CONGRATULATIONS HIGHLANDERS!

Class of 2023

Class of 2023: Important Commencement Information!

Dear UCR Student:

Attending commencement is a big achievement and we understand that you may have a lot of questions about where to go and what to do when you arrive for this momentous occasion. Here’s what you need to know! Please thoroughly read through the important Commencement instructions and information below.

Graduate Parking, Arrival and Check-In:

Graduates should plan to arrive and park at Toyota Arena Lot F 1 hour and 30 minutes prior to your ceremony start time. Graduates must check-in at the Toyota Arena loading dock 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to your ceremony start time.

The Graduate Parking Pass you received with your tickets provides complimentary parking for one vehicle per graduate in Lot F. Your parking pass is only valid for the ceremony you are registered to participate in and will NOT be valid for other ceremony dates and times.

Once parked in Lot F, please cross the street to Gate D to the Toyota Arena loading dock where you will check-in, receive your name card that will be scanned when you cross the stage, and follow Commencement Staff instructions on how you will be lined up. Graduates who are eligible for Latin honors and unofficial honors will receive their honors medal at check-in.

Toyota Arena Map
Toyota Arena Map

To ensure everyone’s safety, all graduates entering the arena are subject to a metal detector screening by way of walk-thru Magnetometer and/or Wand, visual inspection, and bag inspection conducted by Toyota Arena Security personnel.

Doors Open for Guest Seating:

Doors will open for guest seating 1 hour prior to your ceremony.

To ensure everyone’s safety, all guests entering the arena are subject to a metal detector screening by way of walk-thru Magnetometer and/or Wand, visual inspection, and bag inspection conducted by Toyota Arena Security personnel.

For safety reasons, guests will be refused entry if they are in possession of prohibited items. All entry constitutes consent to search. Illegal items will be confiscated and turned over to the police. If a guest is found inside the venue with a prohibited item, the item will be confiscated, and the guest may be ejected from the facility.

Please visit the Toyota Arena website for the complete list of prohibited items and further details on Arena policies to ensure efficient entry for your guests.

Guest Tickets and Seating:

Tickets are required for entrance to all UCR Commencement ceremonies and may only be scanned once for admittance. Seating for all ceremonies is on a first-come, first-served basis. Saving seats is not allowed, so please have your guests plan accordingly. Children under 2 do not need a ticket but will need to remain on a parent’s lap for the duration of the ceremony.

Seating is on a first-come, first-served and is NOT assigned, so please let your guests know that they can disregard the seat number on their tickets. Tickets guarantee entry and seating for one guest per ticket.

No additional tickets are available for UCR Commencement ceremonies, so please plan accordingly. All UCR Commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed to YouTube for loved ones to tune in! Livestream links will be added to the Commencement homepage by Friday, June 16.

Guest Parking:

Guests can park in any open Toyota Arena parking lot. The parking fee for guests is $10 per vehicle so please have your guests consider carpooling. Please note, Toyota Arena parking attendants accept major credit cards; MasterCard, VISA, American Express and Discover. Cash will NOT be accepted.

Disabled parking spaces are available in each parking lot.

For more information on parking, please visit the Toyota Arena parking guide.

Guest Accessibility Accommodations:

Find accessibility details on the Toyota Arena website. For ADA requests and inquires please reach out to the Toyota Arena Guest Services Manager, Josh Salcedo: JSalcedo@toyota-arena.com.

Concessions:

At least one Toyota Arena concession stand will be open for all UCR Commencement ceremonies with food and beverage available for purchase for guests. Outside food and beverage are not permitted inside the arena. Exceptions may be made for medical reasons. Please have your guests inform the Security Officer checking their bag if this is the case.

Tell Us Your Plans After Graduation!

You've made it to graduation, but what's your next destination? Tell us your next step now!

Please note, the link will only be live to graduating students within their final quarter before graduation and 6 months after graduation.


UCR Gold Ray of Light (Icon)

Commencement 2023

Welcome to the official website for UC Riverside's 69th Commencement.

If you are a graduating student, congratulations on your achievement! You have worked hard to get to this point in your life and UC Riverside is honored to have been part of your journey.

Making this day a memorable occasion for you and your proud family members and friends is very important to UC Riverside, so we have developed this website for everything Commencement.

We will continue to update the website with Commencement 2023 deadlines and information so please check back periodically and stay updated. 

View Frequently Asked Questions

 


Getting Started

Step 1: Apply to Graduate

If you are a UC Riverside student who graduated Fall 2022 or are expected to graduate in Winter 2023 or Spring 2023, you are eligible to participate in the Class of 2023 Commencement. If you expect to graduate Summer 2023, you may be approved to participate if you submit your Summer graduation application by the early deadline of Monday, April 10.

In order to graduate from UCR, all students must submit a graduation application via R'Web. In addition to this, Bachelor's degree students in CHASS and School of Business must also complete your College graduation application.

For Advanced degree candidates and Teaching Credential candidates, please complete the appropriate paperwork on time and receive approval from the Graduate Division and Teacher Education Program office.

For instructions on how to file your graduation application, please visit the Registrar's Guide to Graduation Website.

