December 2024 Commencement Information

Commencement - December 13th 

The 166th Commencement Ceremonies will be held in-person at St. Ignatius Church 

All ceremonies will be streamed virtually on USF's website and YouTube.  

 

Commencement schedule - Friday, December 13th

9:30 a.m. - Commencement Mass
Homilist: Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., President of the University of San Francisco.
Guest Tickets: Tickets are not required to attend.

 

12:00 p.m. - School of Management Ceremony
Commencement Address: Faisal Shah, Founder and Chairman, Tracer AI
Guest Tickets: 6 guest tickets per student. Overflow seating available in Cowell 106/107.

 

3:00 p.m. - College of Arts and Sciences Ceremony
Commencement Address: Patrick McNicholas, Partner, McNicholas & McNicholas, Trustee Emeritus and Alumnus
Guest Tickets: 4 guest tickets per student. Overflow seating available in Cowell 106/107.

 

6:00 p.m. - School of Nursing and Health Professions Ceremony
Commencement Address: Eileen K. Fry-Bowers, Ph.D., JD, RN, CPNP-PC, FAAN, Dean, School of Nursing and Health Professions
Guest Tickets: 4 guest tickets per student. Overflow seating available in Cowell 106/107.

 

*The maximum number of guest tickets is a function of the number of graduating students in each school/college's ceremony and the capacity of the church. 

**Fall 2024 School of Education students will be invited to the Spring 2025 ceremony. 

 

Regalia Distribution Schedule 

Eligible graduating students will be sent an email to their USF account on November 4th inviting them to pickup their  academic regalia. Regalia will not be available before the dates below. *Photo ID and your signature will be required to obtain your academic regalia.

Location: San Francisco Campus - Lone Mountain Main 100 (Handlery Room)
Friday - November 15, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday - November 16, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Students may pickup their regalia on either Friday or Saturday. These are the ONLY times you will be able to get your regalia before Commencement so please plan accordingly and/or utilize the Proxy Pickup Authorization Form. 

 

If someone other than yourself is picking up your regalia: Please provide them with the Proxy Pickup Authorization Form. This is the only acceptable document for picking up graduation items. Form must be printed, signed, and dated — no other forms or electronic signatures will be accepted.

Please note that all School of Education students are only permitted to participate in the May 2025 ceremony and will be distributed their regalia during the April 2025 regalia distribution dates.  

 

During the Regalia Pickup, students will be able to:

  • Obtain their Academic Regalia - No Fee
    • Regalia will include; mortarboard cap, gown, hood, and tassel.
    • Eligible undergraduate students receiving University Honors will also be distributed an honors sash. Please note that Honor sashes will not be distributed after commencement to students who later became eligible for University Honors after final grades are submitted. However, the appropriate University Honors designation will be indicated on both the transcript and diploma.
    • Purchase a Green USF commemorative stole [$45], which can also be purchased online on Josten's website. There will be a limited number available so we suggest coming early. 
    • Doctoral students can purchase a doctoral tam with attached tassel [$50].
    • Place an order for USF College Rings and Graduation Announcements

 

Students Unable to Attend the Regalia Distribution Event: 

Students who did not attend the first Regalia Distribution event can pickup their academic regalia during the times below.

Please note these are the ONLY remaining times students will be able to receive their regalia.

Location: Gleeson Library - Atrium 
Thursday - December 12, 2024 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday - December 13, 2024 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 

Guest Tickets & GradPass - Marching Order 

Students will receive an email on November 25th with instructions on how to register for their commencement ceremony, print their GradPass, and claim/print/send their guest tickets through our ticket vendor, Marching Order. The email will come from gradcenter@usfca.edu 

Register for your ceremony and claim your tickets as soon as possible to ensure that there are no issues logging into the system. Once the tickets are claimed, students will be able to print and/or forward individual tickets to their guests.

NOTE: Guest tickets can ONLY BE REDEEMED ONCE.  All subsequent attempts to use the same guest ticket will result in persons not being allowed into the church. NO EXCEPTIONS! All guests above the age of 2 are required to have their own ticket.


Click HERE for an Informational Video on how to Register for Commencement, Print your GradPass, and View/Send your Guest Tickets!

 

Degrees and Diplomas

Fall 2024 degrees will be awarded by February 15, 2025 with diplomas arriving by April 1st for domestic deliveries and by June 1st for most international deliveries. 

Please confirm and/or update your diploma mailing address in your myUSF portal, under the Personal Information tab, no later than Friday, December 20th to ensure a timely delivery of your diploma. 

Class Rings & Announcements

Order a USF Class Ring and Announcements on the USF Jostens Page.

Flowers and Leis

Pre-order from Commencement Flowers and/or pick up at a campus booth during commencement. 

Commencement Parking

Parking till be available in all USF lots, unless otherwise marked, free of charge. In addition, there will be street parking available around campus. Parking is limited so we suggest carpooling, taking public transportation, and utilizing ride-share programs.

Accommodations

USF accommodates individuals with disabilities. If you need a disability-related accommodation or wheelchair access information, please contact Will Vitagliano, Associate University Registrar, at wbvitagliano@usfca.edu . We recommend that requests be made as soon as possible, or at least 14 days in advance of the event (by November 29th) to best ensure that the requested accommodation can be implemented.

Accommodation FAQs, and a list of accommodations that we provide, can be found on the Commencement Accommodation page.

Please note that guests needing to utilize the disability section do not need to reserve space beforehand, as it is first-come-first-serve.