Commencement

2024 Asian American Studies Commencement

Event Details

Sunday, June 16, 2024
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Location: TBD

We congratulate all Asian American Studies majors and minors graduating with a Master’s degree or Bachelor’s degree in the 2023-2024 Academic Year. You and your guests are invited to attend the 2024 Asian American Studies Commencement. This special event is our way to commemorate our graduates and their amazing achievements!

Eligibility

Undergraduate Students

B.A. graduates majoring in Asian American Studies, B.A. graduates minoring in Asian American Studies and/or B.A. graduates minoring in Pilipino Studies who:

Graduated in Fall 2023 or Winter 2024
Are Spring and Summer 2024 degree candidates that have completed 148 units by the end of Winter 2024

Graduate Students

M.A. graduates majoring in Asian American Studies who:

Graduated in Fall 2023 or Winter 2024
Are Spring 2024 or Summer 2024 degree candidates

How do I check if I am a degree candidate?

Undergraduate students: Degree candidacy is based on each student’s degree expected term. All undergraduate students begin at UCLA with a declared degree–expected term of two years from matriculation for transfer students, four years for first-year students. Students are expected to complete all degree requirements within that time frame. Students who exceed the time-to-degree limit must petition their College or school to change their degree-expected term.

Graduate students: You should make an appointment to see your student advisor at justin.delacruz@asianam.ucla.edu to declare your candidacy.

Preparation for the Commencement

Undergraduate Student Registration

Undergraduates go to myUCLA under Commencement to register for Commencement. You may be asked to complete an optional Senior Survey before registering. Once you are registered, you will need to order tickets for the Asian American Studies Commencement ticket during the ticket ordering period. This period begins on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 12:00PM PST, and it ends on Friday, May 24, 2024 at 11:59PM PST. Each graduating student can order up to four free ceremony guest tickets and order additional guest tickets for a charge of $20 per additional guest ticket in excess of your four free guest tickets. The charges will be sent to your BAR account at the end of May. Graduating students do not need to get a ticket for themselves.

Graduate Student Registration

Our office will need to manually register graduate students for the event. If you received your degree in Fall 2023 or Winter 2024, we would automatically register you for the event. If you plan to get your degree in Spring or Summer 2024, please make an appointment to see the department advisor Justin Dela Cruz (justin.delacruz@asianam.ucla.edu) to make sure you are registered. Once you are registered, you will need to order tickets for the Asian American Studies Commencement during the ticket ordering period. This period begins on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 12:00PM PST, and it ends on Friday, May 24, 2024 at 11:59PM PST. Each graduating student can order up to four free ceremony guest tickets and order additional guest tickets for a charge of $20 per additional guest ticket in excess of your four free guest tickets. The charges will be sent to your BAR account at the end of May. Graduating students do not need to get a ticket for themselves.

If you are eligible to attend the 2024 commencement and need to register and/or cannot order a ticket during the ticket ordering period, please contact the Student Advisor at justin.delacruz@asianam.ucla.edu.

Ticket Distribution

For undergraduate and graduate students, ticket distribution takes place from Tuesday, May 28, 2024, through Thursday, June 13, 2024. The Central Ticket Office (CTO) sends the tickets via email messages from cto@tickets.ucla.edu. Their messages contain the links for you to receive your electronic tickets. Please be sure to check that your email account is accurate in MyUCLA, and also check your email account’s SPAM folder frequently, to be sure you do not overlook these important messages. 

Cap and Gown

Degree and Diploma

You will not receive your diploma at any commencement event. Attending a UCLA Commencement Ceremony does not confirm that you have completed all of the necessary steps to receive your degree. Official transcripts with graduation date included will be available within seven weeks after the end of your final term. You can order your transcripts through MyUCLA.

Diplomas will be available three to four months after the degree award date. The Registrar’s Office will send you information about obtaining your diploma in person (no fee) or by mail (with appropriate fee) approximately seven weeks after the end of your final term. You may change your mailing address through MyUCLA. For diploma availability information, call the Diploma Hotline at (310) 825-8883. For more FAQs about diplomas, visit: https://registrar.ucla.edu/student-records/diplomas.

FAQs

Do children count as guests at a ceremony?

Any child under the age of 2 does not have to count as an individual guest if that child can sit on a grown-up’s lap for the entire duration of the ceremony. Anyone over the age of 2 or any child under the age of 2 that requires an individual seat must be counted separately as a guest.

How do I get parking for the Asian American Studies Commencement?

All appropriate parking lots will be open during Commencement weekend. UCLA Parking Services will staff lots according to ceremony times and locations. Parking Lot 2 is the closest parking lot to the Asian American Studies Commencement. More information about Commencement Parking can be found at https://transportation.ucla.edu/campus-parking/commencement-parking. The 2024 parking information, including pre-paid parking, will be updated in Spring Quarter.

Is there a rehearsal or a reception for the Asian American Studies Commencement?

No, there is no rehearsal nor is there a reception for the Asian American Studies commencement. Graduates will receive directions on the day of the event of the graduation procession procedures.

When should graduates arrive to the Asian American Studies Commencement?

Graduates should check-in for the ceremony no later than 9:45 AM at the Schoenberg Hall patio adjacent to it’s the southern entrance.

When should my guests arrive at Schoenberg Hall?

Guests will be let into the Schoenberg Hall venue around 10:00 AM. Lot 2 is the closest parking lot to Schoenberg Hall.

Will there be accessibility accommodations?

Schoenberg Hall is accessible to individuals with mobility assistance devices and have designated accessible seating areas. For accessibility accommodations for guests needing ASL or audio interpretation accommodations, please contact us at justin.delacruz@asianam.ucla.edu. The university is not able to provide transport or mobility assistance devices to guests to facilitate moving through the campus.

Are there any COVID restrictions at the Commencement Ceremony?

Currently there are no COVID restrictions. For everyone’s safety, we will follow the county’s COVID guidelines and will implement protocols accordingly. We will also continue to review developments in public health protocols and university COVID guidelines, which may determine if we need to make alternate plans. We will notify the students if changes are needed.

What is the difference between the College of Letters and Science Commencement and the Asian American Studies Commencement? Can I attend both?

For Undergraduate Asian American Studies Majors and minors whose majors are in the College of Letters and Science, you can attend both ceremonies. The College’s Commencement (https://www.college.ucla.edu/commencement/) is a large celebration held at Pauley Pavilion for undergraduate graduates of all the departments of the College of Letters and Science and sometimes called the “main” UCLA commencement. As there are so many students participating in the College Commencement, the College holds three separate ceremonies, all on Friday, June 14th, 2024. The College has a graduate checklist as a guideline for students planning to attend their event. Due to the large number of graduating students attending these ceremonies, individual student names are not called out at the College of Letters and Sciences Commencement.

The Asian American Studies Commencement is an Academic Department Ceremony. These events are official ceremonies that focus on the students in the department. The Asian American Studies Commencement is more personalized, as every graduate’s name is called when they cross the stage, and each graduate can give a short 20-second shout-out/speech to their guests. This individualized activity makes the event even more special for the graduating student and their family and friends.

You can find more information about the College of Letter’s and Science Commencement here: https://www.college.ucla.edu/commencement/. If you are member of College Honors (not department honors), they also have a Recognition Ceremony that is scheduled for Thursday, June 15, 2023, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. in Royce Hall. Go here: https://www.college.ucla.edu/commencement/other-ceremonies/college-honors/ for more information.

What ceremony do I attend if my major is not in the College of Letters and Science but I am minoring in one of the two Asian American Studies minors?

If you are an Asian American Studies Minor and/or a Pilipino Studies Minor but your major is not a part of the College of Letters and Science, you do not have the ability to attend the College Commencement, but you are still invited to the Asian American Studies Commencement. Instead of the College Commencement, you should be invited to the Commencement ceremony for the School that your major is a part of. You can find the day, time and location of those ceremonies here: https://commencement.ucla.edu/schedule/ucla-commencement-schedule-alphabetical#college_Dept_Grad. Contact your School for more information on registering for those events if you are interested in attending.

What about the other UCLA graduation celebrations?

There are other student–related graduation celebrations being held during UCLA’s Commencement weekend that may be of interest to students. This can be found here: https://commencement.ucla.edu/schedule/ucla-commencement-schedule-alphabetical#related. Graduates who are a part of these communities are welcome to attend them and as many, or as little of these celebrations as they would like to/are able to attend. Please contact those ceremonies on their registration procedures if you are interested in attending.