University Commencement

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Fertitta Center, University of Houston

Friday, December 13, 2024

Fall 2024 University Commencement for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences will include all Fall 2024 bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degree candidates. At University Commencement for CLASS all graduation candidates will be individually recognized on stage and have their names announced. In order to preserve the dignity of the program and honor all our graduates, we do not allow graduates to leave the floor before the ceremony is over. All graduates choosing to participate in our ceremonies will remain for the duration of the event.

CLASS Stage Page

Mandatory:  Each CLASS graduation candidate must arrive at the event with their own Stage Page.  This page will be e-mailed to each CLASS graduation candidate Friday, November 22, 2024.  Open the e-mail, read instructions and print the attached Stage Page.  You must have this Stage Page with you at the ceremony.  As you arrive on stage you will hand this paper to the reader who will announce your name. An image on your phone does not take the place of this actual printed page.

Guest Tickets Required

Guest tickets will be required for all University Commencement ceremonies.  A few weeks before your event, a link to download your general admission electronic guest tickets will be emailed to your University of Houston email address.  If you do not receive this email, check your spam folder for misdirected communications.  Distribute tickets to your guests before the day of your event.  Ticketing assistance is not available at graduation line-up.

Graduation candidates themselves will not require a ticket. Children two (2) years of age and younger will not require tickets.

All commencement tickets are complimentary, and any unused tickets should be returned to the commencement ticket pool.  The selling of commencement tickets is not condoned by the University and could constitute a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.  Failure to comply with this directive will result in a referral to the Dean of Students Office. 

Please find the latest ticketing updates including the Guest Ticket Lottery at https://uh.edu/commencement/tickets/ 

Commencement Guest Ticket Lottery

• OPENS Monday, October 28 at 2p
• CLOSES Friday, November 1 at 11:59p
• Results by end of day Wednesday, November 6
• Lottery Guest Ticket Pick-up at Graduation Celebration Friday, November 15, 10a - 4p
• Lottery Additional Pick-Up Dates at UH Ticket Office:
  
  • Nov. 19-22 (9a - 7p)
    
  • Nov. 25-27 (9a - 5p)
    
  • Dec. 2-6 (9a - 7p)
    
  • Sat, Dec. 7 (9a - 1p)
• gradtickets@uh.edu or 832.842.GRAD

Where to Find all Commencement Updates

CLASS commencement updates are shared weekly during the Fall 2024 semester via e-mail using the college listserv - CLASS-STUDENTS@LISTSERV.UH.EDU 

Throughout the Fall 2024 semester please also refer to https://uh.edu/class/students/Commencement/ and https://uh.edu/commencement/ for all updates as they are made available.

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• • ATTENTION:  All current and future CLASS Candidates for Summer Graduation

    CLASS holds two commencement events each year – end of the spring semester, end of the fall semester.  There are no summer commencement events.

    Which CLASS Commencement are candidates for summer graduation eligible to participate in? Spring commencement events only.

    CLASS Spring Commencement is for all spring and summer graduation candidates.

    • Summer graduation candidates participate in spring commencement before all degree requirements are satisfied. 
    • Planning includes securing regalia at the spring grad fair before the summer grad application opens (April). 
    • Summer grad candidates are not allowed to participate in CLASS fall commencement ceremonies. 

    CLASS Fall Commencement is for all fall graduation candidates.

    • Summer graduation candidates are not allowed to participate in fall commencement.
    • Grad candidates completing the fall application for graduation are eligible to participate in the fall ceremony.
    • Fall grad candidates are not allowed to participate in CLASS spring commencement ceremonies.

  • 2024 Deadlines to Apply for Graduation

    • • Students completing all degree requirements by end of Fall 2024
        - April 1, 2024 through September 27, 2024
        Late registration: September 28, 2024 through October 25, 2024

    Important: Students who apply for graduation during the late period will not have their names included in any printed or electronic commencement booklet.

  • When will the Grad Fair for Fall 2024 Graduation Candidates be held?

    • Grad vendor website: herff.ly/uh
    • UH Grad Fair will be held: Sept 30 - Oct 1, 10a - 4p, UH Campus Store
    • Grad Fair Order Pickups will begin Friday, Nov 15, 9a - 4p, UH Campus Store
    • Questions:  Contact the UH campus store at campusstore@uh.edu or call 713.741.7095

  • What Happens if I Miss the Graduation Application Deadline?

    Students who miss the deadline typically need to apply in the next term. Exceptions are considered for students who document job or program acceptance pending degree confirmation.

    • Required: Job offer letter, grad school acceptance letter, program acceptance letter
    • Letters should include a deadline for documentation of degree conferral and contact information for the employer or program (may be received via email).
    • Students with these circumstances should provide the documentation to their major advisor.
    • The major advisor will first verify the student is eligible for graduation for the current term.

    If eligible for current term graduation and documentation is provided of pending program/job, the student may submit a general petition to the major advisor requesting late application approval.

