Frequently Asked Questions
Fall 2023 Commencement
Brownsville Commencement
Friday, December 15, 2023
Library/MAIN Lawn
Edinburg Commencement
Saturday, December 16, 2023
Bert Ogden Arena
Ceremony times will be announced at a later date.
- The ceremony will begin with a welcome and order of exercise.
- Upon arrival, graduates will check-in using their Grad/Stage Pass and will be directed to sit in the graduate seating area in the order they arrive.
- Before going on stage, graduates will line up to retrieve their diploma tube.
- Graduates will pose on the stage for an official photograph. The university’s official seal, mace, and college dean will be in the background.
- Graduates will exit the stage.
- Graduates will be guided towards the event exit.
No. Graduate seating will be arranged in degree order (doctoral, masters, and bachelors). Graduates will be guided to sit within their degree section in the order they arrive.
Graduates will be guided to the exit after taking a photo on stage. Their guests will also be strongly encouraged to head to the exit to rejoin their graduate. We found that our graduates and their families enjoyed being able to depart after the graduate walked, so we will continue this process.
Yes. The college deans will recognize and confer on their graduates as part of the order of exercise.
Before going on stage, graduates will line up to retrieve their diploma tube. Diploma tubes are only distributed at the Commencement ceremony.
GradImages® is proud to be the official commencement photographer for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley! Finding your photos after the event is easy. You will receive your free photo proof via email 7 to 14 business days after the event, or you can search for your images on www.gradimages.com.
Questions? Please contact the GradImages Customer Service Department at (800) 261-2576 or ecc.giservice@gradimages.net.
Yes. We encourage you to purchase your graduation regalia which can be done at the UTRGV Campus Stores in-person or online via the Campus Stores website. You must wear full regalia (graduation gown and mortar board) to participate in commencement. Please note the use of the graduation hood is optional.
On the day of Commencement, you will be able to purchase regalia at the Campus Store, which will be open during the Commencement dates. Regalia will be available for purchase inside the Commencement event area.
Yes, regalia is required for all faculty intending to sit in faculty seating at the commencement ceremony.
Yes. Guests unable to attend in-person ceremonies may view the ceremonies at https://www.utrgv.edu/live or via Facebook live stream.
Parking and transportation information will be available at a later date.
Please anticipate a significant amount of walking for both venues. We encourage you to wear comfortable shoes and plan appropriately.
Yes. Ushers will be available to assist families needing accommodations.
Commencement times and venues are determined each semester, considering multiple factors to ensure the best possible Commencement experience for the graduates, their families, faculty, and event staff. One of the factors includes our tradition of alternating the scheduling of cities for Commencement every academic year.
For Fall 2023, Brownsville Commencement will be hosted on Friday with 1 ceremony, with the Edinburg Commencement the following day on Saturday with multiple ceremonies throughout the day
UTRGV consults with local weather experts to monitor forecasts during the days leading up to the commencement ceremony. In the event of any changes to ceremonies, notifications will be sent via campus email and social media 24 to 48 hours prior to allow students to plan accordingly.
If you have questions or concerns, please visit utrgv.edu/commencement or email commencement@utrgv.edu.
RSVP Process & Tickets
Yes. RSVPs will be used to determine the appropriate start times for each college at both locations.
Yes. RSVPing is mandatory and will be used to determine the appropriate start times for each college.
Graduating students will receive an email from commencement@utrgv.edu very soon with this subject line: Fall 2023 Commencement – RSVP & Create Your Slide!
This email will provide instructions regarding how to log in and RSVP for commencement via our partner, Marching Order. Graduates have until Wednesday, November 1, 2023, to select the ceremony date and location of their choosing: Friday, December 15 in Brownsville or Saturday, December 16 in Edinburg.
Yes, you may change your answer and have until Wednesday, November 1, 2023, to select the ceremony date and location of their choosing: Friday, December 15 in Brownsville or Saturday, December 16 in Edinburg.
Brownsville: No tickets required. Due to the lawn location, seating capacity, and ceremony schedule, tickets will not be distributed. Instead, guests will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Edinburg: Eight tickets allotted per student. Due to the indoor location, seating capacity, and ceremony schedule, you will be limited to 8 guest tickets. Guests will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tickets will be distributed electronically upon a graduate’s RSVP through the Marching Order portal. Tickets will each be designated a unique QR code that will identify them upon arrival at the ceremony.
