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Student information

On this page: Commencement ∙ Deadlines & important dates ∙ Registration ∙ Tickets ∙ Regalia & honor cords ∙ Day-of details ∙ Additional information

Commencement

Baccalaureate degree ceremony

Wednesday, May 21, 2025
9:00 a.m.
Hearst Greek Theatre

Each registered graduate may purchase up to 2 guest tickets.

Master’s degree ceremony

Wednesday, May 21, 2025
2:00 p.m.
Hearst Greek Theatre

Each registered graduate may purchase up to 3 guest tickets.

Doctoral degree ceremony

Saturday, May 24, 2025
9:00 a.m.
Zellerbach Auditorium
Reception to follow

Each registered graduate may purchase up to 2 guest tickets.

The May 17 campuswide commencement is separate from the Berkeley Engineering ceremonies. Find out more information about the campuswide commencement.

Find more information about tickets below.

Deadlines & important dates

ItemDate
Registration opensFriday, February 28
Student speaker auditions openEarly March
Registration closesFriday, April 4
Student speaker auditions closeFriday, April 4
Hooder form deadline (doctoral ceremony only)Friday, April 18

Registration

All eligible graduates will receive an email with registration instructions. Registration consists of the following steps:

  1. Complete the college’s exit survey (provided in the registration email).
  2. Once you complete the survey, you will be directed to Tassel to register for the ceremony. You must complete this step by April 4, 2025.
  3. Doctoral degree graduates only: Complete and submit your advisor/hooder form by April 18, 2025.

Please review the following important details to ensure you register correctly:

  • Add engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu as a recognized sender in your email.
  • Registration must be completed on Tassel (our commencement registration platform) in order to participate in the Berkeley Engineering commencement.
  • Separate registration is required for the Berkeley Engineering commencement and the May 17 campuswide commencement.

Print program: Graduates who register for commencement by the April 4 deadline will have their names printed in the ceremony program. Please make sure that your name is correct on your Tassel registration, so that it is printed correctly in the program. You can contact engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu between May 26 and June 6 to request that your name be included in an updated PDF version of the program.

Registration instructions were sent to the email address on file with your department; this may not be your berkeley.edu email address. We encourage you to check other email accounts and spam folders for an email with the subject “Register for the Engineering Baccalaureate Commencement!” (or “Master’s Commencement” or “Doctoral Commencement”) from engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu.

If you are still unable to find your registration email, please contact engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu as soon as possible. Make sure to include your name, major and SID.

Bachelor’s and master’s degree graduates: To confirm you have completed your registration, search your email for a message with the subject “Commencement registration confirmation” from engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu.

Doctoral degree graduates: You or your advisor/hooder must submit your hooder form to engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu by April 18, 2025 and receive a confirmation reply to complete your registration.

Email engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu as soon as possible and before the April 4 registration deadline.

Please email engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu as soon as possible. Make sure to include your name, major and SID.

For login or technical issues, contact the Tassel support team.

Tickets

Graduates who complete their registration by the Friday, April 4 deadline can purchase up to the following amount of tickets when sales open:

  • Baccalaureate degree ceremony: 2 guest tickets per graduate
  • Master’s degree ceremony: 3 guest tickets per graduate
  • Doctoral degree ceremony: 2 guest tickets per graduate

Due to an increase in the number of eligible participants in the Berkeley Engineering Commencement, the allocation of tickets available for purchase has been adjusted to ensure that every registered graduate has a chance to bring guests to the ceremony.

After the close of general ticket sales, any remaining tickets will be made available for purchase. The number of additional tickets available for purchase per registered graduate will be determined at that time.

More information about ticket sales (including specific dates and deadlines) will be shared with registered graduates in advance of the start of ticket sales. Please make sure you have engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu as a recognized sender.

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 for themselves. The ceremony will be live-streamed on the Berkeley Engineering YouTube channel for friends and family who cannot attend in person.

Ticket purchasing process: Tickets are expected to go on sale in April 2025 for $7/ticket. All commencement ticket sales are final. No refunds, no exceptions. 

Note: Tickets and ticket sales for the Berkeley Engineering commencement ceremonies are separate from the May 17 campuswide commencement.

Regalia & honor cords

Students are responsible for providing their own regalia. Caps and gowns may be purchased or rented from the Cal Student Store. For more information regarding caps and gowns, graduation announcements and ordering yearbooks, please visit the Cal Student Store website or storefront at 2495 Bancroft Way.

