Frequently Asked Questions

• June 10th&11th, 2026 at 3 p.m.
• Murdock Stadium, El Camino College

 

Only students who are approved to participate in the commencement ceremony will be able to buy regalia.

 

Visit the Bookstore during Grad Gear Up on April 20th from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. for potential discounts!

Students can purchase regalia at the Bookstore from April 20th to June 11th. To try on sample gowns, visit the Bookstore's physical location. 

 

Regalia packages come with a cap, gown, and tassel.

Students can purchase regalia from April 20th to June 11th. To try on sample gowns, visit the Bookstore's physical location. 

Students who are graduating with honors (cumulative GPA of 3.5+) will automatically receive a gold tassel instead a blue tassel when placing their order.

Honors is determined at the time your intent to graduate was filed. All degree applicable courses will be used to determine the grade point average for a degree.  This includes courses that are not specifically used for major and general education requirements such as electives.  Should a course from an outside, regionally accredited institution be needed to meet major and/or general education requirements, all degree applicable courses from the official transcript will be included to determine the overall grade point average for the degree.

Students who take additional classes after the filing date cannot use those extra classes to change their status to honors.

Graduates must wear regalia in order to participate in the ceremony.

Graduates should arrive between 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm to give them enough time to park and walk to the North Gym

Wear flat shoes. High heels/spiked shoes/stilettos are NOT PERMITTED on the field due to safety concerns and damage to the artificial turf. 

If you wear high heels or spiked shoes or stilettos of any kind/height, you will not be allowed to participate.

If you have questions on footwear, please email [email protected].

 

The following items are not permitted into the stadium:

• No umbrellas
• No balloons
• No confetti cannons
• No air horns or loud noise makers

 

This is informing all graduates that the following will not permitted onto the field during graduation ceremony:

• No children
• No animals/pets

Graduates may park in student and accessible parking spaces for free. Please do not park in reserved, visitor, or staff parking.

We strongly recommend graduates park in F or H due to its close proximity to Murdock Stadium.

Students with disabilities can read more about accessible parking and services by going to our Accessibility Services page.

 

Graduates must view information video.

Also, a name card will be given to every graduate. This card will be given to a name reader and read aloud immediately before the graduate walks on stage.

When you go to the North Gym:

• Wear your regalia
• Wear comfortable shoes for the walk to and from the Stadium
• Leave all personal belongings (purses, flowers, etc.) with your family members

 

The seating arrangement will be determined at the North Gym the day of the ceremony.

Graduates are not seated alphabetically or by program. Feel free to sit with your friends!

 

Graduates will receive a name card during at the North Gym. They will fill out the phonetic spelling of their name on this card. Phonetic spelling instructions will be shown during the presentation.

During the commencement ceremony, graduates will line up beside the stage and give their name card to a name reader. The name reader will read their name aloud immediately before the graduate walks on stage to receive their diploma cover.

 

By entering the commencement event, you are entering an area where photography, as well as audio and video recording is occurring.

Your entry and presence on the event premises constitute your consent to be photographed, filmed, and otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media of your appearance, voice, and name, without compensation, for any purpose whatsoever in perpetuity.

If you do not wish to have your photograph taken, please do not remain on the event premises.

Photographs will be available for viewing after the event.

 

A diploma cover will be given to each graduate as they walk the stage. The graduate's degrees and/or certificate will not be in the diploma cover.

Graduates will receive an email that their degrees and/or certificates are ready for pickup in the admissions and records office. You can find their contact information at the bottom of the Graduation webpage.

 

Graduates and guests will walk to the Student Services Plaza after the ceremony. Take photos and celebrate the moment!

 

The Commencement Ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. and end around 5 p.m.

If you plan to celebrate at a restaurant after the ceremony, note that there will be long wait times when exiting the parking structures--a late dinner reservation may be best.

 

All students who submitted an Intent to Graduate petition can attend the Commencement Ceremony. However, students must pass all their required classes and provide transcripts from other institutions (if needed) in order to receive their degree/certificate.

Once a student has met all requirements, an Admissions Evaluator will contact them to let them know they've graduated.

Degrees and/or Certificates will be available for pick-up once the final evaluations for all have been completed for the term and accomplishments are posted to the transcripts.  You will be notified via the email you provided on your intent to graduate when they are ready for pick up.  You can find their contact information at the bottom of the Graduation webpage.

 

The date of Commencement was moved in order to accommodate holding two small ceremonies instead of one large ceremony. This decision was made to address concerns about overcrowding in the stadium at the 2025 Commencement Ceremony.

El Camino College is committed to holding a safe event for our students and their family and friends. By hosting two smaller ceremonies for approximately 600 students per event, guests in the stands will be able to gather comfortably. Students will also participate in a shorter ceremony by attending a smaller event.

 

Graduates should arrive between 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm to allow enough time to park and walk to the North Gym. The Commencement ceremony will start at 3 pm at Murdock Stadium.

 

Once students complete the Intent to Graduate form, they will get a separate email with the official RSVP link to register for the 2026 Commencement Ceremony. Participation is limited to a total of 1,200 graduates (600 each day) and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We strongly recommend submitting your RSVP promptly after receiving the invitation, as space is limited. Please note that attendees may only participate in one ceremony.

This form will allow student participants to register for the ceremony date and specify the number of guests they will bring along with details for the ceremony.

We are now accepting intents/petitions for Spring 2026. The deadline to file an Intent to Graduate for Spring 2026 is Friday, February 27, 2026 at 4:00 pm.

Intents submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed and will be automatically denied. Graduation intents will not be reviewed until after the filing period has ended.

You will receive an email from [email protected] once your intent has been evaluated.

 

No, students may attend only one ceremony to ensure that attendance in the stadium does not exceed capacity.

 

No, but when students complete the Commencement Ceremony Sign-Up Form and choose a ceremony date, they will be asked to select approximately how many guests they will be inviting (1–2, 3–4, or 5–6).

This pre-planning provides the college with a guest count to help ensure Murdock Stadium does not exceed capacity.

 

Academic Affairs will work with faculty members to adjust finals schedules to ensure no student is impacted by the new event dates.

 

No, each graduation ceremony follows the same steps to ensure the proper procedure is followed when conferring degrees.

 

Speakers will be announced as we get closer to the ceremony dates.

 

No, holding the event at a venue other than the El Camino College campus was cost prohibitive and inconvenient for our students.

 

Graduates should arrive between 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm to allow enough time to park and walk to the North Gym, where sign-in will be held for all student graduates. 

 

Regalia will be available for purchase in the Bookstore in early 2026. Announcements will be shared with students as this information is available.