Yes. All guests from 0 years and up must have an electronic ticket to enter the ceremony.
If additional tickets become available, we will use your answer to determine how many we can distribute. If we determine additional tickets can be distributed, we will inform you at a later date. There is no guarantee that additional tickets will be distributed or that we will match the number of additional tickets you are requesting.
Grad Slide & Message
If you choose to not attend in-person, you may enjoy the ceremony via live stream at https://www.utrgv.edu/live or via Facebook. Your name will not be announced at the live ceremony; however, you will be able to access your graduate slide at your convenience through your college ceremony webpage on the Commencement website.
Students will receive an email from commencement@utrgv.edu with this subject line: Fall 2023 Commencement – RSVP & Create Your Slide! This email will provide instructions regarding how to create a profile with our partner, Marching Order. For questions regarding your slide, please send an email to commencement@utrgv.edu.
UTRGV reserves the right to exercise discretion in excluding graduate pictures or messages that fall under any of the following categories:
- Trademarked or branded material
- Containing personal contact information
- Soliciting goods or services for a personal or business venture
- Promoting sponsorship or affiliation with a political, religious, or social organization
- Containing references to alcohol or illegal substances
- Containing references to guns or weapons
- Containing depictions of violence, injury or death
- Containing depictions of illegal behavior, such as illegal drug consumption
- Obscene or lewd nature
- Memes or photos with social media filters
- Statements or depictions which violate ADM 02-300 Speech, Expression and Assembly.
Your personal slide will include your full name, degree, major and any Latin honors you may qualify for based on your last institutional GPA (in-progress courses are not included in the calculation). Your photo and personal message will be included if you upload them by the deadline of Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
Messages are limited to 200 characters including spaces.
Sample Slide:
Wearing a cap and gown along with any other regalia is encouraged, but it is optional.
No. Only pictures of you and/or your family will be accepted. Uploading a picture is optional. If your photo and/or message fall under one of the restriction categories (See FAQ question “Are there any restrictions on the types of pictures or message a graduate can submit?), only your name and degree information will be displayed.
By submitting a photo with other individuals to the Marching Order website, you are acknowledging that you have permission to use the image, including expressed consent by any party shown in the image, other than yourself.
Yes. All messages uploaded will be monitored. Any message that is profane, vulgar, violent, political, or offensive to any one individual or group of people will be rejected. If your photo and/or message fall under one of the restriction categories (See FAQ question “Are there any restrictions on the types of picture or message a graduate can submit?), only your name and degree information will be displayed.
Yes. You will be able to replace, change or edit your message once submitted – but only until the submission deadline of Wednesday, November 1, 2023, before 5 p.m. Please plan ahead and make sure you’re satisfied with the words you choose.
No. Minors and concentrations will not be recorded on the commencement slides. Minors and concentrations are printed on your official transcript.
On the day of your ceremony, you will have the opportunity to share or download your slide directly from your college commencement page. Your individual graduate slide will include a link that allows you to download or share to Facebook or Twitter. You may also take a screenshot of your slide. All graduation slides will remain available for sharing or download for a year after your commencement.
For your name to appear in the Fall 2023 Commencement Program, you must have applied by Friday, October 13, 2023.
No, the commencement program will be available online at https://www.utrgv.edu/commencement 3 to 5 business days prior to the Commencement ceremonies.
Please email commencement@utrgv.edu by Wednesday, November 1, 2023 before 5 p.m. and include your student identification number along with details about your concern.
Remember that given timing constraints and for ceremony purposes only, honors are based on your GPA after the close of the summer semester (or the prior semester completed if you were not enrolled in the summer). Official, final Latin honors will be based on your final GPA after all grades are submitted, and all your degree requirements are verified as met. Final Latin honors will be posted on your diploma and official transcript once your degree is officially awarded. Please contact commencement@utrgv.edu for additional questions.
FERPA Disclaimer: By completing and submitting an RSVP with your name, you acknowledge that your information will be displayed publicly during the LIVE streaming of the ceremony and will remain searchable on the World Wide Web.
Graduation Eligibility
A student who has applied for Fall 2023 graduation, and whose degree audit has demonstrated the student is on track to fully meet graduation requirements by Friday, October 13, 2023 is invited. Students can review deadlines-related graduation milestones here.
Applying for undergraduate graduation is done through ASSIST. The priority Application Deadlines can be found on the graduation application deadline page.
