Sonoma State University
Students showing their diplomas

Graduates

graduate walking across the stage

Eligibility

You are eligible to participate in Commencement 2026 if you:

  • Graduated in Fall 2025
  • Have applied for graduation in Spring 2026
  • Have applied for graduation in Summer 2026

If you haven’t graduated or applied to graduate and have questions about the process, please visit the Office of the Registrar website to learn more.


If you are not eligible to participate in Commencement 2026 and would like to seek an exception, please email [email protected], providing your name, major, student ID, and graduation plans. You will receive a message from a contact at the appropriate college within 10 days.

Commencement is a ceremony to honor our annual graduates, but please remember that participation is optional and not the same as graduating from Sonoma State. You will officially graduate after grades have been finalized and only if all degree requirements were completed by the end of the semester you applied to graduate. Learn more about how to apply to graduate at the Office of the Registrar website.

The Academic Requirements Report (ARR) determines a student's graduation eligibility. The current "graduation status" appears at the top left corner of the ARR. Please contact your graduation team specialist if you have questions or concerns about your graduation status.

Questions? Contact [email protected] 

Credential Candidates

While credential candidates are not required to apply for graduation, they must be registered to participate in the Commencement ceremony. Students do not need to register themselves. The Credentials & Graduate Admissions office directly registers students using a list verified by each credential program coordinator.  Our office will email all students on that list as confirmation that they are registered for commencement and can expect further communications from the main Commencement Office. 

Credential candidates should not wear academic regalia because they are not earning a degree, but instead wear professional attire. If they are receiving an undergraduate or master's degree in addition to the credential, they should wear regalia in the ceremony in which they are receiving their degree. They are welcome to walk twice, if they are receiving both their credential and their degree. They must listen when it is their time to walk in the ceremony. Credential candidates will walk last in the College Of Education, Counseling and Ethnic Studies portion of the ceremony. Graduates should follow the information sent out regarding Tassel and ticketing.

All graduates (including credential candidates) will receive information in the coming months about ticketing and Tassel. All graduate communications can also be found under Messages to Grads.

For questions, please contact Sara Jordan at [email protected] or (707) 664-2935.