  • Photographs

    Flash Photography is the official photographer for the University of Houston commencement ceremonies. After the ceremony, Flash Photography will send proofs to you so that you can decide if you want to order prints. The photographer will already have your mailing address. If you do not receive the proofs within 30 days of your commencement, please contact Flash Photography at 800-410-8070.

  • Status of Your Graduation Application

    When an application to graduate is submitted, your college will receive notification. CLASS lead advisors will begin to review all information related to your degree progress and make a preliminary recommendation for degree conferral. If your graduation is contingent upon completing any coursework, you must first successfully complete those requirements before a decision can be made. If there are any other outstanding items that your major advisor is aware of and has already communicated with you about, these items will also need to be completed before a preliminary recommendation for degree conferral can be made.
    
    Your major advisor is your contact for questions related to the status of your application and the completion of your degree.

  • Conditions that Warrant Immediate Disapproval

    If there are requirements for your degree completion that will not be met by currently enrolled courses, and your major advisor is not already aware of these outstanding items, your application could be disapproved before the end of the semester that you have applied to graduate. A notification of that decision will be sent by UH (not CLASS) to you at your email address listed on your record. You will then need to work with your major advisor to complete any remaining requirements and apply for graduation again in the next feasible semester.
    
    Your major advisor is your contact for questions related to the status of your application and the completion of your degree.

  • Approval Process

    Once the semester officially closes and all grades are posted, the college Dean’s Office for Academic Affairs will begin their final review for degree conferral.

    If you have successfully completed all requirements of your degree program, your application will be approved by CLASS and then sent to UH with final recommendation for degree conferral. After UH has completed their review and has determined that all degree requirements have been satisfied, a final approval decision will be made and posted to your record. A notification of that decision will be sent by UH (not CLASS) to you at your email address listed on your record.

  • Disapproval Process

    Once the semester officially closes and all grades are posted, the college Dean’s Office for Academic Affairs will begin their final review for degree conferral.
    
    If you have not successfully completed all pending requirements by that date, your application will be disapproved. A notification of that decision will be sent by UH (not CLASS) to you at your email address listed on your record. You will then need to work with your major advisor to complete any remaining requirements and apply for graduation again in the next feasible semester.

  • Printed or electronic University Commencement Program

    We make every effort to ensure all graduating students who applied on time are listed in any commencement program.

    Only those Fall 2024 graduation candidates who apply to graduate by September 27, 2024 will have their names included in any printed or electronic program.

    Please also be aware of the following information:

    • If at any time you have requested privacy protection for your academic records, your name cannot be published in any program by law unless you have indicated on your application for graduation that you desire your name be included in such program.
    • Although your name might not be included in any printed or electronic program, you will still be individually recognized by name as you cross the stage.

  • Cougar Spirit Cord

    The Cougar Spirit Cord is a symbol of your pride and a way to help make more scholarships available to next year's students or show support for a program that has made a difference in your UH experience. Consider making a $24 donation (a gift in honor of your class, 2024) to any CLASS department or program of your choice and wear the cord at commencement to show your Cougar Pride!

  • Baccalaureate Candidates Graduating with Honors

    For the CLASS commencement ceremony, the final semester is not factored into the calculation because final semester grades are not completely posted until after the ceremony. Honors announced during the ceremony are calculated using the last 54 hours less the number of hours taken in the final semester.
    
    Once the current semester has officially closed and all grades have been posted, your honors status will be updated accordingly and will be engraved on your diploma. Undergraduate students who have completed the graduation requirements of the Honors College may graduate with special honors designations. See your advisor in the Honors College for more information.

    Undergraduate students who complete degree requirements will graduate with the stated academic honors if they achieve the following grade point averages earned in their last 54 hours (all of which must be A, B or C letter grade courses) completed at the University of Houston. Grades of S, U, I and W are not assigned grade point values and are not used in the computation of the grade point average. The honors calculation will include all hours completed in the semester in which the first of the final 54 hours was completed.

    Honors Designations:

    3.90 to 4.0 GPA Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors)
    3.70 to 3.89 GPA Magna Cum Laude (with high honors)
    3.50 to 3.69 GPA Cum Laude (with honors)

  • Where is My Diploma?

    It takes approximately 6–8 weeks from the close of the term for colleges to review graduation applications and submit their decisions to the registrar’s office for processing. Diplomas are ordered once students have been approved and degrees officially conferred and posted.

    Your diploma will be mailed directly to you at the most current address provided through your myUH student account. The diploma printing company also will send email notifications to you indicating when your diploma has been mailed. It’s important to keep contact information updated in myUH to avoid shipment delays.

    • Get help with additional questions about your diploma order.

  • For Questions Not Answered on this Website

    Undergraduate Students – Your major advisor is your contact for questions related to the status of your application and the completion of your degree. For all other event-related questions, please contact: CLASS Undergraduate Commencement.

    Graduate Students – Master and Ph.D. students who have questions about the ceremony and degree conferral process are asked to email Anna Marchese, CLASS Graduate Studies Program Director, amarchese@uh.edu.