Commencement

Commencement speakers will be announced in March.

Dean Geoff Garrett of the Marshall School and Dean William Holder of the Leventhal School invite you and your guests to a reception on Bridge Lawn on Friday, May 12, 2023, from 1:00 - 6:00 PM. Light refreshments will be served. 

Commencement speakers will be announced in March.

Dean Geoff Garrett of the Marshall School and Dean William Holder of the Leventhal School invite you and your guests to a reception on Bridge Lawn on Friday, May 12, 2023, from 1:00 - 6:00 PM. Light refreshments will be served.

Commencement speakers will be announced in March.

Dean Geoff Garrett of the Marshall School and Dean William Holder of the Leventhal School invite you and your guests to a reception on Bridge Lawn on Friday, May 12, 2023, from 1:00 - 6:00 PM. Light refreshments will be served.

The main ceremony begins at 8:30 AM in Alumni Park on Friday, May 12, 2023. Parking is extremely limited on campus, and due to the large crowds, parking usually fills up by 7:00 AM.

Additional information can be found online at the USC COMMENCEMENT WEBSITE.

Marshall students will assemble in Area B at 7:30 AM and process into Alumni Park starting at 8:30 AM.

Leventhal students will assemble in Area A at 7:30 AM and process into Alumni Park starting at 8:30 AM.

Students planning to participate in the Marshall and Leventhal Satellite Commencement Ceremonies must register in Marching Order. Instructions on how to register will be sent to your USC email account in early March.

Those who graduated in December 2022 or have an anticipated graduation date of May 2023 or August 2023 are invited to participate in commencement. Students who will not be graduating until December 2023 are welcome to participate, though their names will not appear in the university Commencement Program until May 2024 and they will not be eligible to wear honor cords.

You can verify your commencement date by logging into OASIS and checking your STARS report. If your expected graduation date is incorrect, please update it by clicking on the “Other Services” tab in OASIS and clicking on the “Update Expected Graduation Term” option. If you have questions about your graduation status, please contact your academic advisor or:

Undergrad Ceremony: EMAIL

Graduate Ceremony: EMAIL

Leventhal Ceremony: Kimberly Carbajal MAIL

Regalia
Students participating in the main USC Commencement Ceremony and the Marshall or Leventhal satellite ceremonies are required to wear regalia. Regalia can be purchased or rented through the USC Bookstore: https://www.uscbookstore.com/commencement

Pictures

Professional Photography
Grad Images professional photography will photograph each student crossing the stage. Students will be emailed a proof of the pictures as well as an order form in the weeks following commencement. Students can pre-register with Grad Images for their respective ceremony:

Undergraduate Ceremony Grad Images Pre-Registration

Graduate Ceremony Grad Images Pre-Registration

Accounting Ceremony Grad Images Pre-Registration

Personal Photography
Due to fire laws and the policies of the Galen Center, no one will be permitted to stand in the aisles during the ceremony to take pictures. Guests are welcome to take pictures from their seats with camera lenses smaller than 3” long.

The Leventhal Ceremony at Brittingham Field will have a designated photo area for guests to photograph their students after they have crossed the stage.

Commemorative Items

Class Rings, Diploma Frames, Announcement Cards
Class rings, diploma frames, and personalized commencement announcements by Herff-Jones may be ordered through the USC Bookstores website, or from Herff-Jones representatives during their sessions on campus throughout the spring.

Custom Stoles (“Sashes”)

While the majority of students rent (and do not purchase) their regalia, more and more are purchasing a stole (or sash) to wear on Commencement day. Stoles are available from the University Bookstore, and can be ordered with the USC logo or embroidered university seal, and can be customized with fraternity/sorority crests, graduation year, or other commemorative marks.

Yearbook

The El Rodeo Yearbook may be ordered online https://elrodeo.usc.edu/

For undergraduates to be eligible for university honors at commencement, a minimum overall grade point average of 3.5 for cum laude, 3.7 for magna cum laude and 3.9 for summa cum laude is required at the completion of the Fall 2022 semester. University honors is determined by either the USC GPA or the combined USC and transfer GPA, whichever is lower. USC GPAs are calculated to the third decimal place, but are never rounded up or down. University honors are noted on academic transcripts and diplomas once all coursework is completed. Students will be notified, at the end of April, via email when Honor Cords are available for pick-up.

