Frequently Asked Questions

Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025

Time: Gates open at 9 a.m. | Ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m.

Location: Reser Stadium | Corvallis, Oregon 

Yes. Reser Stadium has a Clear Bag Policy. All graduates and guests attending the Commencement ceremony must follow this policy — please plan ahead!

Clear bags are required to enter Reser Stadium for Commencement. BEST Security will search clear bags, strollers and wheelchairs at the entry gates. Read the full list of prohibited and allowed items in the stadium to prepare for your visit.

• Guests who arrive at the gate with a prohibited bag will not be permitted into the stadium and will need to return their bags to their vehicle. No bag check is provided at Commencement.

Approved bags:

• Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12" x 6" x 12".
• One-gallon clear, resealable plastic storage bags.
• Small clutch bags no larger than 4.5" x 8.5" (approximately the size of a hand) with or without a handle or strap.

Baccalaureate candidates graduating in summer 2024, fall 2024, winter 2025, spring 2025 and summer 2025 are invited to participate in the 2025 Commencement ceremony. The deadline to register for the 2025 Commencement ceremony is June 1.

Master’s and doctoral candidates who completed all of their degree requirements by the spring 2025 deadline or at the end of summer 2025 are invited to participate in the 2025 Commencement ceremony. Check the Graduate School website for more details. 

Master’s and doctoral candidates who wish to attend Commencement must be enrolled for at least 3 credits in summer term and complete all degree requirements by TBD.

Please register here for the 2025 Commencement Ceremony. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on June 1.

Line up for the processional begins at 9 a.m.

Undergraduates report to the Memorial Union Quad.

Graduates report to the Valley Library Quad.

The procession to Reser Stadium begins at promptly at 10 a.m.

Tickets are not required. There is no guest limit for the OSU Commencement ceremony. Graduates, invite your family members and friends! 

Yes, the ceremony will be live-streamed online at: 

• commencement.oregonstate.edu
• live.oregonstate.edu

The university-wide Commencement ceremony held in Corvallis on June 14 celebrates all OSU graduates, including graduates from Ecampus.

The OSU-Cascades Commencement ceremony, held in Bend on June 15, exclusively celebrates graduates from OSU-Cascades. OSU-Cascades graduates should plan to attend Commencement in Bend.

Commencement is a rain-or-shine event. Although open umbrellas are not permitted in Reser Stadium, sun visors or rain ponchos are suggested. Sunscreen is also recommended. Ponchos are available for purchase at the OSU Beaver Store located inside Reser Stadium on the main concourse.

Commencement is a rain-or-shine event. Although open umbrellas are not permitted in Reser Stadium, sun visors or rain ponchos are suggested. Sunscreen is also recommended. Ponchos are available for purchase at the OSU Beaver Store located inside Reser Stadium on the main concourse.

Confirm you are a graduation candidate by searching for "View application(s) for Graduation" in the MyOregonState portal.

Be sure to:

• Check your holds for any deficiencies.
• Watch your OSU email account for status emails from the Office of the Registrar.
• Check your status in MyDegrees.
• Check-in with your advisor.  

If you receive your diploma at the Commencement ceremony, this does not guarantee that you graduated! Please check your status in MyDegrees for a minimum of one month after the term ends to be sure.

MyDegrees provides a good-faith preliminary audit of your degree progress. Approximately two weeks after your graduating term ends, a full audit will be completed during the degree clearance, using final grades, final advisor and college input. You will be notified via your OSU email if there are any deficiencies at the time or that you successfully earned your degree and graduated.

Summer 2025 graduates are not eligible to receive their diploma at Commencement but may still participate in the ceremony.

Yes, we will notify you through your OSU email account.

Degrees are cleared approximately two weeks after the term ends. You can see if your degree has been awarded by checking your unofficial transcript in the MyOregonState portal unofficial transcript section. Additionally, an email notifying you of your graduation status will be sent to your OSU email account. Be sure to monitor your OSU email account closely for a minimum of one month after the end of the term for which you are a candidate for graduation.

Please update your attendance here. 

You may choose the college you wish to sit with.

If you are a graduate with disabilities who may need accommodations at the Commencement ceremony, please respond to this survey by 11:59 p.m. on June 2.

After June 2, contact Mike Jefferis directly for assistance.

Commencement registration will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on June 1.

A special program of the 156th Commencement ceremony will be available on the Commencement website following the ceremony.

