Commencement FAQ

Fall Commencement: Graduates will check in at the front of the arena (Truxtun Ave. side)

Spring Commencement: Graduates will check in at the northwest gate of the Main Soccer Field behind the Student Recreation Center. Graduates may park in Lot K if coming separate from your guests.

Students who are eligible to participate in commencement will receive a letter to register for commencement. Deadlines to apply are on the Office of the Registrar's graduation webpage.

If a student misses the deadline to submit their graduation application, the form will default to the next graduation term. It is the student's responsibility to email graduation@csub.edu to inform the evaluators their intent to graduate is the current term.

Students will have completed a graduation application through the link provided on their myCSUB student portal and pay the required fee.

The evaluations team will respond via CSUB email to the student if the application was approved or denied. Denied applications will need to be followed up with the evaluations office as soon as possible in order to be re-instated to the commencement eligibility list. Graduates will email their evaluator or graduation@csub.edu for questions.

Final list of eligible graduates will be submitted by the Registrar's Office to the Commencement office the Friday prior to the first day to RSVP to participate in the commencement ceremony. 

Students are responsible to to ensure the correct graduation term is listed in myCSUB to be included on the eligible graduates list.

Fall Commencement

`Runner Grad Day

This is a time to purchase your cap and gown, take portraits with our professional photographer (no fee for the portrait sitting), check out the Class of 2023 Grad t-shirt, decorate your cap, and talk with the commencement office staff. 

• Antelope Valley Campus - Wednesday, October 11, noon - 6pm, Student Lounge
• Bakersfield Campus - Thursday, October 12, 11am - 6pm, Student Union Multi-Purpose Room

After `Runner Grad Day:

• Online purchases will begin October 13 and ends on November 22. 
• In-person at the CSUB Bookstore (Bakersfield campus only) from the day after 'Runner Grad Day until the day before commencement.

Spring Commencement

`Runner Grad Day

This is a time to purchase your cap and gown, take portraits with our professional photographer (no fee for the portrait sitting), check out the Class of 2023 Grad t-shirt, decorate your cap, and talk with the commencement office staff. 

• Antelope Valley Campus - Wednesday, March 6, 2024, noon - 6pm, Student Lounge
• Bakersfield Campus - Thursday, March 7, 2024, 11am - 6pm, Student Union Multi-Purpose Room

After `Runner Grad Day:

• Online purchases will be available beginning Friday, March 8 and ends Thursday, April 25. Link will be available on the commencement webpage by clicking on the image RSVP and ‘Runner Grad Day; and

• In-person purchases at the CSUB Bookstore until Friday, May 3 or until sold out.*

*The CSUB Bookstore receives a limited stock of cap and gown items. Graduates should purchase as early as possible.

Students are welcome to decorate their cap. Cap decorum must be tasteful and respectful.

Yes, students' names will be read out loud as they cross the stage.

Students must RSVP to confirm the name that will be announced at the ceremony. 

Students will have the opportunity to view their name to be read and to record on how it is to be pronounced during the RSVP process. This will assist the person who records the graduates' names.

Diploma Name
The Commencement Office doesn't make changes to the name printed on the diplomas. If a graduate wants a different name printed on their diploma than when they originally submitted their graduation application, email graduation@csub.edu to make the name change. 

For each commencement, guest tickets vary based on the number of graduates and how many RSVP. Graduates should refer to their ceremony for the number of tickets that will be issued.

All guests four years and older are required to have a guest ticket to enter the venue.

Guests three years and younger are considered lap children and do not require a guest ticket to enter the venue.

Fall Commencement

• Parking is in the arena parking structure or street parking.
• A limited number of disabled parking spaces are located in front of the arena.

Spring Commencement

• Parking is available in all campus lots.
• Disabled parking is available in lot I.

Honors are awarded to undergraduate students only who have completed at least 40 letter-graded units of resident credit at CSUB as part of their baccalaureate program. Honors status is determined by your GPA. Both CSUB and overall GPA must meet the GPA criteria indicated below. Students may locate their GPA in the student portal. The Commencement Office does not have access to students' GPAs.

Students may check their myCSUB transcript for GPA information and calculate their expected grades for the current term to determine honors status.

There is only one honors cord, which is gold. Students may purchase an honors cord when they purchase their regalia. 

Both the CSUB GPA and Overall GPA must meet the GPA requirements indicated below. 

• Summa cum laude: 3.9 to 4.0 GPA
• Magna cum laude: 3.6 to 3.89 GPA
• Cum laude: 3.3 to 3.59 GPA

Fall Graduates - Students who finish their degree required courses by the fall term and have an active graduation application on file at the Office of the Registrar are eligible candidates to participate in the fall commencement.

Spring Graduates - Students who finish their degree required courses in the spring term and have an active graduation application on file at the Office of the Registrar will be eligible candidates to participate in the spring commencement 

Summer Graduates - Summer graduates are eligible to participate in the fall or spring commencements. Summer graduates who want to participate in the spring commencement must be enrolled in their summer courses to be eligible to walk and submit their unofficial transcript showing their enrolled summer courses on the transcript to the commencement office by Thursday, May 8. 

If a student changes their grad check application to a different term, the student will be removed from the eligibility list and the Commencement Office will notify the student via email of their ineligibility to participate in commencement.

In an effort to make commencement a pleasant experience for all guests and participants, the following items are prohibited at commencement:

• Purses, backpacks, and totes (Clear backpacks/purses are acceptable)
• Umbrellas
• Air horns
• Noise makers
• Signs
• Balloons
• Beach balls
• Outside food/drinks. Exception: Formula and/or food for infants, toddlers, and for medical needs.
• Camera tripods
• Selfie sticks
• Alcohol
• Illegal drugs/narcotics
• Fireworks
• Firearms/weapons
• Smoking, vaping and other tobacco-related products. CSUB is a smoke-free campus.

Violation of these rules will result in removal from the venue.

Students who have special requests can email commencement@csub.edu.

Yes, all commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed. To view the livestream, visit the Commencement Live page.

All ceremonies are posted on the CSUB YouTube channel under the Live tab on YouTube CSUB.

Diplomas are mailed to graduates 4-6 weeks after final grades post. 

If you want to pick up your diploma, indicate "pick-up" on your application for graduation. If you arrange for someone to pick up your diploma, he/she must have written authorization from you, and provide proper identification.

Yes, summer graduates can participate in spring commencement if they are enrolled in their summer courses before the commencement RSVP deadline.

Students who have submitted a summer 2025 graduation application will be emailed the process to participate in spring 2025 commencement which includes:

1. Summer graduates must RSVP to participate by the deadline of April 22 by 10pm.
2. Summer graduates will enroll in their summer courses.
   • Summer course enrollment opens April 28.
3. Students will submit their unofficial academic transcript from myCSUB which shows their enrolled summer courses to commencement@csub.edu by May 8 by 10pm.

Minors are not part of commencement. Only full degree majors.

Minors will show on your academic transcript and printed on your diploma.