Candidate Information

Apply for Graduation

You will be contacted by your school of record informing you that you are eligible to apply for graduation. Applications are completed online through the Student Dashboard in my.SMU. Additional information and filing deadlines are found under Graduation & Diploma Services.

Ceremony Instructions

Rotunda Recessional for Undergraduate Candidates

Friday, December 15, 2023
5:00 p.m. Main Quadrangle and Dallas Hall

Undergraduate candidates meet at the flagpole in the Main Quadrangle in your regalia starting at 4:45 p.m. The ceremony begins with brief remarks from the Chief Marshal and Student Body President. will then march to Dallas Hall and complete Rotunda Passage. Family and friends are welcome to attend. You do not need to RSVP for this event.

December Commencement

Saturday, December 16, 2023 
9:00 a.m., Moody Coliseum

Candidate line-up begins at 8:00 a.m. in Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. Please arrive with your candidate ticket. Candidates wear full SMU regalia. No other adornments may be worn. Students without regalia or with altered mortar boards will be directed to the SMU Bookstore to rent a cap and gown. 

Graduates must be in line by 8:40 a.m. Late admission will be denied. Arrive early to avoid graduation day traffic and for security checks.

Signs are posted and faculty marshals are on duty to help you assemble by school and degree type. Faculty Marshals lead the student procession to Moody Coliseum at 8:50 a.m.

Leave bags, purses, coats, and other personal belongings at home or in your car. There is nowhere to store these items during the ceremony, and Dedman Center will not be accessible after the event. In addition, candidates are not allowed to bring clear bags, food or drinks into Moody Coliseum. A small clutch is permissible.

Moody Coliseum may be cold so dress accordingly under your regalia.

Please silence cell phones. 

Tickets

Tickets for candidates may be requested beginning Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. from our Commencement Ticket website.  Students must have a candidate entry ticket to participate in the morning graduation ceremony.

Guest tickets are not required for this event. Seating in Moody Coliseum is general admission and first come, first serve.  If the venue reaches capacity, guests will be directed to a simulcast location. The ceremony will also be live streamed at smu.edu/live.

Instructions on how to request a candidate ticket are found under Request Candidate Ticket.

Academic Regalia

Orders for renting academic regalia must be placed through the Herff Jones website by Thursday, November 16, 2023. Your regalia order will be sent to your home address. You must enter your current shipping address on the online order form. 

If you miss the deadline, a limited selection of regalia is available at the SMU Bookstore beginning Saturday, December 10. Your size may be available, but there is no guarantee. A $10.00 late fee is assessed to walk-ins. Telephone and in-person orders are not accepted. If you are a Doctoral candidate and are unsure if you are graduating in December, please place an order. If you do not need the regalia, you are not responsible for the rental fee.

Per University administration, honor ribbons, pins, cords, sashes, medals, flowers, stoles (other than part of the official SMU regalia), decorated mortarboards and other adornments may not be worn during the ceremony. Adornments are confiscated and damaged mortarboards are replaced at the student's expense. Students without regalia or with altered mortarboards will be directed to the SMU Bookstore to rent a new cap and/or gown.

If you wish to purchase your regalia, please contact the SMU Bookstore at 214-768-2435 to acquire a custom regalia order form and retail rates. Custom regalia takes approximately 8 weeks to arrive after ordering.

Regalia Order Information

Students are responsible for knowing their degree type and discipline color when placing their orders. Please review your Degree Progress Report and the Inventory of Academic Programs to determine your degree type and discipline color. Students are also responsible for checking that they have received all needed items and verifying that the discipline color is correct when picking up the order.
  • Baccalaureate Candidates - Appropriate attire includes mortarboard with tassel, undergraduate robe, and stole of gratitude. Tassels are worn on the right until students are instructed during the ceremony to move them to the left.
  • Post Baccalaureate Candidates - Appropriate attire for Master's candidates includes mortarboard with tassel, master's robe, and hood for the degree to be received. All post baccalaureate candidates rent/purchase hoods from the SMU Bookstore and wear them to the ceremony. This includes all law graduates.
  • Doctoral candidates (DE, DLS, Ed.D., and Ph.D.) - Appropriate attire includes a tam with a doctoral tassel and doctoral robe. Candidates will be will be given hoods during the ceremony. The hood is a gift from the University to the students who attend the ceremony.

Returning Regalia

Orders must be returned to Herff Jones the Tuesday following Commencement. Instructions will be included in your packet along with a pre-paid return label. Students who do not return their regalia by the due date will have a hold put on their SMU account.

All graduates may keep their cap and tassel and undergraduates may keep their stole. Doctoral candidates (DE, DLS, Ed.D, and Ph.D.) given a hood during the ceremony may keep them as a gift from the University.

Candidates with Impairments

Please contact us at ceremonies@smu.edu by November 10 with requests for accommodations for the ceremony. Requests made after this date will be met when possible. 

Diplomas and Transcripts

Diplomas

By default, your Primary/legal name listed in my.SMU will print on the diploma. You can add or update a Degree name in my.SMU using the following guidelines.

  • A first name may be shortened to an initial (e.g. Larry is now "L").
  • An initial can be expanded (e.g., J is now Judy).  
  • A middle name can be added that is not currently listed in my.SMU (e.g., John Doe is now John "Michael" Doe). 

All other changes to the first or last name must be submitted to the University Registrar's Office. Please visit Graduation and Diploma Services for more information.

Diplomas will be mailed to the Home or Diploma address listed in my.SMU at the end of January. Please make sure to verify you have a correct address listed. 

Transcripts

Transcripts with degrees posed will be available starting  January 10, 2024.

Please Note: Candidates who owe money to the University may participate in the commencement ceremony, but diplomas and transcripts are held until accounts are cleared. For questions regarding your account, please contact Enrollment Services by calling 214-768-3417.

SMU Graduation Survey

By sharing your post-graduation plans, you will help increase the value of your degree by allowing the university to report aggregate post-graduation data to various reporting organizations. This will enhance SMU’s ranking and provide data-informed interactions with employers recruiting SMU students and alumni. You will receive one survey link prior to graduation and one six months after graduation. Students who complete the six month follow-up survey are entered to win a Southwest Airlines gift card.