Students will receive a diploma cover during their satellite ceremony. Diplomas will be mailed approximately 6-8 weeks after all coursework has been completed and verified. Please verify your mailing address on your STARS report. Changes to your mailing address may be made on OASIS.

Undergraduate Check-In

Marshall undergraduates students should plan to arrive at the Galen Center in their regalia by 10:45 AM or immediately following the main ceremony. The line-up opens immediately following the main ceremony. Additional details will be shared with students via email.

Students are not allowed to bring food, drink, or bags of any kind (including backpacks) to the ceremony. Each student should be prepared to enter through a metal detector for security purposes.

Leventhal Check-In

Leventhal students should arrive at the Accounting Building (ACC) in their regalia by 1:00 PM for check-in. Students are not allowed to bring food, drink, or bags of any kind (including backpacks) to the ceremony.

Graduate Check-In

Marshall graduate students should plan to arrive at the Galen Center by 5:15 PM in their regalia. Additional details will be shared with students via email.

Students are not allowed to bring food, drink, or bags of any kind (including backpacks) to the ceremony. Each student should be prepared to enter through a metal detector for security purposes.

All commencement activities are alcohol and substance-free events. We will be enforcing a zero-tolerance policy which means students should not attempt to bring alcohol and other substances to the ceremony. Any alcohol brought to the ceremony will be thrown away by security.

Additionally, any student who is visibly intoxicated, disruptive, or exudes inappropriate behavior will be escorted out of the line-up or the ceremony by event staff and security.

In order to ensure a safe and celebratory environment, we ask that students and guests refrain from the following behavior at all events.

• Profanity or other offensive language, whether spoken or appearing on apparel
• Smoking, other than in designated areas
• Intoxication or excessive alcohol consumption
• Bringing prohibited items into the venue
• Throwing of items or liquids
• Enter the graduate seating area at any time
• Fighting or other threatening behavior
• Violation of state or local law

We kindly request that all students and guests remain in the venue through the duration of the program. We welcome your help in our efforts to provide an enjoyable experience for all guests.

To provide a safe environment for the public and significantly expedite guest entry into the venue, the Galen Center will be implementing a “clear bag policy” that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the arena for all events (one clear bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” per person). Please note, there is no bag check or lockers available.

Prohibited Items:
 - All non-clear bags, backpacks, purses
 - Hard or Soft Coolers or Baskets and Bottles or Cans
 - Alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs
 - Weapons including firearms, knives, explosives, fireworks and laser pointers
 - Professional cameras (lenses longer than 3") or video and/or audio equipment
 - Banners, sticks and poles, inflatables, umbrellas, balloons, and folding or beach chairs
 - Horns or other noisemakers, musical instruments or large music players
 - Frisbees, balls, skateboards or hard fruit
 - Pets (Service Animals OK)

The policy does not affect other items that fans normally bring to a game, which still can be carried in their pockets or openly in their arms.

Guests entering Galen Center should be prepared to go through a metal detector for security purposes.

The entrance for ADA seating is located on the north side of the Galen Center, off of Jefferson Blvd. There is also a drop-off area on the same street with a regressed sidewalk. Seating in the ADA section is not ticketed and is offered on a first-come, first, served basis.

The ADA entrance to Brittingham Field is on the westside of the field along McClintock Avenue. Seating in the ADA section is not ticketed and if offered on a first-come, first served basis.

Students who require accomodation should identify themselves to staff upon check-in.

Tickets are not required for guests. During the ceremonies, standing in the aisles and obstructing views is prohibited. Guests are not allowed to save seats for large parties. Only one (1) seat may be saved on either side of a seat. Please make sure your entire party arrives and enters the venue together. Strollers must be left in the designated parking areas and are not permitted into the seating areas.

Guests entering Galen Center should be prepared to go through a metal detector for security purposes.

We kindly request that all graduates and guests remain in the venue through the duration of the program. We welcome your help in our efforts to provide an enjoyable experience for all guests.

Satellite ceremonies will be live streamed. A link to each livestream will be posted here on May 12, 2023.

Students should direct their questions to their academic advisors or their respective degree area below:

Undergrad Ceremony: ugcommencement@marshall.usc.edu

Graduate Ceremony: graduate.commencement@marshall.usc.edu

Leventhal Ceremony: Kimberly Carbajal kcarbaja@marshall.usc.edu

PhD Ceremony: Julie Phaneuf phaneuf@marshall.usc.edu

All other inquiries can be sent to Valerie Vanderwest (vvanderw@marshall.usc.edu) (213) 740-7251.