Spring 2022 commencement
Baccalaureate degree ceremony
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Hearst Greek Theatre
Webcast & social media
Master’s degree ceremony
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Hearst Greek Theatre
Webcast & social media
Ph.D. degree ceremony
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Hearst Greek Theatre
Webcast & social media
- Registration has fully closed. We are unable to add any participants to our Spring 2022 ceremonies.
- A link to purchase tickets has been emailed to all registered graduates. Graduates may purchase a maximum of 10 guest tickets; the ticket price is $5 each. All guests (regardless of age) must have a ticket to gain admittance to commencement. Graduates must register to participate, but do not need to purchase a ticket.
- All commencement ticket sales are final. No refunds, no exceptions.
- Log in to tickets.berkeley.edu to print your tickets, or have them ready on your phone; there is no will call window.
- Disability accommodations for graduates and guests: If you or any of your guests require accommodations for disabilities (e.g., wheelchair seating, sign language interpreter, etc.), please fill out the Special Seating Request form. For questions, please contact bears@berkeley.edu.
- Important note regarding seating at the Greek Theatre: All seating is general admission, not reserved, on a first-come, first-served basis, and it is possible that guests may have to climb the steep steps to sit on the grassy hillside above the concrete bleacher seating. Once the concrete bleacher seating area has reached capacity, guests will be directed to the lawn by Greek Theatre staff.
- The Greek Theatre is open to the elements, and you and your guests should be prepared for any kind of weather and a wide range of temperatures. There are no indoor, temperature-controlled areas at the Greek Theatre. It may be very cold on a foggy morning, becoming very hot if the sun comes out. Sunscreen is highly recommended, as are small blankets and/or layered clothing. Guests and students should dress accordingly. Guests, especially those with heat or sun sensitivities, are encouraged to bring factory-sealed bottled water. Commencement will take place rain or shine.
- The Greek Theatre/UCPD will be checking bags at all of the entrance gates. The following items are PROHIBITED inside the Greek Theatre:
- Large bags or backpacks
- Umbrellas
- Noise-makers / air horns
- Balloons (may be tied-off at the entrance gates at own discretion)
- Baby strollers (designated parking is available just inside the gate)
- Glass bottles / aluminum cans
- Alcoholic beverages
- Coolers / ice chests
- Skateboards / bicycles / scooters
- Musical instruments
- Fireworks
- Rolls of toilet paper
- Signs / banners / flags
- Tripods for cameras
- Animals (with the exception of documented service animals)
- Lawn furniture or chairs (small blankets, cushions, and low-backed stadium seats are OK)
- Any items that can be perceived as weapons
Berkeley Engineering is hosting auditions for the May 2022 commencement student speaker. One speaker will be selected for each of the baccalaureate, master’s and Ph.D. ceremonies. Your audition video and a copy of your written speech must be submitted here by Friday, April 15. You will be notified by April 22 if you are selected.
Your speech should:
- be four to five minutes long
- have an original theme that is forward looking
- be optimistic
- contain some nostalgia about your time at Cal
- be non-technical
- be aimed at family and friends
You do not need to be in regalia in your audition video.
In order to be eligible to audition, you must be registered to participate in commencement. For the baccalaureate and master’s commencement ceremonies, students must have graduated or will graduate between Summer `21 and Fall `22. Doctoral students must have graduated or will graduate between Fall `19 and Fall `22.
Please email bears@berkeley.edu for additional questions.
The 2022 baccalaureate, masters and doctoral commencement ceremonies will be webcast live on the day of the event; links are posted above for each ceremony. They will also be archived online for future viewing. Engineering commencement ceremony videos from previous years can be found on the Berkeley Engineering YouTube channel.
If you wish to invite overseas relatives to come to the United States to attend your commencement ceremony, we recommend that you follow the instructions provided by the Berkeley International Office on how to help family obtain a visitor visa or to come to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. Berkeley Engineering does not produce letters of invitation for the purpose of inviting students’ family members to visit the United States. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please send us an email at bears@berkeley.edu.
Students are responsible for providing their own regalia. Caps and gowns may be purchased from the Cal Student Store. For more information regarding caps and gowns, graduation announcements and ordering yearbooks, please visit their website or store at 2495 Bancroft Way. Store hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.– 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Watch short videos on how to wear academic regalia on the Berkeley Engineering YouTube channel.