Step 2: Check out our Class of 2023 Commencement checklist to stay on track with the various requirements and deadlines relating to your participation

Review your respective Class of 2023 Graduation Checklist for deadlines relating to the Intent to Participate form, and other important information regarding Commencement participation. Please check out your respective checklist and mark your calendars with important dates and deadlines to ensure you are staying on track to participate in Commencement!

Step 3: Submit your Intent to Participate form and order your Guest Tickets starting Monday, April 17

The Intent to Participate form confirms that you will be participating in the Class of 2023 Commencement. The form will open on Monday, April 17, and login and instructions will be e-mailed to eligible students that afternoon.

It is important to submit your Intent to Participate by the following deadlines to ensure that you can order the maximum number of tickets for your ceremony:

  • For M.D., Ph.D., and M.F.A. candidates participating in Commencement June 2 - June 3: Friday, May 12 at 5:00 p.m.
  • For Bachelor's, Master's, and Teacher Credential Candidates participating in Commencement June 20 - June 22: Friday, May 26 at 5:00 p.m.

All graduates are guaranteed a minimum of eight (8) complimentary tickets for your Commencement ceremony. Please note that the maximum number of tickets available vary by ceremony and ticket ordering is not on a first-come, first-served basis.

Eligible graduates who submit their Intent to Participate form by the deadlines above are guaranteed the maximum number of tickets for their ceremony. Please note, if your Intent to Participate form is submitted after the deadline, you may not be able to order the maximum number of tickets for your specific ceremony and your Preferred First and Last Name will be pre-recorded and displayed as you cross the stage.

The exact number of maximum tickets for each ceremony will be announced in early April prior to the Intent to Participate launch.

Step 4: Let us know your plans after graduation!

You've made it to graduation, but what's your next destination? Tell us your next step now!

Please note, this link will only be live to graduating students within their final quarter before graduation and six months after.

Schedule of Ceremonies

Friday, June 2, 2023 

 6:00 p.m.

School of Medicine - Commencement / Hippocratic Oath Ceremony 
M.D. degree recipients
Location: Student Recreation Center North, main gymnasium

 


Saturday, June 3, 2023

 9:00 a.m.

Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony
All Ph.D. degree and M.F.A. degree candidates
Location: Student Recreation Center North, main gymnasium

 


Tuesday, June 20, 2023

 8:00 a.m.

College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Group 1
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates in the departments of Biology and Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
Location: Toyota Arena

 

 1:00 p.m.

College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Group 2
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates in the departments of Biochemistry, Chemistry, Data Science, Earth Sciences, Entomology, Environmental Sciences, Geology, Geophysics, Mathematics, Mathematics for Secondary Teachers, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Physics, Plant Biology, and Statistics
Location: Toyota Arena

 

 6:00 p.m.

Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates 
Location: Toyota Arena

 


Wednesday, June 21, 2023

 8:00 a.m.

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) Group 1 
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates to select preferred ceremony date/time on a first-come, first-served basis through the Intent to Participate form
Location: Toyota Arena

 

 1:00 p.m.

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) Group 2
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates to select preferred ceremony date/time on a first-come, first-served basis through the Intent to Participate form
Location: Toyota Arena

 

 6:00 p.m.

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) Group 3
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates to select preferred ceremony date/time on a first-come, first-served basis through the Intent to Participate form
Location: Toyota Arena

 


Thursday, June 22, 2023

 8:00 a.m.

School of Education and School of Public Policy
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates and Teacher Credential candidates
Location: Toyota Arena

 

 1:00 p.m.

School of Business
Master's and Bachelor's degree candidates
Location: Toyota Arena
For more information on the School of Business Ceremony and Reception, please visit the School of Business website.

 

Sign the Class of 2023 Yearbook

  • Who can post? Everyone is invited to submit a message — students (continuing/graduating), faculty, staff, friends, and family.
  • What should I post? Students can share their UCR journey or say thanks to their support systems, and everyone can say congrats to graduating students.
  • Why should I post? Document this milestone and share your thoughts with the Highlander family! Select messages will be featured on the jumbotron at the 2023 Toyota Arena Commencement ceremonies.
  • When should I post? Only messages submitted by May 26, 2023, will be considered for the jumbotron but the digital yearbook will be open indefinitely.

Sign Here! ›

Show Your Support for the UCR Class of 2023!

Honor your graduate or show support for the Class of 2023 by displaying a custom lawn sign in your yard. Choose one to print at home or send to a local vendor to celebrate our graduating Highlanders!

Participant Information

UC Riverside graduates celebrating

Candidates for Graduation

Includes Commencement participation information, and candidate checklists to ensure that all requirements and deadlines are met to participate in Commencement.

Get Started ›

Faculty participation at UCR Commencement

Faculty Participation

Information and registration form for all ladder-rank faculty, adjunct professors, visiting faculty, lecturers, and supervisors of teacher education who wish to participate in Commencement.

Get Started ›

Commencement at UC Riverside

Commencement Staffing

Information and registration for UCR Commencement staff assisting in the administration of the event.

Get Started ›

 

#UCRGrad23