Commencement FAQs

If you meet the eligibility requirements for this year's ceremony and are unable to attend, you can email commencement@umassglobal.edu and request to be invited to next year's ceremony. Please include your name, student ID, university email address, and the degree for which you are earning.

Graduates will receive a complimentary program at their seats. Guests may pick up a complimentary program in the lobby, while supplies last.

Send an email from your university email account to commencement@umassglobal.edu with your name (the graduate), student ID, degree program, the name(s) of the family member(s) traveling, and the consulate mailing address. You should receive a response from a commencement team member within 5 business days.

Please be aware the letter provided by UMass Global is not a guarantee that your family member will be approved to travel, per their respective consulate and other restrictions.

*Ceremony plans are subject to change. UMass Global will not reimburse anyone for personal travel expenses associated with commencements.

There are no rehearsals for UMass Global commencement ceremonies. Graduates will receive instructions via their university email account in the weeks leading up to commencement. On the day of, there will be University Marshals leading the procession and directing graduates where to go.

Each ceremony is expected to last approximately 1 ½ hours. Graduates are required to remain for the entire Commencement ceremony and may not leave early.

A livestream of the ceremony will be available on the UMass Global Facebook page. A Facebook account is not required for guests to view these videos. The recording will be available for replay on our UMass Global YouTube channel the week after the ceremony.

Yes. Graduating students can preview their name announcement during registration. All eligible graduates who register before the deadline and attend the ceremony, will cross the stage and hear their name announced.

Our 2025 Winter Commencement will be held indoors. Our 2026 Summer Commencement will be held outdoors. Student line-up at both Commencements will be outdoors (weather permitting). We encourage our graduating students and their guests to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun while outdoors.

Professional graduation photographers from Pro Pics will capture various photos of the graduate, on stage and portrait-style. Pro Pics will e-mail photo proofs directly to graduates in the days after the ceremony. Family and guests are not allowed near the stage during the ceremony to take photos. Guests are encouraged to remain in their seats and may not approach the graduates at any time during the ceremony.

Yes. There are designated drop-off locations at our ceremonies, for those guests and grads who cannot walk long distances.

At Winter Commencement in downtown Sacramento, curbside drop-off is available on the 15th Street side of the auditorium. This is not a parking location, so you will need to coordinate with someone in your group to assist the ADA guest while another person parks the car at a nearby lot.

At Summer Commencement in Irvine, curbside drop-off is available off Corsiar. 

If you are participating in Commencement as a graduate, please denote that you need ADA accommodations on your registration form or email commencement@umassglobal.edu with your request. A Commencement Team Member will respond to your request and work with you to create a plan that suits your needs. Please note, captioning will be available on the large screens near the stage and on your personal mobile device by visiting the captioning website while at the event. More info can be found on the Accessibility Information page.

At commencement, ADA guest seating will be available at ground level and can accommodate wheelchairs. Additionally, captioning will be available on the large screens near the stage, for those who may be deaf or hard-of-hearing, and also available on your personal mobile device by visiting the captioning website while at the event.

Additionally, curbside drop-off is available for any of your guests with physical limitations that cannot walk long distances. Please view the parking map for the exact location.

• Winter Parking Map
• Summer Parking Map

For any other inquiries regarding accommodations for guests, please email commencement@umassglobal.edu and a commencement team member will respond.

The university does not provide wheelchairs or carts at the event. Please come prepared with your own assistive devices. Grads and guests can rent a wheelchair from one of the local wheelchair vendors. For any other inquiries regarding accommodations, please email commencement@umassglobal.edu and a commencement team member will respond.

A dual degree refers to earning two different types of degrees, which have been completed concurrently. For example, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Science in Human Resources would be considered dual degrees. If you are graduating with dual degrees, you will not be able to cross the stage and have your name read for both degrees. Instead, you will need to select the single degree that you would like to walk under at the ceremony and indicate your selection during the registration process. Even though you may only have your name announced once at Commencement, you will still be listed for both degrees in the Commencement program and on screen when you cross the stage.

To be eligible for participation in an upcoming commencement ceremony, the student's official degree audit must indicate that the student is on course to satisfactorily complete all degree requirements by the required session (indicated below), of that academic year or sooner.

• Winter Commencement – On course to complete by Spring Session II
• Summer Commencement – On course to complete by Summer Session II

This is verified by the Academic Advisor and indicated by the expected graduation date on the student's degree audit.

Students that will complete their coursework in Fall I session or later, may not participate in Commencement this academic year and will need to wait until the following academic year to participate. Future ceremony dates will be announced periodically, so we encourage our students who do not meet this year's eligibility requirements to check the website periodically, so they can submit a Commencement Interest form for a future ceremony.