Honor cords
Summer and fall 2021 and spring 2022 B.S. and B.A. degree candidates who have an overall Berkeley GPA that ranks them in the top 20 percent of students in their college will be eligible to purchase honors cords at the Cal Student Store for the 2022 commencement ceremony. For B.S. degree candidates the minimum overall GPA required for honors (as determined by the Office of the Registrar) for Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 is 3.829 and for Summer 2021 is 3.802. For ORMS-B.A. degree candidates the minimum overall GPA required for honors (as determined by the Office of the Registrar) for Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 is 3.814 and for Summer 2021 is 3.785. Due to pending grades, summer and fall 2022 B.S. and B.A. degree candidates are not eligible to purchase honors cords for the 2022 commencement ceremony. To confirm that your cumulative Berkeley GPA through the fall 2021 semester meets the cutoff requirement, please visit CalCentral.
Hood colors
The color of the satin lining reflects the University’s official colors. The title of the degree to be awarded (not the subject studied) governs the color of the velvet border. For example, the Master of Science degree in Engineering requires the color of the velvet to correspond to the title of the degree (Science) rather than the subject studied (Engineering).
The color of the hoods are as follows no matter what the field of study:
- Master of Design: BROWN
- Master of Engineering: ORANGE
- Master of Science and Master of Translational Medicine: GOLD (from Cal Student Store) or GOLDEN YELLOW (from Herff Jones)
- Doctor of Philosophy: ROYAL BLUE
EOP graduation gown lending project
The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) graduation gown lending project helps to support first generation and low income UC Berkeley students with free rental of graduation gowns. Please consider donating any black graduation gowns you may own to EOP to help future first-generation and low-income students be the next cohort to celebrate commencement from Berkeley. To see how you can donate, please contact EOP at eop.gglp@gmail.com or (510) 642-7224.
Parking: During commencement, visitors may park in designated daytime campus parking lots on a first-come, first-served basis, for $10. The closest campus parking lots to the Greek Theatre are the Foothill Lot (Hearst at Highland Ave.) and Lower Hearst Structure – Level 2 (enter from Scenic Ave.). Visitors may also park in lots designated for student parking (“S”) for a $10 fee. Please read parking signs carefully.
The Maxwell Garage, a public parking lot on the corner of Stadium Rim Way and Gayley Road, will be selling commencement parking for $25. Parking is also available in the surrounding city public parking lots on the south and west sides of campus; rates and hours vary.
Disabled Parking: All designated disabled spaces and non-reserved spaces will be available at $10 to disabled patrons with certified disabled placards or license plates on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a curbside drop-off area on Gayley Road just north of the Greek Theatre entrance for passengers with mobility challenges who prefer to minimize the travel distance to the Greek Theatre.
Commencement Bear Transit Shuttle Service: Shuttles are a quick, easy and inexpensive way to commute to commencement. Shuttles are free for graduating seniors wearing cap/gown or with ID, as well as their families. Shuttles run approximately every 12-24 minutes, and all daytime shuttles are equipped with wheelchair lifts. We recommend you consider utilizing a shuttle when planning your transportation to commencement. From BART catch the eastbound Perimeter Line Bear Transit shuttle near the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Shuttles stop at Addison/Shattuck and Hearst/Euclid. Exit the shuttle at the Greek Theatre. View the BearTransit webpage for the Perimeter Line shuttle schedule and route map.
For more information about parking, see the Parking and Transportation website.
The College of Engineering has made arrangements with GradImages Photo to photograph every graduate at the moment the scroll is given. For more information about ordering photos, visit the GradImages website.
Orchid leis and floral bouquets will be offered for sale the day of commencement in front of the Greek Theatre.
Commemorative scrolls, not diplomas, are given out at commencement. Diplomas for undergraduate and graduate students will be mailed free of charge approximately four months after the end of the term to your diploma address. You can update your diploma address in CalCentral under Profile > Contact Information > Address (click on Add) > Diploma Address. If you have any questions or need more information, please visit the website for the Office of the Registrar.
You can purchase your copy of the Blue & Gold Yearbook, Berkeley’s official historical record, at the Blue & Gold website.
The names of degree candidates who register for commencement by April 15 will be printed in the ceremony program. After June 1, 2019, if you would like to receive additional copies of the commencement program, email your name, address, and the number of copies you are requesting to bears@berkeley.edu. Upon request, PDF versions of commencement programs from 2012 to the present are also available for download and printing.
The Greek Theatre is an outdoor venue. You will not be required to show proof of a vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter. Face coverings are required indoors (e.g. restrooms), and optional but recommended when seated outdoors during the ceremony. Visit the FAQ for more public health recommendations.
Please note changes may be made to entrance requirements in the months leading up to the ceremony. Please check back for updates.
