Ceremony Information

Graduate Information

PARKING AND BUILDING ENTRY 

• Parking permits are not required for Commencement and parking is free on campus for our ceremonies. Follow all road directional signs and University Police officers—they will get you where you need to be!

• Ceremonies are held at the Yuengling Center on the Tampa campus. Doors open 60 minutes prior to the start of each undergraduate and master's ceremony and 90 minutes prior to the start of each doctoral ceremony.

• All persons entering the Yuengling Center, including graduates, are subject to bag check and metal detector screening.

• All graduates must enter through the Corral which is located near Gate A at the southwest corner of the Yuengling Center. Once inside the Corral, students will be directed to the appropriate check-in table to pick up their reader card. Please see map, below for additional information.

  • Bachelor’s and master’s students will then proceed down to the arena floor. Students will be seated with their college (not alphabetically by name) so you may sit with your friends who are in the same college as you as long as you arrive to the arena floor together.

    • Bachelor’s and master’s students must arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to the start of their ceremony. Failure to do so may result in you being delayed from participating in the ceremony and missing your name being announced.

  • Doctoral students will join their hooding faculty and receive hooding and processional instructions.
    • Doctoral students must arrive no later than 60 minutes prior to the start of their ceremony. Failure to do so may result in you being delayed from participating in the ceremony and missing being part of the processional and having your name announced while you are hooded on stage.

SHUTTLE MAP

Bull Runner shuttles are provided for guests that are NOT parked in Lots 22D, 22E, 22F, and 18.

GUEST TICKETS AND SEATING INFORMATION

• No tickets are required for your family/friends and you can invite as many people as you want.
• Accessible seating is available in the Yuengling Center for those with mobility devices and those with limited mobility. This seating is available on a first come, first served basis and cannot be reserved in advance.
• Section 113 is reserved for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing as this section provides a clear view to the ASL interpreters in front of the stage. Please note that section 113 is reserved only for the first 30 minutes after doors have opened—once 30 minutes has elapsed the section is open for general admission. There will also be a link to live captioning on the USF Commencement Program webpage. 
• Guests are encouraged to enter Gates B, C or D. 
• The suggested dress code for guests is business casual. 

CEREMONY INFORMATION

• Only graduates and Commencement staff/volunteers are permitted on the arena floor and in graduate areas.
• Students who choose to participate in Commencement are required to wear official USF regalia while crossing the stage. Graduates are encouraged to wear business casual attire under their regalia. USF regalia is institutionally-recognized cap, gown, tassel, and hood, as well as stoles, cords, sashes, and medallions related to USF academic and athletic accomplishments. Except to accommodate a disability, students will not be permitted to wear or carry adornments or other personal items on to the stage.
• Commencement is a time for you and your fellow graduates to celebrate your achievements. Please be aware the USF Student Code of Conduct remains in effect at the ceremony and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated as we do not want to distract from other graduates and their own celebration. Any person in violation of the Code of Conduct and/or who disrupts, distracts, or otherwise interferes with the ceremony will be subject to removal from the Yuengling Center and the ceremony. 
• By attending Commencement graduates consent to being photographed and to the recording of and use of their name, voice and likeness by USF and its licensees for advertising, publicity and any other purposes in any and all media in perpetuity and without any right of approval. If graduates do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please do not attend.
• The national anthem will be performed at the beginning of the ceremony—we ask that all graduates who are able please remove your cap for the duration of the song.
• Graduates will have formal photos taken after they cross the stage by GradImages; you will be emailed proofs a few days after Commencement which are available for you to purchase if you wish.
• Each undergraduate and master's ceremony will last approximately 90 minutes. Doctoral ceremonies are approximately 2 hours. Students are not allowed to leave early and for the consideration of others, we ask that guests stay the entire duration, as well. 
• Once the ceremony has concluded all graduates will be directed out of the Yuengling Center through the Corral the same way they entered the building—inform your family/friends of this to make for an easier reunification process.
• Academic regalia is required to participate in Commencement. Formal military uniforms may be worn in lieu of academic regalia.
• Every graduate and guest will be able to access the online commencement brochure via QR codes throughout the venue. Regardless of whether or not your name appears in the online program, if you attend a ceremony your name will be announced.
• Our ceremonies will be livestreamed from the university’s YouTube channel. Students must attend the ceremony in order for their name to be announced.
• Diplomas are not handed out at Commencement—students will be mailed their diplomas approximately six to eight weeks after the end of the semester. Questions about diplomas should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.

Venue Information

To help ensure your safety, Yuengling Center has strict security measures designed to help all guests have a safe and enjoyable experience while attending an event at Yuengling Center.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  Your safety is always the first concern.

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