Participation in the commencement ceremony involves a two-step process:

1. Submit the "Commencement Interest" form to receive approval of eligibility.
2. Submit the "RSVP Ticket" form to register and to secure tickets for your guests.

Please review the Eligibility and Participation page for specific dates for this year's ceremonies.

Graduates who were eligible in a previous year but were unable to participate in their commencement can request to participate this year by emailing commencement@umassglobal.edu. Please provide your name, student ID, student email address, and the degree for which you would like to participate in commencement.

Requests for the 2025 Winter Commencement received after September 29, 2025, or for the 2025 Summer Commencement received after February 25, 2026, will not have their name in the printed program. Please note, graduates can only participate in commencement one time over their lifetime, per degree earned from our university.

Students do not need to apply for degree conferral. Conferral is the result of the official program evaluation from Degree Works, reflecting all requirements as complete. Once your degree progress bar indicates 100% completion, your record will be flagged for processing. The degree conferral date is final and will not be backdated. Each conferral is subject to a seven-day validation. Please visit the Degree Conferral page on the Student portal.

No. Registering for Commencement is a separate process from obtaining a printed diploma. Once your DegreeWorks progress bar indicates 100% completion, the record will be flagged for processing. Students will then receive an email confirming degree conferral. Next, the student should pay the Conferral Fee in Self-Service and ensure all holds are cleared. Once paid and holds are fully cleared, students can complete the Diploma Form. We ask our students to allow 6-8 weeks for processing and delivery of diplomas after form submission is complete. Please visit the Degree Conferral page on the Student portal for more information and to submit your form.

University of Massachusetts Global diplomas (and Brandman diplomas requested August 2024 and after) are 8.5" x 11" diploma size. 

The university's conferral fee is not related to commencement ceremonies or participation.

The conferral fee, due upon completion of course requirements, covers the validation of your degree, as well as the printing and shipping your diploma and an official transcript. The conferral fee will need to be paid for students to begin the diploma process.

Once your DegreeWorks progress bar indicates 100% completion, the record will be flagged for processing. Students will then receive an email confirming degree conferral. Next, the student should pay the Conferral Fee in Self-Service and ensure all holds are cleared. Once paid and holds are fully cleared, students can complete the Diploma Form. We ask our students to allow 6–8 weeks for processing and delivery of diplomas after form submission is complete. Degree Conferral page on the Student portal for more information and to submit your form.

Once your degree is conferred, conferral fee paid and any holds cleared, you will be able to complete and submit a diploma form. The diploma and an official transcript will be mailed to the address you provide on your diploma form. You should expect to receive your diploma by U.S. mail within 6–8 weeks. For more information, please visit the Degree Conferral page on the Student portal.

If you are receiving your undergraduate degree, your regalia consists of a black gown, mortarboard cap, and tassel. There are also UMass Global, Military, Veteran, Kente, and Serape stoles available for purchase, but they are completely optional.

If you are receiving your master’s degree, your regalia consists of a black master’s gown, mortarboard cap, tassel, and a master’s hood. The hood will have blue and red lining and degree specific binding (velvet). When ordering a master’s regalia set, students will select their degree program name to receive the correct color hood. To confirm the master's hood color received matches your degree, you may view our easy reference chart.

If you are receiving your doctoral degree, your regalia consists of a doctoral gown with velvet panels and bars, velvet tam with attached gold tassel and doctoral hood with blue and red lining and degree-specific binding (velvet). For doctoral regalia only, graduates will have the option to rent or purchase their commencement attire. If choosing to rent, your gown will be black with black velvet trimmings. If choosing to purchase custom UMass Global regalia, your gown will be black with blue velvet trimmings, gold piping, and the UMass Global logo.

If you have any questions regarding your regalia or announcements order, please contact Oak Hall directly at 1-540-387-0000. The university will not be able to assist you with your Oak Hall order.

No. The stole is an optional item for your Commencement attire and is not recommended for Masters or Doctoral graduates.

Stoles and other regalia accessories are optional and not required to participate in commencement. The regalia guidelines for the university are that we permit students to order the regalia accessories provided by our exclusive regalia vendor, Oak Hall. This vendor offers an assortment of stoles, including UMass Global, Military, Veteran, Kente, and Serape options available for purchase on their website.

Official student groups and honor societies are also permitted to order stoles or cords from their governing organization, if available for purchase. A list of Student Organizations is available on the Student Portal. Please reach out to the group directly to inquire if there are any stoles or cords offered by the governing organization.

No other regalia accessories are permitted at commencement. Please do not order custom stoles from a third-party website or vendor. See Honor Cords FAQ for more information on that topic.

