Commencement Checklist

Commencement consists of ten residential college ceremonies, the Graduate Division ceremony, and two celebrations - Baskin School of Engineering and Chicanx/Latinx. 

All eligible graduates received an email via their @ucsc.edu address on April 1, 2024, to register in Marching Order. Commencement registration closes May 13, at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

PREPARING FOR COMMENCEMENT: Please arrive one hour before the event start time. The processional will begin 15 minutes before the event start time. 

What to bring:

• Commencement parking permit (if parking) 

• GradPass (printed or on a smartphone). The commencement stoles have a pocket! So you can carry your phone and a few other essentials in your regalia. We encourage you to leave other personal belongings at home or with your guests. 

Check-in will take place at the East Gym, please enter using the gates at the basketball courts or on the service road between the tennis courts and swimming pool. 

At the East Gym, your GradPass will be checked and you will line up with your fellow graduates to prepare for the processional. We encourage you to line up with your friends if you want to sit with them during the ceremony.  

Visit the TAPS Commencement website for detailed parking & transportation information.  

PARKING: The only designated parking for Commencement is located at East Remote Parking (Lot 104). A commencement permit is required. Click here for a commencement-specific parking map. 

All graduates will be eligible to collect one free parking permit per ceremony/celebration. There will be a limited number of additional parking permits available for sale at the event for $25.

Students who have not picked up their complimentary permit should check in at the event in the East Remote Lot.

PROHIBITED ITEMS: Signs and Banners, Umbrellas, Pets (ADA service animals are allowed), Drones, Confetti, Noise-Makers, Balloons, Alcohol, Smoking, or Other Drugs. 

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: UC Santa Cruz is committed to making all of its programs and services accessible to students, campus employees, and members of the public. If students or guests need accommodations, the student must include this information when registering to participate. 

SUSTAINABILITY: UC Santa Cruz is deeply committed to sustainability and strives to reduce the amount of waste we generate and compost and recycle materials instead of sending them to landfills. For Commencement 2024, we're guiding to help support campus sustainability and zero waste goals.

4. TAKE THE FIRST DESTINATION SURVEY

Your UCSC Google account will remain active for one year after you leave UC Santa Cruz, however, the storage limits are changing. Take the following action before July 1, 2024:

1. Check storage: If over 10 GB, proceed to the next step.
2. Reduce storage: Remove files in Drive and emails/attachments in Gmail.
3. Move Google content to a personal Google account. 
4. Safely Delete Unneeded Content in Google Photos.

Keep an eye on your UCSC email inbox because 3 months before your Google account expires, you'll receive detailed instructions explaining how to request to keep your UCSC Gmail account active beyond one year. 

Be sure to review the Google Services for Alumni webpage about what services are available to you as an alum. You will need to make a plan for transferring your Google Drive, email, and other Google content to a non-UCSC account post-graduation.

ONCE A SLUG, ALWAYS A SLUG