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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

Monday, May 18, 2026
9:00 a.m.
Hearst Greek Theatre

Master’s degree ceremony

Monday, May 18, 2026
2:00 p.m.
Hearst Greek Theatre

Doctoral degree ceremony

Thursday, May 21, 2026
9:00 a.m.
Zellerbach Auditorium
Reception to follow

The May 16 campuswide commencement is separate from the Berkeley Engineering ceremonies. Learn more about the campuswide commencement.

Find more information about tickets below.

Deadlines & important dates

Check back for updates.

ItemDate
Registration opensFriday, February 20
Student speaker auditions openFriday, March 13
Student speaker auditions closeFriday, April 3
Registration closesWednesday, April 8
Guest ticket sales beginMonday, April 13
Hooder form deadline (doctoral ceremony only)Friday, April 17
Regalia order deadline (for standard shipping; more options below)Monday, April 20
Guest ticket sales endSunday, May 3

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 8, 2026.
  3. Doctoral degree graduates only: Complete and submit your advisor/hooder form by April 17, 2026.

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

Commencement program: Graduates who register for commencement by the April 8 deadline will have their names added to the ceremony program. Please make sure that your name is correct on your Tassel registration, so that it is displayed correctly in the program.

Registration instructions are 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@coe.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@coe.berkeley.edu.

Doctoral degree graduates: You or your advisor/hooder must submit your hooder form to engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu by April 17, 2026 and receive a confirmation reply to complete your registration.

Email engineeringcommencement@berkeley.edu as soon as possible and before the April 8 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

Ticket sales will open on Monday, April 13 and close on Sunday, May 3; registered graduates should check their email for more information. Students who register by the April 8 deadline can buy guest tickets for $10. There are a maximum number of tickets that registered students can purchase for their ceremony. See below.

Maximum number of guests tickets per ceremony:

CeremonyMaximum number of guest tickets available for purchase per registered student
Baccalaureate4
Master’s4
Doctoral6

Guest Ticket Information:

  • All students who complete their Berkeley Engineering Commencement registration by Wednesday, April 8, are eligible to purchase their allotted guest tickets during the ticket purchasing period. Registered graduates are emailed instructions for purchasing tickets.
  • 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.
  • Seating at the Greek Theatre and Zellerbach Auditorium is general admission (not reserved), on a first-come, first-served basis. Please review the venue information below for more details on access and comfort.
  • Tickets and ticket sales for the Berkeley Engineering commencement ceremonies are separate from the May 16 campuswide commencement.

Regalia & honor cords

Students are responsible for providing their own regalia. Caps and gowns (as well as hoods for master’s and doctoral graduates) are required. Black or blue gowns are acceptable.

Order your rental gown from Herff Jones by the following deadlines:

  • March 27, 8:59 p.m. PT for pickup at the Cal Student Store
  • April 20, 8:59 p.m. PT for standard shipping to your address (starting at an additional $18.10)
  • May 1, 8:59 p.m. PT for expedited shipping to your address (starting at an additional $26.65)

Rent in person from open stock at the Cal Student Store beginning May 11. A full range of sizes, hoods and accessories will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. No pre-order is required. Regalia will not be available to rent or purchase on-site at commencement.

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 Advanced Study in Engineering, Master of Engineering and Master of Development Engineering: ORANGE
  • Master of Science, Master of Translational Medicine and Master of Molecular Science & Software Engineering: GOLDEN YELLOW
  • Doctor of Philosophy: DARK BLUE

Summer and Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 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 2026 commencement ceremony.

For B.S. degree candidates the minimum overall GPA required for honors for Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 is 3.808 and for Summer 2025 is 3.842. For B.A. Analytics degree candidates the minimum overall GPA required for honors for Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 is 3.852 and for Summer 2025 is 3.865.

Due to pending grades, Summer and Fall 2026 B.S. and B.A. degree candidates are not eligible to purchase honors cords for the 2026 commencement ceremony.

To confirm that your cumulative Berkeley GPA through the Spring 2026 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 2026 commencement student speakers. Your audition video and a PDF copy of your written speech must be submitted Friday, April 3.

Learn more and submit your audition now.

  • Keep your Berkeley email: Learn more about accessing the Alumni Email Service.
  • 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 baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral commencement ceremonies will be webcast live on the day of the event. Links will be posted on our main page 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.