Frequently Asked Questions

Graduation is the act of finishing all degree requirements as stated by your academic college, program department and/or advising office. This process is formally concluded by the approval of a graduation application completed by the graduating student.

University Commencement is a weekend of ceremonies held each May where the president of the University, the leadership of your academic college and the whole campus community comes together to recognize graduating students from the prior summer, fall and spring semesters to celebrate this accomplishment. Graduates are encouraged to invite family, friends and supporters to join in the festivities.

For graduating students: 

1. Apply to graduate. Students with an approved graduation application from summer 2023, fall 2023 or spring 2024 are eligible to participate in academic college ceremonies scheduled for Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18, 2024.
2. Confirm your ceremony date. Review the Commencement Schedule of Ceremonies webpage to learn the specific date and time of your academic college ceremony.
3. Check your email or the Commencement website for updates. Registration and details about your academic college ceremony are being planned by the office of the dean for your academic college and updates will be shared via email in the coming months. Keep an eye out for important Commencement communications!
4. Register for your college ceremony and/or affinity group celebration(s). Once you’ve registered for your college ceremony, you should be informed how many guests you may bring. Tickets are not required for academic college ceremonies held at the Save Mart Center. For affinity or department programs, please contact the ceremony coordinator.
5. Invite your guests and keep them updated. Please inform all guests attending in-person of the ceremony date and time and list of items not permitted in the event. If you have more guests than tickets (if applicable), or your guests choose not to attend in-person, a livestream of the ceremony will be available at commencement.fresnostate.edu.
6. Review the entry policies several days prior to the event. Please abide by all the masking and vaccination (or testing) policies for entry to the Save Mart Center and list of items not permitted in order to attend the event.

For guests:

• Speak with your graduating student. Confirm which academic college ceremony and/or affinity group celebration(s) they are participating in and, if applicable, that there are enough seats or tickets for you to attend in-person. The academic college ceremonies held in the Save Mart Center will be livestreamed at commencement.fresnostate.edu for guests who choose not to attend in-person.
• Review the entry policies several days prior to the event. Please abide by all the masking and vaccination (or testing) policies for entry to the Save Mart Center and list of items not permitted in order to attend the event.

Please note:

• For privacy reasons, individual information about students may not be disclosed or shared.
• Participation in Commencement ceremonies is optional and not attending any ceremonies has no bearing on a student earning their degree.

Tickets are not required for guests for academic college ceremonies in the Save Mart Center. Graduating students may need to register to participate in their college ceremony. You can confirm whether this is required for your college by visiting our College Ceremonies webpage. Once you are registered,  you will be informed how many guests you may bring if there is a limit.

For affinity or department graduation celebrations, please contact the ceremony coordinator for guest information.

College ceremonies will be livestreamed at commencement.fresnostate.edu for guests unable to attend an in-person ceremony. Recordings from the college ceremonies will be viewable online for a period of time.

For specific dates and time of the ceremonies, visit the Commencement Schedule webpage.

Participation in one of the Commencement ceremonies is optional for graduating students and tickets for guests may be required to attend. Please speak with your graduating student to confirm the following:

• whether they are participating in a ceremony
• which academic college they are graduating from, and,
• whether tickets are required to attend

Commencement ceremonies and affinity group celebrations may incorporate walking across a stage, reading graduates’ names aloud and/or having a printed program with graduates listed; however, this is determined by the ceremony organizer, such as the office of the dean for your respective academic college.

Dean’s Medalists and Doctoral candidates will be recognized during their respective college ceremony.

There will not be a central printed booklet containing the list of all graduating students. 

• For graduating students: contact the office of the dean for your academic college ceremony and/or the staff coordinator for your affinity group graduation celebration to request accommodations at least two weeks in advance of your ceremony date.
• For guests: please visit the Save Mart Center Accessibility webpage for information on the resources available to you.

All ceremonies held in the Save Mart Center will follow the guidelines and restrictions listed on the Save Mart Center Visitor Information webpage; all attendees are encouraged to read this information before visiting the event arena. Essentially, guests are not to bring alcoholic beverages, weapons or other items that would disrupt the sanctity and safety of the ceremony experience for themselves and others. 

The Save Mart Center does not require vaccination, a negative COVID test or a face covering in the venue. Additional details about entry to the Save Mart Center can be found at the Entry Requirements webpage.

Yes. Please be mindful that the message on your cap will be viewed by fellow graduates and guests of all ages. Ensure that decorations do not obstruct the view for others and elements are secured as to not fall off, including excessive glitter.

The Save Mart Center event arena on the campus of Fresno State and is located on the northwest corner of Shaw and Chestnut Avenues. For specific directions from major freeways and surface streets, visit the Save Mart Center Visitor Information webpage.

Parking around the Save Mart Center during Commencement ceremonies is free. Adjacent parking lots are located directly to the north of the event arena between Chestnut and Woodrow Avenues.

Please note that seating is on a first come, first served basis and saving large quantities of seats is not permitted. Guests are to arrive at least 45 minutes before the scheduled start time of the ceremony to provide ample time to get through the security checkpoints at the entrances.

Please allow three to four months for the completion of your degree evaluation, after which time diplomas will be mailed to the address we have on file.