Alma Mater
Your first official act as new alumni is singing the USF Alma Mater at the close of the ceremony. Click here to listen.
"Hail to thee our Alma Mater
May thy name be told
Where upon they gleaming splendor
Waves the Green and Gold
Thou our guide in quest for knowledge
Where we all are free
University of South Florida
Alma Mater, Hail To Thee!Be our guide in truth and wisdom
As we onward go
May thy glory, fame and honor
Never cease to grow
May our thoughts and prayers be with thee
Through eternity
University of South Florida
Alma Mater, Hail to Thee!"
Alumni Association
Now that you are moving from student to alumnus, stay connected and support your alma mater by joining the USF Alumni Association! New graduate members receive a discounted membership and a special BULL PACK when they join!
Application to graduate
Applications for graduation must be received in your college advising office by the fourth week of the term in which you plan on completing all degree requirements. See your advisor as some colleges have additional graduation deadlines.
Authorized Vendors
The university cannot control solicitation or the quality of the products produced by outside vendors. In an attempt to help you avoid costly mistakes, we have designated a list of "authorized vendors" and posted this on our official website. We recommend that you choose from these vendors.
GradImages Photo, the official photographer of all USF commencement ceremonies.
Banzai Audio Visual Productions, the official videographer of the Tampa commencement ceremonies.
Herff Jones, the authorized vendor for graduation announcements.
USF Bookstore, providing your cap, gown, hood, tam and tassel needs.
Marshall Student Center, providing honor sash sales.
Holiday Inn Express, New Tampa, providing discount hotel accommodations for your family and friends.
Wingate Inn, New Tampa, providing discount hotel accommodations for your family and friends.
Holiday Inn & Suites, near Busch Gardens-USF, providing discount hotel accommodations for family and friends.
Diplomas
Diplomas are mailed approximately 4-6 weeks after grades have been certified. For more information, contact the Registrar’s Office at (813) 974-2000 or e-mail the Registrar's Office.
Diploma covers and frames can be purchased at the USF Bookstore. For more information, please call (813) 974-0595. USF diploma sizes have changed in 2009, so if you are placing your order by telephone, please indicate your graduation month and year.
Disabilities
Graduates with disabilities should notify the Special Events and Ceremonies Office.
The follow is information for guests with disabilities planning to attend a commencement ceremony:
The first three rows of audience seating throughout the arena are reserved for those who have difficulty ascending or descending stairs. One or two steps will need to be taken to reach these seats. Wheelchair seating is available on the second level at each corner of the arena and on the third level, and these spaces are also on a first come, first served basis. One guest may sit with each wheelchair guest in special seating area. Please be aware that the Sun Dome does not have wheelchairs or other equipment to loan or rent.
Disabled parking is located in parking lot 6 on the north side of the Sun Dome, by Entry 1.
Hearing impaired guests may sit in Section K-1, close to the stage, as interpreters will be provided near this location.
All seating is on a first come, first served basis and we suggest that your party arrive when Sun Dome doors open. There is no pre-assigned seating for guests with disabilities as our venue has ample accommodations available. For all ceremonies, doors open 90 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.
Email updates
Students who register for the ceremony will receive occasional email updates. Please be sure to allow the email address usfgrad@admin.usf.edu to your in-box.
Favorite faculty
Graduates: do you have a favorite faculty member you would like to invite to commencement? Let us know. When you register for the ceremony, you will be asked if you would like to provide the name of one faculty member to invite to commencement. We will automatically invite that faculty member to attend your ceremony.
Fees
There is no fee to participate in a commencement ceremony. The only cost is the cost of regalia.
Grad Stampede
Each semester, theUSF Bookstore hosts Grad Stampede. This multiple day event is held in the middle of the semester and gives graduating seniors the opportunity to order their cap and gown (regalia), graduation announcements, class rings, honor sashes and more. For information on this semester's event, contact the Bookstore at (813) 974-2067 or visit the Bookstore website.
Graduating with honors
Undergraduate students with an overall grade point average of 3.5 or higher are identified as honor graduates. This honor distinction is noted on the diploma and in the commencement program. Undergraduate candidates with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 are recognized at the commencement ceremony. The official university policies for recognition of honors at graduation are listed in the university catalog.
Hoodings
Students earning the highest academic degree at a commencement ceremony are hooded by their major professor during that ceremony. For the Tampa campus ceremonies, Doctoral students are hooded. For USF St. Petersburg, USF Sarasota-Manatee and USF Polytechnic ceremonies, Masters students are hooded. Students that will be hooded carry their hood with them into the ceremony. For the hooding, the student faces the audience as the professor places the academic hood over their head to their shoulders. The process is not complicated, but your attention is requested to insure that the hooding proceeds gracefully and professionally. To see a sample of a hooding, please click on the following link:
Hotels
Several area hotels have been identified as "authorized vendors" for Commencement and have special rates for visiting friends and family.
