Frequently Asked Questions

You must apply to graduate through MYCSULB Student Center to be eligible to graduate.

• Apply to Graduate - Undergraduate Students
• Apply to Graduate - Graduate Students

If you have applied to graduate for Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Summer 2021 or Fall 2021 (before the published deadlines), you will be eligible to participate in the 2021 ceremonies and your name will be listed in the program.

If you have applied to graduate through MYCSULB for Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Summer 2020 or Fall 2020, you will be eligible to participate in the 2020 ceremonies.

If you have applied to graduate through MYCSULB for Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Summer 2021 or Fall 2021, you will be eligible to participate in the 2021 ceremonies.

A refund will not be issued because the 'Apply to Graduate' fee pays for services already rendered, including the costs of your degree audit as well as creating and shipping your diploma.

The fee also partially funds the Commencement ceremony. Commencement is currently scheduled for May 28-31, 2021.

If you are a Fall 2019 graduate, you are eligible to participate in the 2020 ceremonies and your name would be listed in either of the published 2019 or 2020 programs (as long as you applied to graduate by the appropriate deadline).

If you are a Fall 2020 graduate, you will be eligible to participate in either the 2020 or 2021 ceremonies and your name will be listed in the either program (as long as you applied to graduate by the appropriate deadline).

If you are a Fall 2021 candidate, you will be eligible to participate in either the 2021 or 2022 ceremonies and your name will be listed in either program (as long as you applied to graduate by the appropriate deadline).

Seniors, did you know that your @student.csulb.edu email address expires 1 year after graduation? Update your contact information on the Student Alumni page with your non- student email address to stay connected on Commencement related activities.

To ensure continued communication with the Class of 2020, we have extended student email accounts for six additional months.

GPA honors are not recognized at the ceremony (GPAs are not calculated until your degree has been granted, several weeks after the end of the semester.) If you have graduated prior to the ceremony and know your final GPA, you can purchase an honor cord at the University Bookstore and note your honor level through personalized grad announcements (also available through the Bookstore).

To inquire about honors within a major, contact your college coordinator.

Yes, regalia is available for purchase through the University Bookstore. Purchase your graduation regalia through the website.

Purchase your graduation regalia through the website, https://www.balfour.com/csulb. There is no deadline for purchasing caps and gowns. Any orders placed now are shipped to the customer directly.

Need assistance placing an order? Contact Balfour via email or by phone 1-800-433-0296.

For grads who wish to follow up on an existing order or would like to return their cap/gown can contact Balfour via email or by phone 1-833-714-0701.

MarchingOrder is a vendor contracted by the Commencement Team to enable students to create a shareable graduate slide and name recording. These items will be utilized during the in- person ceremonies, photo opportunities, and as downloadable content.

Grad slides will populate with the following information retrieved from Enrollment Services:

1. Full Name
2. Degree 1, Major 1, College 1
3. (if applicable) Degree 2, Major 2, College 2, Graduation Term and Year

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Due to limited character space, degree minors or additional academic plans will not be included on the grad slides. Certificates and credentials may be categorized as second degrees.

Information fields will be locked and cannot be edited by students.

Graduates must login to MarchingOrder to provide guidance on name pronunciation. The deadline has been extended to April 16. Click the ‘submit’ button to save your updates and log back into the system any time before May 1 to submit a photo and/or quote. Grad slides will be available starting commencement week on the commencement website to download and share.

GradImages will be on campus during the Spring semester to hold free graduation photo sittings. These photography sessions are by appointment only to ensure that we follow appropriate protocols and distancing. Masks are required and students must take the COVID survey prior to coming to campus.

Upcoming sitting dates

Register for:

• Monday, April 5
• Tuesday, April 6
• Wednesday, April 7
• Thursday, April 8
• Friday, April 9

For questions about graduation photo sittings or photo packages, please call 562-985-7711 or email fns-graduation@csulb.edu.

For personalized graduation announcements, it is recommended to avoid any detailed ceremony information at this time.

Cultural graduation celebrations are hosted each spring by the Division of Student Affairs and student organizations. For more information, please visit the Cultural Graduation Celebrations website or contact the office of the Division of Student Affairs.

Details are available on the Ceremony page. Commencement ceremonies will comply with Commencement and Outdoor Stadium Live Performance guidance by the California Department of Public Health. More information on Angel Stadium's Health and Safety Protocols are available on their website.

The California Department of Public Health released guidelines for Commencement ceremonies. Under these guidelines the campus must adhere to limitations as defined within the current CDPH Outdoor Seated Live Events and Performances Guidance (.pdf). In order to best comply with the guidelines and rapidly pivot to provide an in-person experience for over 25,000 graduates of the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021, the campus has contracted with Angel Stadium.