Only Bachelor candidates are eligible for Latin honors and honor cords. Purchasing or wearing honor cords at commencement does not guarantee that the student will earn Latin honors, which are determined at the time of degree conferral.

To be eligible for Latin honors, the student must have a UMass Global grade point average and cumulative grade point average, including all transfer work, at or above the specific honors category. A minimum of 33 credits must be UMass Global coursework taken for a letter grade. Categories of honors are cum laude (3.500–3.699 GPA); magna cum laude (3.700–3.899 GPA); and summa cum laude (3.900+ GPA).

For students who have met these requirements at the completion of their program, they may purchase honor cords when ordering regalia if they wish to.

For students who have not completed their program requirements, but would like to wear honor cords at commencement, please work with your Academic Advisor to determine if you are on course to complete your degree with Latin Honors. Any students who have not completed their program requirements and are on course to graduate with Latin Honors, may purchase an honors cord set when ordering regalia, if they wish to.

Please view your academic catalog or contact your Academic Advisor for any questions you may have.

No. Regalia will not be available for purchase at your ceremony. Regalia should be ordered far ahead of your ceremony date, as it can take upwards of 5–9 weeks to process and ship, depending on your degree level. There are order deadlines specific to your ceremony location and degree level, which allow enough time for your items to arrive in time for your ceremony. Please order early and open your packages as soon as they arrive to ensure your order was fulfilled correctly. If you have any questions regarding your regalia purchase, please contact Oak Hall customer service at +1 (540) 387-0000.

The university will not have extra regalia or items for sale on the day of your ceremony. Visit the Cap and Gown page for deadlines specific to your degree and ceremony location.

We recommend that you watch this instructional video to learn how to properly wear your cap and gown at commencement. Photos of the items are available on the ordering website and shown in the video.

Due to the varied flooring at Commencement (grass, ramps, stage, and possible stairs) and the length of time graduates will be standing in the lineup area and procession, it is recommended that graduates wear sensible shoes. For ladies, flats or wedge style shoes with low heels are recommended. Tall heels can become a trip hazard and dangerous with the varied flooring grads will experience.

Ticket allotments are based on the size of the graduating class in each ceremony and the seating capacity of the venue. Allotments will be shared via university email with graduating students prior to RSVPs opening and may be available on the Registration and Tickets page.

Guest tickets are required for admission to our Commencement ceremonies. Seating will be first come, first served. Tickets will be distributed to student emails the Tuesday prior to the ceremony. Children under the age of 2 who will sit on the lap of an adult during the entire ceremony do not require a ticket. All other guests will need a ticket to attend the ceremony.

*Tickets are not guaranteed, and the event is subject to change.

Children under the age of 2 who will sit on the lap of an adult during the entire ceremony do not require a ticket. All other guests will need a ticket to attend the ceremony, regardless of their age and willingness to sit on an adult's lap.

During registration, students will have the opportunity to add phonetic pronunciation information for their name. Additionally, students will hear an AI-generated pronunciation, which they can approve or reject up to 3 times. If the AI-generated pronunciation doesn’t meet your liking, you would then be prompted to record yourself saying your name, which will be provided to our professional voice artists as a point of reference when they record your name for the ceremony. Please speak clearly and slowly, so the voice artist has as much information on how you would like your name pronounced as possible. Note, if you approve the AI-generated pronunciation, this will be the exact audio played when you cross the stage.

If you are interested in attending a future commencement, please email commencement@umassglobal.edu to make your request. Sharing this information with the university will help us to better plan for our ceremonies in the future and ensure you will be invited next year. Note, you will need to complete a new Commencement Interest form for the future ceremony when it becomes available.

If you are not interested in attending this year's ceremony or any future ceremonies, then no action is needed on your part.

The Commencement Interest form is not an RSVP for commencement. If approved before the deadline, your name will be included in the printed program, you will receive additional information about commencement, and the opportunity to register for tickets. For more information on Commencement Eligibility and the deadline to submit your Commencement Interest form, please visit the Eligibility and Participation website.

If you are undecided, it is recommended that you complete the Commencement Interest form, with the option to RSVP later and have your name in the printed program.

If you truly do not plan to attend commencement, you do not need to complete the Commencement Interest form. However, your name will not be included in the printed program, you will be excluded from continuing to receive information about commencement and not have the opportunity to register.

If you are interested in attending a future commencement, please email commencement@umassglobal.edu to make your request. Sharing this information with the university will help us to better plan for our ceremonies in the future and ensure you will be invited next year.

Graduating students interested in attending one of our upcoming commencements should begin by submitting the Commencement Interest form. Once your form is approved, you will later receive an invitation to register and secure guest tickets.

Specific deadline dates for the upcoming ceremony are listed on the Eligibility and Participation page. Please check back periodically for future ceremony information.