Student FAQs
All the information about Commencement Ceremony , Commencement Book , Cap & Gown and Invitation Letters.
Commencement Information
For the Main Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 15th, candidates are to assemble promptly at 7:45 a.m. and all guests are requested to be in their seats by 8:15 a.m. Procession begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. and the ceremony concludes at 10:00 a.m.
Ceremony 1: Graduates are to assemble at the Galen Center at 2:00 p.m. Procession begins promptly at 2:30 p.m.
Ceremony 2: Graduates are to assemble at the Shrine Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. Procession begins promptly at 6:30 p.m.
An invitation to participate in commencement will be emailed to all eligible students starting in February 2020.
Note: There is no registration for USC’s Main Commencement Ceremony.
The Viterbi Master’s Commencement Ceremony, however, requires students participating in the ceremony to register. After eligible students file for graduation with their department advisor, they will be able to register by following the instructions bellow:
1. Go to https://www.marchingorder.com/graduate/grad_register.asp.
2. Enter your USC email address.
3. You will receive an email with a link to create your password. If you do not receive this email within one hour, please check your spam folder. Should you have any trouble, please email support@marchingorder.com.
4. After logging on once, you can edit your information, including your RSVP, at any time prior to April 10, 2020 by visiting https://www.marchingorder.com/graduate/grad_login.asp. You will login with your USC email address and the password you created.
Only students graduating Fall 2019, Spring 2020, or Summer 2020 are eligible to participate in the Viterbi Master’s Commencement Ceremony.
If you have filed for graduation but cannot login, contact us at MSGrad@vase.usc.edu (include your student ID number).
1. An Out of Cycle Request form can be completed starting in February 2020 from here.
2. Completing an Out of Cycle Request does not automatically grant permission to participate in the commencement ceremony.
Commencement Book
Students who graduate Fall 2019, Spring 2020, and Summer 2020 will be listed in the Commencement Book available at the Main Commencement Ceremony and in various places across campus. If you would like to check your expected graduation date, please check your STARS report on OASIS. To check if your name will appear in the 2020 Commencement Book, visit: https://camel2.usc.edu/CommBook/index.html Students should contact their academic advisor is they need their name corrected.
Cap and Gown Information
Regalia may be ordered online at https://www.uscbookstore.com/masters-regalia
Invitation Letters
Letters are not required by the United States Consular Offices in order for family members to obtain visitor visas; however, as a courtesy to our students, OIS does provide a letter template for students who wish to write their own letter to invite family members to the United States. https://ois.usc.edu/invitation-letter/
Wheelchairs are available for checkout from 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on May 15th only. Checkout is located in front of the Alumni House. If you need a wheelchair after 5:00 p.m., you will need to bring your own. More information can be found at https://commencement.usc.edu/guests/disability-info/%20
Diplomas
The Registrar's Office oversees the distribution of university diplomas, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Most diplomas are mailed to the permanent address of record, six to eight weeks after a degree is conferred.
Certain activity restrictions or an invalid address will prevent your diploma from being printed until the problem is corrected. Any restrictions attached to your account can be found on the Restrictions link in OASIS which can be accessed through the myUSC portal.
In the event that a diploma is lost, stolen, damaged, or a duplicate copy is necessary, a request for a replacement may be sent through our contact page by selecting the Registrar/Diploma category from the drop down menus. The cost for a replacement diploma is $125.00, and the process may take four to six weeks from the time it is ordered. The new diploma will bear the current names of the officials in office at the time the replacement diploma is produced.
Please include the following information in your request:
1. Full Name while in attendance at USC
2. 10-Digit USC ID number (if applicable)
3. Dates of attendance
4. Date of birth
5. Major/degree for which you are requesting a replacement diploma.
6. Mailing address to which the replacement diploma should be sent.
Information on payment options for this service will be included on the email acknowledgement sent by USC.
All bachelor's, master's and PhD degree certificates are 8.5" high x 11" wide.
MD, JD, PharmD and DDS degree certificates are 11" high x 14" wide.
Minor certificates, issued since late 1998, are 6" high x 8" wide.
In the event your diploma was damaged in transit, please return it to the Registrar One Stop Center with a clear photocopy of your valid government-issued photo ID, the damaged diploma AND the original mailer (so that we can verify the in-transit damage). If the original mailer is returned, we will waive the replacement fee of $125.
Please include the following information in your request:
1. Full Name while in attendance at USC
2. 10-Digit USC ID number (if applicable)
3. Dates of attendance
4. Date of birth
5. Mailing address to which the replacement diploma should be sent or if you want to hold it for pick up