Socially distanced ceremonies will take place at a limited capacity. There will be two ceremonies per day and graduates will attend based on their college’s designated date. The President and executive team will present and confer degrees at this ceremony. Remarks will be given by distinguished speakers, outstanding graduates and Dean of your school. Although the Classes of 2020 and 2021 will share the same ceremony time, their degrees will be conferred separately.

ASL Interpreting will be provided at all in-person commencement ceremonies, available live at the stadium. Information regarding how students and community members can request disability-related accommodations can be found on the link below. To request disability-related accommodations, complete the Bob Murphy Access Center Event Request Form. Students and guests may request additional accommodations outside of Deaf and Hard of Hearing requests using this same form. Please note that a BMAC Event Request Form will also be required for wheel chair seating and accommodations. 

Commencement ceremonies will take place as scheduled, rain or shine. Graduates and guests (those with tickets permitted in the stadium, as well as those watching from a personal device in their vehicles) are advised to plan for extreme weather conditions, including high heat. Guests and graduates should plan to arrive an hour prior and should dress accordingly for sitting outside in the sun and for climbing stadium stairs. For guests who will remain in their vehicles should also dress for outdoor exposure.

Due to health directives, only ticketed persons will be allowed inside the venue and they will be required to remain in their seats during the program. At this time each graduate will be provided a single ticket for themselves and two tickets for guests to enter the stadium. All graduates will receive two parking passes. 

Graduates will use the mobile-only entry ticketing system. Tickets will be provided to graduates via their @student.csulb.edu email address. Graduates of the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 should have access to their account, even post-graduation date. Note – stadium suites are part of the overall seating arrangements for the ceremonies and are included in our density counts per public health guidelines. Access to suites and additional tickets are NOT for sale.

Please note, CSULB does not authorize the sale or exchange of complimentary tickets.

Ticket allocation is based on current health guideline density limits. If/when the allocation can be increased to allow one or more additional tickets per graduate at every ceremony then additional tickets will be sent via graduate’s email address. Note – stadium suites are part of the overall seating arrangements for the ceremonies and are included in our density counts per public health guidelines. Access to suites and additional tickets are NOT for sale.

At this time each graduate will be provided a single parking pass for themselves and one for a guest vehicle to enter the stadium parking lot. Parking passes will be provided to graduates via their @student.csulb.edu email address. Graduates will use the mobile-only entry ticketing system. Masks are required upon entry of the Angel Parking lot.

Entrance into the parking lot will require a parking pass. At this time, each graduate will be provided one parking pass for themselves and one for their guests to enter the parking lot. Health and safety guidelines will be enforced in the parking lot by Angel Stadium parking attendants, including face masks, social distancing, and household gathering limits. The ceremony live stream will be available on the commencement website and may be viewed on a personal phone or tablet by family members/guests without a ticket to enter the stadium. For more information on stadium wi-fi, visit the stadium's website.

Utilizing your submitted name pronunciation (DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 16) and Graduate Slide (DEADLINE MAY 1), Graduate Recognition Stages will be available throughout the Angel Stadium parking lot for photo opportunities. These microstages offer a unique opportunity for graduates to hear their name announced and to see their customized graduate slide displayed along with their guests.  

Vehicles above 20 feet in length are strongly discouraged from entering the stadium parking lot.

Similar to a Major League Baseball game, after entering the parking lot, graduates will proceed toward the nearest Gate, passing through metal detectors, as they enter the stadium. The parking lot and Gates open one-hour before the ceremony begins. Graduates are encouraged to arrive as early as possible. Clear and small bags are allowed, per the specific stadium size guidelines (see Ceremony page for details), and carry-in items will be limited to one sealed plastic water bottle or empty reusable bottle. Graduates should note that although small and clear bags are allowed, use of such items are subject to security checks and will delay entry into the stadium.

Graduates will process as they arrive and the procession will begin shortly after the parking lot and Gates open, one-hour before the ceremony start time. Graduates will line up at tunnel A and emerge on the playing field. Graduates will step up onto and cross a platform set up just for them, then proceed to their seats. The procession will be displayed on the jumbo screens for guests to enjoy, however, due to limited ceremony time, no graduate names will be announced inside the stadium. The procession will close shortly before the ceremony start time, to ensure all graduates are seated in time to enjoy the program. Please arrive early. Please reference the Angel Stadium map for details.

Inside the stadium, graduates will process as they arrive and the procession will begin shortly after the parking lot and Gates open, one-hour before the ceremony start time. Graduates will line up at tunnel A and emerge on the playing field. Graduates will step up onto and cross a platform set up just for them, then proceed to their seats. The procession will be displayed on the jumbo screens for guests to enjoy, however, due to limited ceremony time, no graduate names will be announced inside the stadium. The procession will close shortly before the ceremony start time, to ensure all graduates are seated in time to enjoy the program. Please arrive early. 

