Commencement 2026

Undergraduate Students

To be eligible to participate, undergraduate students must have a declared degree expectancy term for Fall 2026 through Summer 2026 in one of our Linguistics majors or minors.

Fall 2026 undergraduate candidates interested in participating in 2026 commencement ceremonies must complete a Special Inclusion Petition with the College of Letters and Science. Please complete the petition on my.ucla.edu to participate in the 2026 Humanities commencement ceremonies. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that these requirements are met.

For details on the College of Letters and Sciences Ceremony, please visit the LS Commencement event website.

Undergraduate Students should contact Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer Allie Westrup at  allie@humnet.ucla.edu for any questions regarding the ceremony and eligibility requirements.

Graduate Students

Students filing or who have filed their doctoral dissertation in Summer 2025 through Spring 2026 may participate in the Class of 2026 Linguistics Commencement Ceremony. Ticket ordering is required if wishing to participate in the Linguistics Commencement Ceremony (see “Ticketing”, below).

In addition to the Class of 2026 Linguistics Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 14, the Department will also host a Graduate Celebration Event for PhD graduates on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM in the AAP Pavilion (1112B Campbell Hall). This is another chance to recognize our graduating PhD students individually for those attending the UCLA Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on the same day. The Graduate Student Affairs Officer, Jennifer Banawa, will contact doctoral graduates from Summer 2025 through Winter 2026 by early May regarding the Department’s Graduate Celebration Event. Doctoral candidates who will file their dissertation this Spring (by June 12, 2026, 5PM PT) will communicate their interest to participate via an online form that will be sent by the Graduate Student Affairs Officer by early May.

More information regarding the UCLA Doctoral Hooding Ceremony can be found on the Division of Graduate Education’s (DGE) website. Doctoral graduates who filed in Summer 2025 through Winter 2026 will receive an invitation to the hooding ceremony from DGE beginning in late April. Doctoral candidates who successfully file by June 1, 2026, 5PM PT will also receive an email invitation from DGE. Please note that the filing deadline to be eligible to participate in the UCLA Doctoral Hooding Ceremony is earlier than the final Spring filing deadline.

Graduate Students should contact Graduate Student Affairs Officer Jennifer Banawa at jennifer@humnet.ucla.edu for any questions regarding the Linguistics Commencement Ceremony or the Department Graduate Celebration Event. Questions regarding eligibility for the UCLA Doctoral Hooding Ceremony should be directed to DGE at askgrad@grad.ucla.edu.

Students must wear regalia to take part in the ceremony. Students should order regalia through Graduation Etc. starting February 17, 2026 (pickups start February 23). It is recommended that a student order their regalia by the beginning of May 2026.

1. The ticketing window for students for department events is scheduled for Friday of Spring Quarter’s Week 6 (May 8) and ends on Friday of Week 8 (May 22) @ 11:59PM PST via the Commencement Feature on ucla.edu. (Tickets to the College Commencement Ceremony can be requested from Thursday of Week 5 (April 30) through the following Sunday (May 3). See the LS Commencement Website for College Commencement ticketing information).
2. Participating students are eligible for their own free graduate ticket and 4 free guest tickets.* Additionally, students have the option to purchase up to 4 additional tickets at $20/each (charged to your student BAR account).
3. Guest tickets will be distributed to your email address (as indicated in MyUCLA) between Tuesday of Week 9 (May 26) through Thursday of Finals Week (June 11). It will be sent from the Central Ticket Office (tickets@cto.ucla.edu) and will contain a link for you to receive your electronic tickets. Keep in mind that department ceremony tickets will arrive in a separate set of email messages from the College Commencement tickets. Please be sure to check that your email account is accurate in MyUCLA, and also check your email account’s SPAM folder frequently, to be sure you do not overlook these important messages.

*NOTE: As a student, you need your own graduate ticket for the department ceremony. Your regalia and online RSVP are also needed to check in at the department ceremony.

ASL Interpreters will be present at our ceremony. If students need any other accommodations related to disabilities for the event, please contact Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer Allie Westrup (allie@humnet.ucla.edu) with your UID number and further details by June 2, 2026.

Purchase in Advance: Students and guests attending the 2026 Commencement ceremonies  can buy parking permits online through the Bruin ePermit Event Parking Portal starting early May. To skip long lines at the self-service pay stations on campus, we recommend purchasing your parking permit ahead of attending the Commencement ceremonies.

For full details and instructions on Commencement Parking, please visit the UCLA Transportation website: https://www.transportation.ucla.edu/campus-parking/commencement-parking.

Clear bags or coin purses ONLY allowed, details below:
Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12”W x 12”H x 6”D
One gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar)
Small clutch bag 4.5” x 6/5”, with or without a handle or strap. This can be carried separately or within a plastic bag
Diaper bags – infant for which bag is carried must be present

Prohibited items:
Balloons
Banners
Firearms
Flags
Food
Knives
Noise makers
Non water beverages
Non-Closeable water bottles
Opaque / non-clear backpacks or other bags
Pepper spray
Selfie sticks
Signage
Tasers
Tripods
Umbrellas
Weapons of any kind

Graduating students interested in delivering the commencement address must satisfy the following requirements:

• Be a declared undergraduate major within the Linguistics department eligible for commencement (degree award term of Fall ‘25, Winter ‘26, Spring ‘26, or Summer ‘26)
• Be in good academic and disciplinary standing
• Commit to attend and participate fully in the department ceremony

Eligible and interested students should complete the Google Form Application by Sunday, May 17, 11:59 PM PT. The application requires brief information on your experience at UCLA and a draft of your proposed speech (no more than 5 minutes).

Applicants will present their speech to a selection committee comprised of staff and student representatives from the Linguistics department during Weeks 8 and 9 (May 20 – May 28). This presentation will be recorded for selection committee review. The committee will then select one student speaker by June 1^st to represent the department at the commencement ceremony. The selected speaker will be expected to work with the Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer (UG SAO) and practice the speech in front of department staff in the weeks leading up to commencement to refine their speech and delivery.

The following criteria will be considered when selecting a student speaker:

• Clarity of message
• Quality of speech content
• Length of presentation
• Representation of UCLA Linguistics mission and values
• Appeal to both the diverse and common experiences of students
• Speaker’s preparation, delivery, and stage presence