Graduates and guests can also watch the 156th Commencement ceremony live on the day of the event, Saturday, June 14, on the Commencement website.

Oregon State University is proud to continue longstanding traditions at the 156th Commencement ceremony.

The first tradition, which is OSU’s signature honor, provides graduates with their actual diploma on the day of Commencement. The second tradition, which honors graduating students’ time with their family and friends, includes doctoral candidates walking across the stage with their names read. Master’s and undergraduate candidates are acknowledged separately with standing ovations.

These ceremonial traditions allow the university to celebrate and acknowledge the more than 4,000 doctoral, master’s and baccalaureate candidates participating in Commencement, provide graduates with their diploma and give them time to celebrate with their families and friends after the event.

The OSU Beaver Store will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 14 and will have regalia items available for purchase. 

Every student who has registered for Commencement will have a card with their name, a unique number and a QR code. You will get this card from your marshal at the lineup on the day of Commencement. This card is your pass to participate in the ceremony, have your photo taken and receive your diploma/case. Do not lose this card. We suggest taking a picture of the card just in case.

Programs are not available before the event. Programs will be distributed at the Commencement ceremony.

Tickets are not required to attend the OSU Commencement ceremony.

Yes. Reser Stadium has a Clear Bag Policy. All guests attending the OSU Commencement ceremony must follow this policy — please plan ahead!

Clear bags are required to enter Reser Stadium for Commencement. BEST Security will search clear bags, strollers and wheelchairs at the entry gates. Read the full list of prohibited and allowed items in the stadium to prepare for your visit.

• Guests who arrive at the gate with a prohibited bag will not be permitted into the stadium and will need to return their bags to their vehicle. No bag check is provided at Commencement.

Approved bags:

• Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12“.
• One-gallon clear, resealable plastic storage bags.
• Small clutch bags no larger than 4.5” x 8.5” (approximately the size of a hand) with or without a handle or strap.

Reser Stadium complies with all Department of Homeland Security prohibited items policies. For the safety and security of all guests, the following items are not permitted into Reser Stadium for the OSU Commencement ceremony:

• Backpacks
• Balloons
• Bags larger than 4.5” x 8.5”
• Purses larger than 4.5” x 8.5”
• Alcohol
• Food from outside vendors
• Drinks from outside vendors (sealed bottled water is permitted)
• Glass containers
• Metal cans
• Hard-sided coolers
• Flags or signs on poles or sticks
• Artificial noisemakers
• Firearms
• Knives
• Weapons of any kind
• Fireworks or explosives
• Flammable materials
• Pets (service animals are permitted)
• Live beavers
• Chainsaws
• Drones
• Tobacco products
  • Includes electric cigarettes or vapor products.
  • Smoking is prohibited on the OSU campus.
• Strollers
  • Must be checked at Gate B.
• Wrapped gifts
  • Please leave in your vehicle.
• Umbrellas
  • Umbrellas cannot be opened inside Reser Stadium. Closed umbrellas must fit within a clear bag.

Reserved seating is not available. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Some seats are in the sun, while others are in the shade. Guests may want to bring sunscreen and visors or hats for sun protection.

Students participating in the ceremony are seated on the playing field where there is no protection from the sun and are advised to bring sunscreen.

Commencement is a rain-or-shine event. Although open umbrellas are not permitted in Reser Stadium, sun visors or rain ponchos are suggested. Sunscreen is also recommended. Ponchos can be purchased at the OSU Beaver Store located inside Reser Stadium on the main concourse.

Note: If you walk to the stadium with an umbrella, you may bring it inside a clear bag, but you cannot open it once you are in the stadium.

The Commencement ceremony will last roughly 2½ to 3 hours. 

Special services are available to accommodate those guests with disabilities, hearing impairments and mobility problems, or those who need special seating and parking.

If you are a guest with a disability who may need accommodations at the Commencement ceremony, please contact the Office of the Provost directly for assistance by 11:59 p.m. on June 6.

Accessible elevators and escalators are available on both sides of Reser Stadium. 

Accessible seating is available for guests with wheelchairs and/or disabilities throughout Reser Stadium. 

No, handicapped seating is reserved for guests with disabilities and mobility concerns. Strollers must be checked at Gate B. 

A parking map for Commencement can be seen here.

Parking is available in all lots on campus. 

The Reser Stadium parking lot is reserved for parking for those with disabilities.

