Know Before You Go
Tassel
Sonoma State University partners with Tassel to assist with reading graduate names at the Commencement ceremony. Graduates received an email from [email protected] via tassel.com on Tuesday, April 1 which provided information on how to register for their Commencement ceremony. Each graduate was provided a unique link to register. The deadline to complete this was Friday, April 18.
Ticketing
Tickets are only needed inside Weill Hall. Each graduate is allotted two tickets inside Weill Hall for their friends and family. Graduates received information via email on how to claim their tickets online on Tuesday, April 1. Tickets can be claimed online until Monday, May 12 at 5 p.m. and will require login with SSU credentials.
Once claimed, tickets will be sent via email as a PDF document. This PDF can be forwarded to your friends and family for easy access. Each ticket will include a unique barcode that can only be used once. It's crucial to emphasize that multiple prints of the same ticket will not be valid. Please ensure that guests are aware of this to avoid any inconvenience.
There is unlimited seating available outside on the Weill Lawn for family and/or friends. Tickets are NOT needed for outdoor seating. The lawn will have a “front row” view of what takes place on the stage via the Jumbotron located outside the hall, and the state-of-the-art sound system will ensure each graduate’s name will be heard by all. Over 3,000 folding chairs will be available on the lawn on a first-come, first-served basis.
On the day of Commencement, we will also have a standby line just outside Weill Hall for individuals wishing to sit inside. Your guests can wait in the standby line to fill unclaimed seats inside Weill Hall. There is no guarantee that guests in the standby line will be able to sit in the hall, as open seats are filled beginning 15 minutes before the ceremony on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ticket Holder Reminders
Please remind your friends and family to have their indoor tickets downloaded or printed prior to arrival as Wi-Fi signals could be impacted due to large crowd sizes.
Each indoor ticket permits the ticket holder to one seat in the Green Music Center’s Weill Hall or the first few rows of the Weill Hall Lawn.
Each ticket has a unique barcode that can only be used once. Multiple prints of the ticket will not be valid.
Tickets can only be used for the ceremony date and time listed on the ticket.
Weill Hall doors open for ticketed guests one hour prior to the ceremony start time.
All ticketed guests must be seated 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony.
Guests arriving after 15 minutes until the start of the ceremony will be redirected to the stand-by line or Weill Hall Lawn.
Please note ALL INDOOR SEATING stops during the processional of graduates and restarts AFTER all graduates have been seated inside Weill Hall.
Unoccupied seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ordering Your Regalia
If you are participating in the 2024 Commencement ceremonies, please order your regalia early to ensure the correct size. Remember, all graduates must wear the academic regalia associated with the degree to be conferred upon them. If you are receiving a bachelor’s degree, you will wear the traditional black cap and gown. Master’s degree recipients should order the cap and gown in addition to the hood associated with their discipline.
You can order your regalia online at the Herff Jones website.
For graduates who ordered their regalia online before March 21, distribution will begin May 1 at the University Store. Orders made online between March 22 and April 18 can have to have regalia shipped to an address of their choosing. After April 18, any graduate who would like to participate in the Commencement ceremony can get regalia through the bookstore beginning May 1, or they can obtain their items elsewhere. The University Store will have plenty of caps, gowns, tassels, and other accessories, such as stoles and zipper pulls, until Friday, May 17.
The University Store is located on the second floor of the Student Center.
The Right Place at the Right Time
Graduates should arrive one hour prior to their ceremony time and enter through the Schroeder Hall lobby doors, at the south end of the Music Education Building. Graduates will line up by Schroeder Hall in preparation for the processional. Please refer to the Commencement map for locations.
Parking is free on Commencement day. The lots directly adjacent to the Green Music Center (Lots L, M, N, O) provide the closest general and disabled parking. Lots G and H are also within walking distance. There will be carts circulating through the parking lots to assist with those who need a ride up to the commencement site. Please see our campus map. Each ceremony is scheduled to last no more than two hours.
Review the official Commencement Program for more details. The program includes the names of the Sonoma State University graduates from Fall 2024 and those who applied for graduation for Spring 2025 and Summer 2025.
Safety and Security
No pets (service animals excepted), alcohol, drugs, or weapons are allowed in the Green Music Center.
There is a zero-tolerance policy at Commencement for alcohol and drugs. Guests determined to be impaired will be removed from Commencement.
Out of respect to all candidates and their families and guests, we ask that you remain in your seats until the conclusion of the ceremony.
Everyone is expected to maintain appropriate behavior at all times. Disorderly conduct or offensive language may be cause for removal from Weill Hall and Lawn at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center or cause for arrest. Everyone must obey federal, state and local laws. Any violation of CSU policies or state/local laws may result in ejection, fines and/or prosecution.