Why are commencement tickets limited?
Q. Our daughter is graduating this year. Why does UC Davis require tickets for commencement ceremonies and then limit the number each family can have?
A. You're right. Tickets, though free, are required for all undergraduate ceremonies.
The colleges and graduation facilities vary in size. Some of the ceremonies are large and guests fill their facilities. Tickets are used so all students have the opportunity to share the ceremony with at least some of their loved ones.
Ticketing for all undergraduate ceremonies was introduced in 2005 to avoid confusion about which ceremonies need tickets. To be guaranteed tickets, students must confirm their participation in their ceremony by the established deadline. Students who did not register their participation by the deadline may be added to a wait list for tickets.
The number of tickets available for guests varies by college. Agricultural and Environmental Sciences offers a minimum of 10 guest tickets for each participating student, and Letters and Science also makes five tickets available for guests. Biological Sciences provides a maximum of eight tickets, and Engineering provides 10 tickets.
Colleges will mail the tickets before the ceremony. And if space permits more guest tickets to be made available, individual colleges will provide instructions on how their students may obtain them.
Please keep in mind that all guests, including infants and toddlers, require tickets.
For those unable to attend, the campus will carry the undergraduate ceremonies live on its Web site. Closer to graduation time, a link will be posted on the campus's home page.