Outside the stadium, graduates will be provided Graduate Recognition Stages throughout the parking lot. These microstages offer a unique opportunity for graduates to hear their name announced and to see their customized graduate slide displayed along with their guests. These stages will utilize the MarchingOrder professional name recording and graduate slides.

If you have applied to graduate for Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Summer 2021 or Fall 2021 before March 1st, 2021, you will be eligible to participate in the 2021 ceremonies and your name will be listed in the program.

The 2020 Graduate Recognition Programs have been published and are available under the College Recognition section on the Commencement homepage.

All graduates attending the ceremony must provide information to create their pre-recorded name and custom grad slide via MarchingOrder. Name pronunciation information must be provided by April 16, 2021. Grad slides must be completed by May 1, 2021. Graduates will be able to utilize the Graduate Recognition Stages throughout the parking lot to have their name read and graduate slide displayed for a photo opportunity. 

Those who plan to attend should stay informed about and comply with the California Department of Public Health’s most recent travel advisory. Spectators are limited to in-state participants only per the California Delartment of Public Health Outdoor Stadium Live Performance Guidelines  

The situation with the pandemic is very fluid. If Orange County moves back into the Purple tier (the most restrictive tier), the State and County guidelines prohibit gatherings of any size. If the county regresses to the Purple tier, the in-person ceremonies will be postponed to a future date when it is safe for everyone to gather. In their place, the University will host a virtual ceremony, along with all of the virtual school celebrations.

Operational changes will be in place to help ensure the overall health and safety of guests, players and staff.

Face Mask Policy

• All guests are required to wear face coverings or masks at all times, except when actively eating or drinking in their ticketed seats. Consuming food and beverage on the concourse or other common areas is prohibited. Masks must completely cover the wearer's nose and mouth. This requirement does not apply to children under the age of two (2).

Physical & Social Distance

• Social distance guidelines will be enforced throughout Angel Stadium. Signage, floor markers and other resources will remind guests to remain physically distanced a minimum of six (6) feet.

Bag Policy

• In an effort to enhance public safety, Angel Stadium prohibits all large bags, backpacks, and other carriers from being brought into the stadium with the following exceptions (in each case, after proper inspection):
  • Purses or bags that are 4.5" x 6.5" with a single zipper closure/flap (approximately the size of an adult hand) or smaller
  • Clear bags no larger than 12.75" x 6.5" x 12.75"
  • Medically necessary items, including diaper bags
  • Other than the above-noted exceptions, all other bags must be returned to the patron's vehicle.
• Guests must be seated in their ticketed locations throughout the duration of the event.
• Relocating to other sections and congregating is not permitted.
• The consumption of food and beverage in the ballpark will only be permitted at your assigned seat.
• Tailgating is not permitted at this time.
• Due to safety protocols, Ticket Window sales and Will Call are unavailable.
• All stadium transactions will be cashless. Patrons with cash, can purchase gift cards at the Advanced Ticket Windows inside of Angel Stadium near the Home Plate Gate.
• Mobile-only entry. This paperless practice will enhance guest safety, ticket security, and make it easier for fans to manage their tickets.

To report a security issue or request assistance from our security team call 714-940-2313 or text HALO to 69050 via text message. More information is available here.

Yes. All in-person activities will be broadcast online, live, and on-demand for future viewing. The link will be available on the commencement website. Please note that the individual virtual school celebrations for the Class of 2020 were hosted in May 2020.

Please ask the college coordinators about specific college activities, or visit the commencement website and go to your college’s page for details.

All cultural graduation celebrations, hosted by the Division of Student Affairs, will be virtual this year. More information can be found on the Division of Student Affairs website.

New this year! Cap and gown sets will not be available as rentals so if you purchased yours through the Bookstore, they are yours to keep.

Diplomas are not distributed at Commencement. The diplomas themselves are issued by the University after verification has been made that all degree requirements have been completed and after the diploma document is specially inscribed for the graduate.

Your diploma will not automatically be mailed to you. The Office of Enrollment

Services (562.985.5471) will send an e-mail when your diploma is available (approximately 4-8 weeks after your degree has been granted).

Diploma frames are available through the University Bookstore, you may call them at 562.985.7711.

A PDF of the commencement booklet can be downloaded for free from the commencement web site. A printed copy of the program can be purchased for $5 and will be mailed to the purchaser. Visit the commencement web site to order.

Each college is responsible for the logistical coordination of its own ceremony. For information regarding your college's ceremony, please contact the appropriate coordinator.