2017 Merrill Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, June 17
UCSC East Field at 9:30 AM

The Merrill Commencement ceremony is one of the finest of Merrill traditions and a joyful community celebration. Faculty, staff, and students are led in a procession to the East Field. The ceremony includes keynote and student speakers prior to the presentation of the graduates and the awarding of scrolls. The ceremony is followed by a reception for graduates and their guests at Merrill College.

Commencement vs. Graduation

Your college commencement ceremony and graduation from UCSC are two separate things.

At UCSC, graduation is the act of conferring an academic degree – receiving your degree or diploma.
 Commencement is a ceremony where you walk across the stage symbolizing the end of your undergraduate career.
Graduation and commencement have separate online processes and timelines:

Graduation
Apply to graduate (degree completion and diploma) the quarter in which you will be finishing your graduation requirements. DO NOT apply to graduate in Spring if you will be finishing your final graduation requirements in a subsequent quarter.

Apply to graduate via your Student Portal. There is more information about how to apply to graduate on the Registrar’s Office website.

Commencement
Register to walk in Merrill's Commencement by Friday, May 5th.

Apply to Graduate

Deadline - Friday, April 28th
You must apply to graduate with the Registrar's Office online via my.ucsc.edu. For complete instructions, go to the Registrar's Office website. You can check your eligibility before you apply. Be sure to consult with an academic advisor at your college if there are discrepancies, or if you have questions about graduation requirements.

Register for Commencement

Non-Merrill Affiliates Deadline - Friday, April 28th
Non-Merrill affiliated students must:
1) register to walk and
2) submit a Petition to Participate to the Merrill College Office

Affiliates Deadline - Friday, May 5th
Merrill-affiliated students need to register by the deadline to have your name printed in the program. Registrants after this date may not appear in the final Commencement program.

Commencement Rehearsal

Friday, June 16th @ 11:00 AM
East Field

Rehearsal lasts about 45 minutes. All graduates are asked to attend if you plan on participating in Commencement. Many departments have major celebrations during this time; if you attend one of these celebrations you may still participate in commencement, but are encouraged to connect with a friend who went to rehearsal to understand how commencement will run.

Parking Permits

Available: Wednesday, May 24th, 2017
Location: Merrill College Office, bring your student ID
Hours: 9:00am-Noon, 1:00 - 4:00pm

Each graduate receives 2 parking permits. Bring your student ID when you pick-up your parking passes. Cars displaying a Merrill Commencement parking pass will be directed to the East Remote parking lot. Public transportation and ride sharing is highly encouraged.  Guests may shuttle (or walk) to the ceremony site.

Disability Parking
You may exchange one (or both) of your standard commencement parking passes with a pass for the disability parking lot, as needed. Disability related accommodation for grads or guests, if it involves sign language interpretation, should be requested by the student by Friday, April 29th.

Students with C, R, MC, NC Permits
Academic year passes expire Friday, June 16. If you have one of these permits and are participating in commencement there will be a map released in late May of where you can park during commencement.

If you have any questions or concerns about this information, please give us a call (831) 459-3357. 

PLEASE NOTE:

• No pets, with the exception of service animals.
• No Drones - We ask that you and your family to not to bring drones to the commencement ceremony.
• No confetti cannons
• UCSC is a Smoke-Free campus