Here are the steps to apply:
- Go to utrgv.edu and login with your UTRGV credentials
- Select “ASSIST” under Applications
- Under “Student Services”, click on “Student Profile”
- Click “Application to Graduate” on the left-hand side
- Follow the prompts in the online application and hit “Submit”.
A non-refundable graduation fee of $50 is charged for undergraduate and graduate degrees regardless if the graduate participates in person. The fee is payable online on ASSIST or at the Edinburg or Brownsville Bursar’s office. This fee is used to pay for processing the application for graduation, diplomas and diploma postage, and minimal expenses associated with commencement ceremonies.
DegreeWorks is a degree audit system used to monitor undergraduate students’ degree progression and graduation requirements. It offers the following functions:
- Allows students and advisors to view a student’s progress toward degree completion.
- Review pending coursework to assist in planning future coursework.
- Ability to run “What-If” audits scenarios for students interested in changing their major or adding a minor or concentration.
View your degree audit on DegreeWorks through ASSIST: https://my.utrgv.edu. Please keep in mind, however, that the DegreeWorks degree audit is not intended to replace the requirement that you meet with your academic advisor, as it is a guide to help you with course selection. For assistance interpreting the DegreeWorks report, please contact your academic advisor.
If you are going to be enrolling in undergraduate courses after graduation for professional improvement, to raise your GPA for admission into Grad school, or to take prerequisites for a master’s program, you need to submit a Readmit application through ApplyTexas.
Failure to reapply for admissions may prevent you from being eligible to receive Financial Aid.
If you have already applied for graduation online and you need to make a change in the term/date in which you will be completing your degree requirements, you are required to fill out and submit a Request for Change of Graduation Date form, as soon as possible.
The form is located online at https://www.utrgv.edu/studentforms, under the Student Enrollment Forms link on the U Central web page. You may submit your form in person at U Central on either campus or via e-mail to certification@utrgv.edu, be sure to use your UTRGV e-mail account.
UTRGV offers three (3) options for students to meet the Language Proficiency Requirement:
- Take Six (6) hours in the same language combination sequence (courses must be in a language other than English), visit the UTRGV catalog for additional information at: https://www.utrgv.edu/en-us/academics/catalogs/index.htm.
- Take the WebCAPE Placement Exam
- Take a CLEP Exam and earn college credit hours.
Upon demonstrating proficiency and once a score transcript reaches the Office of the Registrar for either a WebCAPE Placement Exam or for a CLEP Exam, your student record will be updated and noted appropriately.
Examination fees and testing information is available at: https://www.utrgv.edu/p16/testing/index.htm under Computer Based Exams.
Most degree plans require a minimum of 120 hours and 42 advanced hours; however, some degrees may require additional hours in both areas.
For example, Engineering and some Health Profession programs require additional hours in both areas.
Visit UTRGV at https://utrgv.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2023-2024/undergraduate-catalog/undergraduate-programs-by-college/ to view your specific degree plan. Click on Undergraduate Program Archive to view degree plans in catalog years 2015-2019.
My course is not offered in the semester I need to take it, and I need it to graduate. What do I do?
Contact your department for course recommendations. If you need further assistance, please e-mail the Graduation Help Desk at graduationhelpdesk@utrgv.edu. Explain your situation and provide your Student ID Number and a contact phone number.
If you need to initiate a course substitution or waiver, please contact your advisor. Advisors can submit, view and search requests online. You may schedule an advising session at https://www.utrgv.edu/advising/.
If you are unable to schedule an advising session with your academic advisor online, please call their office at (956) 665-7120 to speak with the Academic Advising Center representative for further assistance. Explain your situation and your upcoming graduation in the semester to see if you can get an appointment due to the circumstances.
You may view any holds on-line
- Log in to http://my.utrgv.edu
- Click on ASSIST
- Click on “Student Profile”
- Click on “Holds:” on the top right side of the page
For general information, you can visit https://www.utrgv.edu/holds for a listing of the different types of student holds along with respective contact information for each office.
Diplomas will be mailed if you do not have any holds by the end of January for fall graduates, and by the end of June for spring graduates, and the end of September for summer graduates. Update your phone number and “diploma” mailing address in ASSIST: https://my.utrgv.edu before you graduate.
No, students are invited to attend the ceremony in which they are expected to complete degree requirements. Deciding not to attend would not give you the opportunity to attend another ceremony.