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UC Riverside

CHASS Student Academic Affairs

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Commencement

Commencement Information

Commencement Information

Congratulations on the completion of your degree! If you are a UC Riverside student graduating in Fall 2025, Winter 2026 or Spring 2026, you are eligible to participate in the Class of 2026 Commencement ceremony, scheduled for June 2026. If you expect to graduate Summer 2026, you may be approved to participate if you submit your Summer graduation application by the early Summer application deadline (April 6th, 2026). 

Though students must be qualified graduation candidates to participate in Commencement, Commencement participation does not equate to graduation. Please check the status of your graduation application. If you have any concerns please check in with your advisor to confirm that you have met graduation requirements.

Information about Commencement is usually sent to graduates beginning in April via UCR email. Please review the 2026 Commencement Checklist for Bachelor's Degree Candidates to make sure you meet all of the requirements to participate in Commencement.

Lived Name and Mailing Address: If you would like to update your Lived First Name, Middle Name, or Last Name or your mailing address for Commencement purposes, you are required to update your information in R'Web.

Friday, March 27, 2026:  Deadline to update your Lived First Name, Middle Name, or Last Name, and your mailing address in R'Web for Commencement. Please note, if your Intent to Participate form is not submitted by the deadline, your Lived First Name and Last Name will be pre-recorded and displayed as you cross the stage. 

For more information on how to update your preferred names, please visit the Registrar's website here.

Legal Name Change: If you would like to update your Legal Last Name, you are required to submit a "Change or Correction of Name Form" accompanied by required legal documentation.

Friday, March 27, 2026: Deadline to have your Legal Last Name changed in Banner in time for Commencement. Because this process can take several weeks, please begin this process early so that your record is updated in time. For more information on how to update your legal name and required legal documentation, please visit the Registrar's website here. 

Further information is available on the Commencement website.

  • If you are a UC Riverside student graduating in Fall 2024, Winter 2025 or Spring 2025, you are eligible to participate in the Class of 2025 Commencement ceremony. If you expect to graduate Summer 2025, you may be approved to participate if you submit your Summer graduation application by the early deadline (April 7, 2025). 

    • Students taking their remaining coursework off campus during the summer must submit proof of enrollment to their major advisor to be eligible to participate in the Spring Commencement. 

    Students who intend to complete graduation requirements in the Fall 2025 term (after Spring 2025 Commencement) are not eligible to participate in the Spring 2025 Commencement ceremony.  Students who are not eligible to participate in the current Spring Commencement Ceremony will be eligible for a future ceremony based on their graduation term.

  • As passed by the Academic Senate, the Honors categories are based on the Spring graduating class: the highest 2% receive Highest Honors, the next 4% receive High Honors, and the next 10% receive Honors.  Only those students who have met the GPA cut off and passed 60 or more quarter units of graded courses at the University of California are eligible to receive any category of honors upon graduation.

    Please remember that recognition of Honors at the Commencement Ceremony for Spring and Summer graduation candidates is based on unofficial data. The official determination (for transcript and diploma purposes) will be based upon the calculated grade point averages of the actual Spring graduates.

    Official honors designations for students who graduate in Spring 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Winter 2026, are officially based on the grade point average cutoffs listed below. These cutoffs will be used for unofficial honors designations at commencement for Spring 2026 and Summer 2026 graduates. The official grade point average cutoffs for the Spring 2026 and Summer 2026 graduates will be based on the calculated grade point averages of the actual Spring 2026 graduates and will be posted here by August 2026.

    HIGHEST HONORS 3.98
    HIGH HONORS  3.92
    HONORS  3.77

    *Note that if you are a double/triple major, honors eligibility and designation is based on your primary major college only. Cumulative GPA is used to determine eligibility for honors. 

  • Your diploma will be mailed directly to you at the permanent address listed in R’Web. Please make sure this address is up-to-date! You can change your permanent address by clicking on the “Personal Information” icon in R’Web.

    An email will be sent to your R’Mail account when your diploma has been shipped. This generally occurs 8-10 weeks after the quarter ends. Make sure that you forward your R’Mail to your personal email account so that you don’t miss the notice.

    Diplomas will not be mailed if there is an outstanding financial balance due. Log in to R’Web to view any holds you may have, their description, and who to contact to resolve the hold.  In most cases, the office that placed the hold is the only one that can release it.  If you have questions, we recommend contacting that office directly.  Contact the Registrar’s Office once you have cleared your holds to have your diploma mailed.