Wingate Inn, New Tampa, $99 per night, (813) 971-7676. Mention code "USF".
Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, New Tampa, $99 per night, (813) 910-7171. Mention code "USF".
Holiday Inn & Suites, near Busch Gardens-USF, $99 per night, (813) 971-7690. Mention code "USF Graduation Discount".
King O’Neal 4.0 Recognition
The King O’Neal award is given each semester by the USF Alumni Association in honor of charter graduates Lucas King and Evelyn O’Neal. It is presented to undergraduates with the highest cumulative grade point average, 4.0 during commencement ceremonies. The recipients of the King O’Neal award also receive a certificate of accomplishment, a gold medallion of the university seal and are individually recognized during commencement ceremonies.
Mace
The mace is a ceremonial staff used for all USF commencement ceremonies and during the installation of the university president. Today’s mace was commissioned in 1998 by the university’s Faculty Senate, as a ceremonial gesture used to show the right of an academic institution to grant degrees to graduates. USF’s mace includes a gold pine cone at its top to represent growth and continuity. Eight silver semicircles, which support the pine cone, stand for the eight colleges in existence at USF when the mace was commissioned. When not in use, the mace is displayed in the foyer of the president’s office. The original university mace is on display in the USF Alumni Center.
Netcasting - Live Video
Tampa Commencement ceremonies are netcast live through USF Academic Computing. You can test your computer in advance of the ceremony and access the live feed on ceremony day.
Outstanding Senior
The Outstanding Senior award is presented each semester by the USF Alumni Association. Applications are available early in the term. For information, contact the USF Alumni Association
Photographs
Each graduate who crosses the stage will have his/her photo taken by GradImages. Several complimentary proofs will be sent to each graduate along with a price guide for ordering additional quantities if desired. Please contact GradImages directly at (800) 628-4509 for all photo inquiries.
Programs
Each graduate will receive two souvenir programs on the day of the ceremony. The graduate names listed in the program come from the Registrar office, based on the list of students who have applied to graduate by the end of the fourth week of the term. Your name may not be in the program if you have applied to graduate after that deadline, or if you have elected total privacy on your student record. Registration for the commencement ceremony does not ensure your name is printed in the program. Following the ceremony, additional programs, if available, will be available at the USF Bookstore's customer service counter or the Visitors Information Center in the front of campus beginning the Tuesday following the ceremony.
Protocol
The commencement ceremony is a most dignified event. Decorum and courtesy are very important for graduates and their guests.
Graduates must be attired in full academic regalia to participate in the ceremony (see the Cap and Gown section of this website). Military dress uniform may be worn in lieu of academic regalia.
All graduates and members of the general audience should stand and remove hats during the singing of the National Anthem.
No air horns, balloons, bubbles, beach balls or similar items are allowed in the Sun Dome. The use of noisemakers may be intended to show one person’s pride in a graduate, but it can also ruin the chance for another family to hear the name of their graduate announced.
Rehearsal
There is NO REHEARSAL for any USF commencement ceremony.
Text Messages
Graduates have the option when they register for the ceremony to elect to receive text messages. Text messages keep graduates informed of upcoming events, such as Grad Stampede, and other information closer to the ceremony. Graduates interested in receiving text messages should indicate their cell number at the time of ceremony registration.
Tickets
There are no tickets required for the Tampa ceremony.
Videography
The Tampa ceremonies are videographed in their entirety by Banzai Audio Visual. DVDs are available for purchase after commencement.
What to expect
USF’s commencement ceremony is rich in tradition.
Graduates are seated by college and stand for the platform processional. On the platform will be the University President, Provost, Deans, Vice Presidents, Campus Executives, Faculty representatives, University Trustees, Distinguished Guests, the Outstanding Senior, Student Body President, Alumni Association representative and the King O’ Neal 4.0 Scholars. The processional is led by the Faculty Senate President, who bears the mace of the university.
After opening remarks and honoree presentations, the conferring of degrees begin. Students are led to the platform by ceremony marshals, who are faculty volunteers. It is a longstanding tradition at USF for each student to have their name individually read as they cross the stage. Candidates for Doctoral degrees proceed first, followed by Education Specialists, Master of Fine Arts, Master’s and then Bachelor’s. Degrees are conferred at the end of the ceremony.
What to wear
Female graduates -- Dark clothing and dress shoes, dresses or skirts are ideal with regalia; Male graduates -- White shirts; dark ties; dark trousers; dress shoes.
Guests -- Business casual.
Your name at the ceremony
Each participating graduate will pick up a ceremony card the day of the ceremony. This card is what will be handed to the reader on stage, and is the only way the reader will know who each graduate is. Graduates who do not participate in the ceremony do not have their names called. The name on your ceremony card will be exactly as you registered on this website.
