Students

Graduates who are eligible for any other ceremony are also eligible to attend All Campus Commencement. All graduates are encouraged to attend All Campus Commencement to celebrate with peers, friends, family and faculty.

Registration for college commencements is open to undergraduate students with 135 units by the end of winter 2026 who are completing their degree in fall 2025, winter 2026, spring 2026, summer 2026 or fall 2026. For more information on how to file for your degree, visit this website.

Exceptions

If you choose to participate in an undergraduate college ceremony, you must attend your home college’s ceremony, unless you have a preapproved exception. Check the list below for possible exceptions.

If one of the circumstances below applies and you are unable to attend your college ceremony, you may request to participate in another college’s ceremony by filling out this exception request form or emailing commencement@ucsd.edu. This is called an “exception request.”

How to submit an exception request:

Please fill out the exception form to request an exception by midnight on Thursday, May 7, 2026. You will be asked to include the supporting documentation described below.

You will be notified of the committee’s decision via email. Supporting documents will be kept confidential and will be securely disposed of after a decision is made.

While awaiting your decision, we ask that you register with your home college. If you receive an exception, your registration will be updated to your requested college ceremony by the reviewing committee. Your request for a specific ceremony is based on availability and not guaranteed.

Exceptions considered by the committee:

• You have worked or lived in a college neighborhood other than your home college for two years.
  Provide documentation on campus letterhead from the Residential Life Office or college supervisor confirming the two-year period.
• You have served as a resident adviser, orientation leader or intern at a college other than your home college.
  Provide documentation on campus letterhead from the Dean of Student Affairs stating the college position you held.
• An immediate family member is graduating from an elementary, middle or high school, or a college or university at a time that conflicts with your home college’s ceremony.
  Provide documentation on official letterhead from the school’s principal or dean stating the date and time of the conflicting school’s graduation.
• Religious law prevents you from attending your home college’s commencement ceremony.
  Provide documentation on official organizational letterhead supporting the exception request.

Eligibility exception request:

If you do not have the 135 units that are required to participate in commencement by the end of winter 2026 or if you are requesting to participate in commencement in a different year in which you were previously eligible, you will need to submit an eligibility exception request. Please contact your college, either in person or via the VAC, to obtain the necessary documentation to submit your exception request to be considered for approval.

Registrations for the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs commencements are open to graduates who have completed their graduate degree in fall 2025, winter 2026, or who plan to complete in spring or summer 2026.

Registration for the Rady School of Management commencement is open to graduates who have completed their graduate degree in fall 2025, winter 2026, or who plan to complete in spring or summer 2026.

For more information, please visit the Rady School of Management website.

Registration for the School of Global Policy and Strategy commencement is open to graduates who have completed their degree requirements in the 2025-2026 academic year.

For more information, please visit the School of Global Policy and Strategy website.

For more information, please visit the School of Medicine website.

For more information, please visit the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences website.

Registration for the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health commencement is open to graduates who have completed their graduate degree in fall 2025, winter 2026, or who plan to complete in spring or summer 2026.

For more information, please visit the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health website.

International students requesting an invitation letter or VISA information can contact the International Services and Engagement Office.