Graduation regalia may also be found at the following locations:

Watch short videos on how to wear academic regalia on the Berkeley Engineering YouTube channel.

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 Analytics: DRAB
  • Master of Design: BROWN
  • Master of Engineering and Master of Development Engineering: ORANGE
  • Master of Science, Master of Translational Medicine and Master of Molecular Science & Software Engineering: GOLD (from Cal Student Store) or GOLDEN YELLOW (from Herff Jones)
  • Doctor of Philosophy: PhD BLUE (from Cal Student Store) or DARK BLUE (from Herff Jones)

Summer and Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 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 2025 commencement ceremony.

For B.S. degree candidates the minimum overall GPA required for honors (as determined by the Office of the Registrar) for Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 is 3.842 and for Summer 2024 is 3.871. For B.A. Analytics degree candidates the minimum overall GPA required for honors (as determined by the Office of the Registrar) for Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 is 3.865 and for Summer 2024 is 3.865.

Due to pending grades, Summer and Fall 2025 B.S. and B.A. degree candidates are not eligible to purchase honors cords for the 2025 commencement ceremony.

To confirm that your cumulative Berkeley GPA through the Spring 2025 semester meets the cutoff requirement, please visit CalCentral.

Day-of details

We will email day-of-commencement instructions to registered graduates 2-3 days before the event.

Notice of filming and photography: Please be aware that by attending this event, you will be entering an area where photography, audio and video recording may occur. By entering the area, you consent to be photographed, filmed and/or otherwise recorded, and you give the University of California and its successors, assigns and licensees the right to release, publish, exhibit or reproduce such media, without compensation, for educational or promotional purposes and for sharing with external news media, throughout the world in perpetuity.

Parking: Please review the Parking and Transportation website for parking changes during commencement week.

Weather: The venue is open to the elements. Graduates 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 or very hot if the sun is out. Sunscreen is highly recommended. Those with heat or sun sensitivities are encouraged to bring factory-sealed bottled water. Commencement will take place rain or shine.

Prohibited items:
Please note this list is not exhaustive and all bags are subject to search.

  • Large bags or backpacks
  • Baby strollers (designated parking is available just inside the gate)
  • Glass bottles / aluminum cans
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Coolers / ice chests
  • Umbrellas
  • Skateboards / bicycles / scooters
  • Musical instruments
  • Fireworks
  • Noise-makers / air horns
  • Balloons (may be tied-off at the entrance gates at own discretion)
  • Rolls of toilet paper
  • Confetti cannons, color bomb cannons and/or poppers
  • 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

Prohibited items:
Please note this list is not exhaustive and all bags are subject to search.

  • Large bags or backpacks
  • Baby strollers (designated parking is available inside)
  • Glass bottles / aluminum cans
  • Food and beverages (with the exception of bottled water)
  • Coolers / ice chests
  • Skateboards / bicycles / scooters
  • Musical instruments
  • Fireworks
  • Noise-makers / air horns
  • Balloons (may be tied-off in the lobby at own discretion)
  • Rolls of toilet paper
  • Confetti cannons, color bomb cannons and/or poppers
  • Signs / banners / flags
  • Tripods for cameras
  • Animals (with the exception of documented service animals)
  • Lawn furniture or chairs
  • Any items that can be perceived as weapons

Additional information

Graduates requiring accommodations should indicate this on their commencement registration. If registration has closed, please email engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu.

Berkeley Engineering is currently hosting auditions for the May 2025 commencement student speakers. One speaker will be selected for each of the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral ceremonies.

Your audition video and a PDF copy of your written speech must be submitted by Friday, April 4. 

Find more information about speech criteria and submission details.

  • Keep your Berkeley email: To keep your Berkeley email active, you’ll need to complete the Alumni Opt-in Process after you graduate (and before the end of your grace period which is 274 days from graduation, not commencement) and reduce your overall storage.
  • Cal Alumni Association: As a UC Berkeley graduate, you’ll always be part of our Cal family. With a membership to the Cal Alumni Association (CAA), you can unlock the full benefits of being Berkeley. For Life.
  • My Berkeley Alumni Portal: Access networking tools, mentorship and volunteer opportunities for our global community. You belong at Cal, with connections extending beyond your years on campus. Welcome home to My Berkeley.

The 2025 baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral commencement ceremonies will be webcast live on the day of the event. Links will be posted at the top of this page for each ceremony prior to commencement. Recordings 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 your question is not answered above, please contact engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu.