Commencement

Graduation caps and gowns can be purchased at the campus bookstore for $48.98. Women wear their caps throughout the ceremony. Men remove their caps for the Invocation. 

If you already own a solid black gown and cap, you’re welcome to wear them. The college uses a black tassel, which you can purchase in the bookstore.

No high school cords, stoles, medals, or tassels are allowed to be worn (with the exception of early college high school medals, see below). Only the following approved specialty regalia, cords, stoles, medals, or tassels will be allowed to be worn:

• Honors graduates: medals given by the Honor department
• Phi Theta Kappa: gold stole or blue and gold cords ordered by student
• National Technical Honor Society: gray and purple cords or stole ordered by student
• Dual Credit graduates: San Jacinto College medallion given by the high school or dual credit office
• Veterans: red, white and blue cords given out at commencement registration area

For many students, decorations on graduation caps (mortar boards) are a symbol of pride and accomplishment. The decorations represent personalized statements about accomplishments that can be presented in the form of a quote, image, or symbol.

To ensure that commencement exercises remain dignified celebrations of achievement of all students, we provide the following guidelines and expectations.
Here are a few examples of decorative ideas for highlighting your celebratory achievement:

• Your graduation year.
• An expression of “thanks” to family, a teacher, a friend.
• A symbol of the branch of the military you belong to or may be joining.
• Acknowledgment of an institution where you plan to continue your studies.
• The American flag, Texas flag, or your home country’s flag.
• A logo or shield of your Greek social, honorary affiliation, or honor society.
• A symbol or message highlighting your major or student organization affiliation.

Decorations are limited to the top of the mortar board. Embellishments that are higher than one inch or that hang over the side are prohibited as they may be distracting or interfere with another individual’s view.

All rules and regulations in the San Jacinto College Code of Student Conduct will be in effect during commencement. In particular, the following messages or images are prohibited on mortar boards at commencement:

• Obscene messages or images.
• Images or messages that incite violence.
• Libel or defamation (false statements about another person or organization that hold the person or organization up to hatred, ridicule, or contempt).

Should a participant fail to comply with these guidelines and expectations, the student will be asked to remove decorations or purchase a new non-decorated mortar board to wear during commencement. The participant’s original mortar board will be returned to the participant after the ceremony. Failure to comply may result in the participant’s exclusion from the ceremony.

Arrive dressed in regalia. The stadium will not have a dressing area. Dress comfortably. The venue is not heated or air-conditioned, so it can vary between very hot and very cold depending on the weather. We recommend you wear comfortable shoes, suitable for walking on dirt tracks and other slippery areas, climbing stairs, and long periods of standing.

Yes. We assign all graduates a seat in advance based on their RSVP. We email invitations and you’ll need to visit the RSVP link and complete that information by the assigned deadline in the email.

If you missed the deadline – or if you can’t remember if you’ve RSVPed yet – please email commencement@sjcd.edu, and we will give you directions on what to do next.

Graduates should arrive by 5:45 p.m. Please make every effort not to be late. If you arrive once the ceremony begins, we will ask you to wait until we can seat you. Then, we’ll need to seat you at the back of the seating section and not in your assigned seat.

All graduates must go to the registration area to get their name cards. From there, we’ll have staff directing you to your seat.

Graduates who attend will have to stay in their seats until the end of the ceremony. If you cannot stay for the whole ceremony, we ask that you consider attending the next semester's ceremony.

You cannot carry anything into the seating area. Leave all belongings with your guests; this includes purses, bubbles, flowers, etc. You cannot have anything but your name card that will be given to you at registration. Cell phones are allowed if carried in a pocket or a very small purse worn under your gown that is not visible.

There are no tickets for the ceremony, and there are no limits to the number of guests a graduate can invite. Seating is first come first seat, and we do not reserve seating for guests. 

Event staff will be in the stadium to help with seating for guests who need assistance. 

The ceremony is approximately an hour and a half long, which can be very long for some children to sit through. The ceremony is live-streamed and can be watched at home.  
Strollers are not permitted in the seating area and must remain in the concourse area, where no one will monitor the strollers.