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Commencement

Questions? Contact Us.

Office of Registration
Yakima Campus
Deccio, Building 8
509-574-4700

Grandview Campus
Main, Building 56
509-882-7015

Email
registration@yvcc.edu

Commencement

Student dressed in cap and gown speaks at YVC commencement.

Commencement 2025
June 13, 2025, at 6 p.m.
Yakima Valley SunDome

Commencement is held once a year. Students who will have completed the requirements and have turned in a certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree application for fall, winter, spring, or summer may register to participate in the ceremony.

Guests are welcome to attend our celebration at the SunDome or watch our livestream of Commencement on YVC’s YouTube channel.

Please see the “How can I participate in Commencement” tab below for instructions on how to register for this year’s commencement.


2024 Commencement Photos

View 2024 Commencement Gallery

 

Apply For Graduation

  • Fill out a degree application with your advisor. Application forms for degrees and certificates are available from your advisor or online.
    • Make sure the application is signed by both you and your advisor.
    • Ensure that the email address on the application form matches your email in your student profile. Check ctcLink to confirm it is correct.
  • Pay the $10 application fee
    • You can pay at the cashier counter
    • Yakima- Deccio Building 8
    • Grandview- Main Building 
    • You can pay via phone during office hours: 509.574.4660
    • Questions? cashier@yvcc.edu
    • Applications will not be processed until fee is paid
  • Email the application to graduation@yvcc.edu

The Graduation Evaluator will review your application. If the degree application cannot be approved as submitted, you will be notified in writing. For more specific information on graduation requirements, please review the YVC College Catalog. Also, please feel free to contact the Registration and Records Office at 509.574.4700 or by email at graduation@yvcc.edu for further information.


Rehearsal will be Thursday, June 13 2024 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm in the Sherar Gym. Your attendance is essential to ensure a smooth commencement ceremony.

Graduates with exceptional academic qualifications who are completing a bachelor/ associate degree or a certificate requiring 45 or more credits are eligible to receive honor cords based on their YVC cumulative
college-level grade point average (GPA) as of Winter Quarter 2024.

Honors: 3.40 – 3.84
High Honors: 3.85 – 4.0

There is no charge for honor cords.

They will be distributed after Commencement rehearsal on June 13 in building #9, the Hopf Union Building (HUB), from 1:00 – 2:30 pm.  They will also be available before the ceremony on June 14 at the check-in table in the SunDome.

Graduates will be primarily in two colors of gowns. The bachelor degree graduates in black, and the associate degree and certificate of achievement graduates in maroon. Running Start Students can choose to wear YVC’s maroon or their high school gown. Caps & gowns are not required to participate in the commencement ceremony.

In addition to the cap and gowns, you will also see some students wearing cords, medallions, and stoles which recognize outstanding academic achievement. The cords recognize Honors and High Honors. Phi Theta Kappa members wear gold stoles and student government officers wear white stoles. Finally, two students selected for the All-Washington Academic Team wear their medallions.

In order for these to be special and meaningful, we ask that students refrain from wearing other unauthorized cords, medallions or stoles that are unrelated to student achievement. We want to maintain the traditions that have made commencement a special milestone of success for college graduates throughout history.

Guests can start arriving at 4:00pm. Children are welcome, but please keep in mind that the ceremony is lengthy. If your guests have difficulty climbing stairs, please make sure they arrive early for better seating.

Important: Be sure to let your guests know that, for safety reasons, strollers are not permitted on the bleachers, and no balloons are allowed inside the Yakima Valley SunDome. The concession stand will not be open for the ceremony.

If special accommodations are needed for you or your guests, please contact DSS@yvcc.edu. YVC does provide an American Sign Language interpreter who will be visible in the two projection screens during the ceremony.

Parking is available at the Yakima Valley SunDome at no charge.

Cameras are allowed in the SunDome. Guests can photograph graduates but cannot come onto the arena floor. A professional photographer will be taking individual student photographs prior to the ceremony—from 4 pm to 5:30 pm—and our Community Relations staff will be taking additional pictures during the ceremony.

The SunDome is a non-smoking area. Please inform your guests that smoking is allowed in designated areas only.

4:00 p.m.

Photography begins at the SunDome. They will be located on the right as you enter the building. Will continue until 5:30 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

Check-in begins at the tables on the left as you enter the SunDome. Please arrive no later than 5:30 p.m. