Frequently Asked Questions

Degree candidates with an expected graduation date of May 2024, and graduates from July 2023 and December 2023 are eligible to participate. Degree candidates with expected graduation dates of July 2024 and December 2024 may request permission to participate.

Students must complete the application for graduation in order to be eligible to participate in the 2024 Commencement. The deadline to apply to graduate is February 23, 2024. More information can be found on the graduation website.

Please contact the Office of the Registrar ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns regarding your commencement eligibility.

The deadline to order regalia is Friday, March 22, 2024. For more information about ordering regalia, please visit the regalia webpage.

If you have questions regarding regalia, please call the bookstore directly at 386-822-7160.

Regalia may be picked up at the Stetson University Bookstore during normal hours of operation.

All regalia must be picked up from the Bookstore by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 10. If you are unable to pickup your regalia before 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 10, please call the Bookstore directly at 386-822-7160 to coordinate alternate pickup.

Students are welcome to decorate their caps to celebrate their achievements and highlight their individuality. Decorated caps must align with the Student Conduct and Community Standards and should reflect the professionalism and significance of the occasion. Any caps deemed to be inappropriate will not be permitted to be worn.

Yes, students are permitted to wear Western-style hats designed by the Stetson hat company instead of a regalia cap.

Regalia must be worn as intended with gowns fully zipped throughout the procession, ceremony and recession. In addition to regalia, comfortable attire and sensible shoes are recommended, as graduates will be walking on pavement, stage decking and grass.

Graduates are asked to arrive in regalia at the Sanborn Activity Center located at 815 S. Alabama Avenue one hour and 15 minutes prior to their ceremony. From there, students will be walking to Spec Martin Stadium in the processional to begin the ceremony.

University Latin honor cords, given to bachelor's degree candidates with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, will be distributed at student check-in prior to each ceremony. Honor cords are the only accessories that will be distributed at check-in.

Academic and non-academic accessories will be distributed directly from the appropriate sponsor of the association, organization, club, or group prior to the ceremony. Please contact your group's sponsor for more information.

Diplomas will be mailed to all graduated students four to six weeks following their graduation date. Graduated students will receive a confirmation once it is mailed.

Please contact the Office of the Registrar ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns regarding your diploma.

Yes, tickets are required for guests at no charge.

Each eligible participant will be allotted ten guest tickets. Tickets will be made available on Friday, March 15 and must be claimed online by the graduating student using the instructions provided on the Ceremony Tickets webpage. Physical tickets are not available for pickup anywhere on campus.

No, graduating students do not need tickets to attend the ceremony they are assigned to participate in. If graduate students are attending a different ceremony as a guest, a ticket is required.

Children who are 3 years of age and older must have a ticket to attend the ceremony. Children ages two years and under are NOT required to have a ticket but will need to be held in the lap of an attendee. Strollers may NOT be placed in aisles within the guest seating area.

Additional guest tickets will not be distributed beyond the initial ten guest tickets allocated to each eligible participant.

While participants are permitted to share any unused tickets with others within the same scheduled ceremony, careful consideration should be taken when making this decision, as once tickets are given to another participant, they cannot be revoked. Additional tickets will not be given to those who choose to gift tickets to others.

Students are not permitted to sell unused tickets. Reports received of students selling tickets will be sent to the Office of Community Standards. A referral to the Office of Community Standards for the selling of Commencement tickets could result in allegations from the Office of Community Standards for not following requested written university policies.

Detailed instructions on how to claim guest tickets can be found on the Ceremony Tickets webpage.

Please refer to the detailed instructions on the Ceremony Tickets webpage on how to reprint or resend guest tickets.

Should guests need tented accessible seating, a formal request must be submitted via the Accessibility Seating Form. The deadline to complete this form is Friday, May 3. Guest tickets must be claimed before submitting a seating request.

Reservations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, and capacity may be reached prior to the deadline of Friday, May 3, 2024. Please note that should the tented seating reach capacity, Spec Martin Memorial Stadium is still accessible to all guests with seating available on both the ground level and in the permanent bleachers.

2024 Commencement ceremonies will be held outdoors, rain or shine, at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium, 260 E. Euclid Avenue, DeLand, FL 32724.

Each ceremony is expected to take approximately two hours.

Small and average-sized handbags, purses and camera bags will be allowed and will be checked at the gate by security. The following items are not permitted:

• Umbrellas
• Food and beverages
• Fireworks/open flames
• Balloons
• Beach balls
• Weapons
• Noisemakers (blow horns, whistles, etc.)
• Pets and Emotional Support Animals (please review our Community Standards for additional information)

There are multiple parking lots located around the stadium which can be used for Commencement parking. Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis; parking in undesignated lots will be at your own risk.

Parking for persons with disabilities is available in Lot 5 on the corner of Hubbard and Alabama Avenues. Cars parked in this area are required to display a disabled parking permit.

Please review the Commencement Parking Map for more information.

Guests may enter the stadium at either the South gate located on East Hubbard Avenue or the North gate located on East Euclid Avenue.

Spec Martin Memorial Stadium will be open for guests one hour and 15 minutes prior to each ceremony. Early arrivals will not be permitted to enter the stadium.

Yes, live streaming of each ceremony will be available through Stetson Broadcast Productions for graduates and guests who are unable to attend in person.

Yes, the 2024 Commencement programs will be made available on the Downloadable Programs page.

Graduates will be seated on the field facing the stage with their backs toward the south end zone. Guests will be seated in the stadium seating located along the east and west sides of the field.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the graduates will exit the stadium onto Alabama Avenue, where friends and family may meet them. Alabama Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic at this time.

No, access to the stage following the Commencement ceremony will be prohibited.

Photographers from Island Photography will be taking photographs of each student as they cross the stage. Following Commencement, the students will receive an email with secure links and a PIN to view the photos. You can register the email addresses of friends and relatives so that they will receive a direct link to the proofs by visiting Island Photography's website.

Guests may use personal cameras and video cameras but are not allowed to leave their seats during the ceremony.

Yes, in the event of rain, Commencement exercises may still continue outdoors in the Spec Martin Memorial Stadium. Graduates and guests are encouraged to bring their own rain gear. Umbrellas are not allowed in the stadium. Once the program begins, if weather conditions worsen, the ceremony may be shortened.

In the case of severe weather, including thunderstorms with lightning, high winds, and heavy or prolonged rain as forecasted by the National Weather Service, the Commencement ceremony may be delayed or canceled by Public Safety.

An announcement will be sent over the Stetson email system through the Stetson University smartphone app, and the Commencement website will be updated in the event that the ceremony is canceled due to severe weather (for health and/or safety issues only). All commencement attendees should pay attention to any weather-related announcements and follow the instructions given. Only prolonged severe weather will cause the ceremony to be canceled, and the event will not be rescheduled. If cancellation occurs during the ceremony, an announcement will be made, and all participants and guests will be asked to leave the stadium and seek shelter.

Should any of the commencement ceremonies need to be canceled, degrees will be conferred by President Christopher F. Roellke virtually.