Office of the Registrar

Attending Commencement

Graduation

Summer 2023 commencement

Ceremony location, days and times are subject to change. Candidates for graduation should check their student email regularly. Ceremonies will be held in Johnson Coliseum.

Aug. 5, 2023, 1 p.m.

View Parking Map (PDF)
Commencement Map & Layout
 

Guest ticket quantity per graduate is limited, with the option to request more tickets. View ticket allotment on our Preparing for Commencement webpage. Additional ticket details will be sent to your mySFA email account at a later date.

Community tickets also will be offered the day of the ceremony at the ticket office.

Doors will open one hour before the ceremony begins.

Candidates must arrive 45 minutes before the ceremony start time. View additional candidate arrival instructions.

Guests must have ticket for entry

All guests must have a ticket to enter the commencement ceremony for which the ticket is valid. This process helps university officials ensure the venue is not overcrowded and adequate spacing can be maintained during the event.

Candidates must reserve their limited quantity of guest tickets before the deadline. Admission to the ceremony is free; children 0 to 4 years of age do not need a ticket.

Candidates who would like more than the maximum tickets should advise their guests to follow the ticket procedure for general public.

Arrival instructions: Candidates

  1. Arrive 45 minutes before your ceremony start time.
  2. Upon entering Johnson Coliseum, follow directional signage to pick up a seating card.
  3. Don't roll or fold this card at any point while it is in your possession as it will be scanned to announce your name and any honors earned as you cross the stage.
    • If the ceremony isn't a ticketed event, you also will find your commencement seating assignment on the card.
  4. Complete the back of the seating card for the photographer.
  5. Proceed to the appropriate section, row and seat for your ceremony seating.

Approximately 15 minutes before your ceremony start time:

A commencement coordinator will provide academic procession instructions and candidates will be escorted to the proper seating on the coliseum floor.

When you approach the stage:

You'll hand your card to the commencement coordinator to be scanned. Your name will be announced and displayed as you cross the stage.

IMPORTANT NOTICES:

By choosing to participate, each student is committing to stay for the entire ceremony. Participating students aren't permitted to leave early.

The commencement program lists applicants or candidates for degrees. Appearance in the program and attendance of a candidate at the ceremony is no guarantee of degree completion.

Arrival instructions: Faculty

No ticket requirement for faculty members.

We encourage you to enter Johnson Coliseum through the south entrance, located at the rear of the building, and proceed to the tunnel in preparation for the academic procession.

Approximately 15 minutes before the ceremony start time:

Participating faculty members will line up and follow the faculty marshal through the academic procession.

Community attendance

SFA is proud to once again welcome the community to celebrate with our graduation candidates. Commencement ceremonies will be ticketed events with reserved seating for community members.

Tickets are free, valid only for one ceremony, and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit the Johnson Coliseum Ticket Office one hour before the ceremony begins to be eligible to receive a ticket for the commencement ceremony you wish to attend.

Commencement decorum

As a formal ceremony, all attendees are expected to abide by any protocol or guidelines issued by the university which will, at a minimum, include the following:

  • All attendees must follow all written and verbal instructions.
  • All attendees must remain seated during the ceremony and remain for the entire ceremony.
  • All graduates are required to wear formal academic attire.
  • All cell phones or other electronic devices must be silenced.
  • The use of air horns and any other artificial noisemaker, fireworks, balloons, flags, or banners is prohibited.

Any attendee who is disruptive or fails to follow instructions may be escorted from the venue. Each SFA graduate and guest deserves to enjoy a ceremony that reflects the candidate's significant accomplishment without inappropriate or excessive interruptions.

Read university policy 6.8 (PDF) for full details of expectations.

  Watch ceremony online

The ceremony will be publicly livestreamed on the SFA Facebook page. You don't need a Facebook account to watch. The livestream recording also will be available after the ceremony ends.

Watch ceremony via livestream

Commencement Photography

Commencement ceremonies are photographed by GradImages.

Photo proofs are sent to each graduate that provides an email or mailing address.

If you do not receive your photo proof or have other questions, contact GradImages by calling 800.261.2576, emailing ecc.giservice@gradimages.net or visiting gradimages.com.

Ceremonies occurring May 2021 and prior: Photographed by Flash Photography

Accessibility needs

Ceremony interpreting services

A sign language interpreter will be present on the platform during the commencement ceremony. Reserved seating for persons using sign language interpreter services will be available near the platform. 

Fingerspelling a candidate's name

  • Advance request: Provide specific information for the interpreter coordinator by completing the online Interpreter Request form.
  • On-site request: Prior to the platform processional, visit the Disability Services table located between the front entrance and The Jack Shop.

Candidates with a disability

If you are in need of assistance for your commencement ceremony, complete and sign the Commencement Accommodations Request form. Note that the form provides two day/time slots for you to visit with a representative from the Office of the Registrar prior to the ceremony. This meeting will occur at Johnson Coliseum, and you must provide a hardcopy of this document.

The registrar's office is committed to providing support for students with disabilities. To the greatest extent possible, we will observe confidentiality with respect to any request for accommodation. Students who feel they have not been accommodated appropriately may appeal the decision utilizing the university's appeals process.

Guests needing accessible seating

The Johnson Coliseum is an accessible facility.

Transportation from parking lot to facility

University police will provide cart transportation from the commuter parking lot to the bottom of the ramp outside the entrance of the Johnson Coliseum.

Courtesy wheelchairs

SFA has a limited number of wheelchairs, and availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Disability Services will have a table at section 123 along the concourse, providing courtesy wheelchairs for ceremony guests.

Wheelchair seating

Platforms on the concourse level, located on each side of the ceremony stage, are designated specifically for wheelchair seating.

Contact

Office of the Registrar
936.468.2501
registrar@sfasu.edu

Physical Address:
Rusk Building, Room 202

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13050 SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962

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