regalia pickup the April 22-May 6. 

Veteran's Stole
The Veteran's Stole can be purchased at the bookstore. This is to signify a candidate's military service and can only be purchased by those who have served in a branch of the U.S. Military.

The Stole of Gratitude
When you purchase your regalia, you will see the option to purchase the "stole of gratitude," this is a special stole with the express purpose of a Gator Grad passing it on to someone in their life who has played an important role in their success.

ALL OTHER STOLES AND CORDS
Stoles and cords that signify participation, completion, or membership of programs or organizations are managed through those respective areas. 

For example, if you served as a student ambassador for your college and there is a stole that signifies that, the college will provide that stole to you. 

Tassel turning is only for undergrads. The only ceremony where your tassel will be moved from right to left is the COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY where your degrees are conferred, which is at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Friday, May 3 at 7pm.

Master's, Specialist's and Doctoral Degree earners turned their tassels when they earned their undergraduate degrees, that is the appropriate time for this to be done. After that, you earn the next level of your regalia- hoods.

We don't facilitate a grad-cap toss at any of our ceremonies. In fact, most universities don't.

That's more of television thing than a real-life thing.

The University Wide Commencement Ceremony in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, scheduled for Friday, May 3 at 7pm will be livestreamed.

The Doctoral Commencement Ceremony in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, scheduled for Thursday, May 2 at 9am will be livestreamed.

Some colleges will choose to livestream their recognition ceremonies as well.

About two weeks before graduation weekend, the links for all ceremonies that will be streamed will appear on this Spring Livestream Links page.

If you have two family members participating in two different ceremonies this weekend, we can try to arrange for your family's graduates to walk in the same ceremony if there are additional spaces in one of the ceremonies available. We may not know until the middle of the semester whether that will be a possibility, as registrations are an ongoing process.

Affected candidates should email the Director of Commencements, at uf-commencement@ad.ufl.edu to request arrangements.

If a student is graduating from more than one college, they are invited to attend each of the ceremonies applicable to them, if they so choose. 

However, if they happen to be graduating from two colleges with simultaneous ceremonies they must choose one college to walk with.

If a student is graduating with more than one major in the same college, and those majors are scheduled in different ceremonies, they are invited to attend one or the other or both ceremonies where their majors are recognized, if they so choose. Please note, however, these ceremonies will be identical, except for the students who are crossing the stage.

However, if a student is a double major and the majors are in the same ceremony, the student will walk only once in that ceremony. 

We have accessibility accommodations in place for graduate and guests who may need additional support during the ceremonies. Detailed information can be found on our Accessibility Page

• Outside food & beverages are not permitted in any of our venues, however if there are infants/young children in a party, security will allow bottles and little snacks in for them; everything is subject to inspection.
• If you believe you will want water during the ceremony, you can bring an empty, disposable water bottle (like Aquafina) into the venue, but not a reusable container (like Yeti). You can then fill it at the drinking fountains.

If a candidate wishes to walk in a ceremony different than the semester they're graduating in, this is called Walking Out-of-Term (WOOT).

If this is something you are contemplating, please see the WOOT Info Page for information about the criterion for WOOTing, the WOOT application form and the submission information for your college.

Please know that accommodations will always be made for military deployments/station changes of our candidates and spouses and VISA expirations for our international candidates and immediate family members. 

Beyond that, colleges approve appropriate WOOT requests based on seat availability, as all ceremonies have a capacity. We do our best to meet the needs of our requestors, so long as they meet the criterion, deadlines are followed, and space is available.

The Doctoral Degrees Ceremony and College Recognition Ceremonies are all scheduled in indoor venues, so they will not be affected by weather. 

The University Wide Commencement Ceremony in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is a rain-or-shine event. However, if there is dangerous weather this ceremony could be postponed or canceled. We will keep candidates and guests informed of any changes made as a result of severe weather.