Please note that the parking garage on the corner of SW 26th Street and SW Washington Way (across from Gill Coliseum) is available, but gets congested easily. Egress out of the parking garage following Commencement typically takes up to 2 hours. We suggest avoiding the parking garage if possible.

Regalia can be purchased in person or online through the OSU Beaver Store.

In-person: Grad Fair | April 15-16 | OSU Beaver Store

• Purchase cap, gown and announcements.
• Get information about Commencement and make contact with the OSU Alumni Association.

Online: OSU Beaver Store

• Individual items are available to purchase.
• Regalia Bundles (discounted price when purchased together) will be available online following the Grad Fair on April 21.
• Announcements may be ordered directly through Jostens.

*Extended *1 and *2 size gowns are available in-store and over the phone. They are unavailable online. 

The OSU Grad Fair will be held on April 15-16 at the OSU Beaver Store on the Corvallis campus. 

You may use your own black Jostens cap and gown as long as it is inspected and approved by the Office of the Registrar to verify that it is the correct design. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any quesitons. 

Honor Cords are available to those students who will graduate with a GPA that meets OSU’s GPA and credit eligibility. Spring graduates should use their Winter Term OSU Institutional cumulative GPA to determine which cord they should wear. To qualify for latin honors, a student must have completed at least 90 credits at OSU or sixty upper-division (300- and 400-level courses) credits at OSU and be a graduate of the current academic year. Cords are available for purchase at the Beaver Store. The distinction, minimum GPA, and cord colors are as follows:

These distinctions are noted on diplomas.

Yes. While they are not formally recognized by OSU, other cords, stoles and regalia may be worn during the Commencement ceremony.

Faculty regalia can be rented from the OSU Beaver Store beginning Feb. 1.

All orders must be placed by April 27. Orders placed after April 27 will incur an expediting fee or may require substitutions. 

The OSU Beaver Store can use index numbers for department charges on faculty regalia. 

Email [email protected] with any questions. 

The Grad Fair will take place at the OSU Beaver Store from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 15-16. While supplies last, all regalia will continue to be available at the OSU Beaver Store and online at OSUBeaverStore.com following the Grad Fair.

While supplies last, all regalia will continue to be available at the OSU Beaver Store and online at OSUBeaverStore.com following the Grad Fair on April 21. 

Graduation Gown Size Guide 

*Extended *1 and *2 size gowns are available in store and over the phone. They are unavailable online.

Veteran's cords are available at the Grad Fair through the Veteran's Office table. The Grad Fair is April 15-16 at the OSU Beaver Store.

We're not able to send Veterans cords by mail. Ecampus students traveling to Corvallis for commencement may pick-up their Veterans cords and coin from the Ecampus Graduation Celebration reception right before the university-wide commencement ceremony. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or need further assistance. 

While diplomas are distributed on the day of Commencement, we cannot determine a student's specific eligibility until preliminary grades are received and the student’s college verifies that all degree requirements have been met up to that point.

Summer 2025 graduates are not eligible to receive their diploma at Commencement but may still participate in the ceremony.

Yes, we will notify you through your OSU email account.

MyDegrees provides a good-faith preliminary audit. After the term ends, a full audit will be completed during the degree clearance process, using final grades and final advisor and college input. You will be notified if there are any deficiencies at that time or you will receive a notification that you have successfully graduated.

Students who RSVP'd to Commencement but were unable to attend will be able to come to the Office of the Registrar the afternoon of Tuesday, June 17 to pick up their diploma if it's releasable. 

Yes, diplomas will be distributed following the conclusion of the ceremony.

The diploma size for all graduates is 8.5" x 11". 

Frames can be purchased through the OSU Beaver Store.

Your academic advisor has the most information about your specific program of study and should be your first point of contact for questions related to your specific issues.

The Office of the Registrar monitors grades daily looking for improved preliminary grades or successful final grades. The hold will be removed as soon as an improved grade is received.

The Office of the Registrar monitors grades daily looking for preliminary grades. If your instructor updates your preliminary grade, you should see the deficiency hold removed by the end of the next day. 

The grade must be received by the Office of the Registrar by TBD for undergraduate students and graduate students.

You can still attend the ceremony but will not receive your diploma that day.

You can still attend the ceremony but will not receive your diploma that day.

Please visit the Graduate School website for more information. 

The Grad Team is the official photography company for OSU's 156th Commencement ceremony. After the ceremony, The Grad Team will email each student their Commencement photos along with instructions for purchase. You can also view Commencement photos on The Grad Team website.