Academic Commencement
UWest hosts Commencement each year on the last Saturday of the Spring term, celebrating our degree graduates during the academic year.
2026 Commencement – Saturday, May 16, at 5 PM
Students intending to participate in Commencement 2026 must first complete the Graduation Petition and pay the Commencement fee to order their Caps & Gowns from Herff-Jones.
Who is Eligible to Participate?
You are eligible to participate in Commencement if you graduated or are graduating with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree during the academic year in which the ceremony is held.
If you are a graduate student, you must successfully complete any required comprehensive exam, thesis, capstone, or defense at least two weeks prior to the ceremony.
You may request approval to participate if you are scheduling your final courses in summer or fall immediately following the ceremony.
You are eligible if at the time of the ceremony you will have no more than the following requirements remaining:
- Bachelor’s degree students: 9 units
- Master’s degree students: 6 units
- You pass any required comprehensive exam, thesis, capstone, or defense at least two weeks prior to the ceremony (graduate students)
To request early participation, submit your Petition to Graduate to the Registrar’s Office no later than the first day of the spring semester, and submit a Commencement Confirmation form.
Nearby airports for travel
- Burbank/Hollywood Airport (BUR)
- Long Beach Airport (LGB)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Los Angeles/Ontario International Airport (ONT)
- John Wayne Airport (SNA)
Hotels near the campus for friends & family
- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles – Rosemead
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Los Angeles Rosemead
- Motel 6 Rosemead, CA – Los Angeles
- Ramada by Wyndham South El Monte
For our F-1 students
Please contact ISS@UWest.edu and/or Registrar@UWest.edu as soon as possible if you need travel visa letters for your family traveling internationally to the US.