Commencement
Congratulations to our Spring 2025 graduates!
Watch It Back
The Spring Commencement Ceremony took place Friday, May 16, 2025, at 7 p.m. at NRG Park, 1 NRG Park, Houston, TX 77054. You can download the commencement program here.
After the Commencement Ceremony
Diplomas and Certificates
Degrees should be posted to your official San Jacinto College transcript within two to three weeks of the end of the term. An email will be sent when diplomas have been mailed, usually within six to eight weeks of degrees being posted to your transcript. Diplomas will not be issued to students with financial holds.
Original Diploma/Certificate
Reprint of a Diploma or Certificate
Request Graduation Photos
How to Apply for Graduation
Once you’ve completed all of your course requirements it’s time to graduate! Take these few easy steps and San Jac will have all the information we need to award your degree or certificate officially.
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Do a Graduation Status Check
Go to student records to make sure you are on track to graduate.
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Apply Online
When you are in your final semester, select the My Student Records tab in SOS, then Apply to Graduate. You should apply to graduate even if you don’t plan to walk in the commencement ceremony. Make sure your name, major, diploma, and mailing address are correct. Students who apply for graduation on time will ensure that their names will appear in the commencement program.
Important: the new deadline to have your name in the commencement program is October 16, 2025. The deadline to apply for graduation is December 4, 2025. -
Hold Your Diploma High!
After your final grades are posted, the Center for Advising, Career & Transfer office verifies that all pending items have been completed on your Graduation Status Check. Diplomas are ready about six weeks after final grades post. When your diploma is printed and your degree is posted, you are officially a college graduate! Time to celebrate!
FAQs: Cap and Gown
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.
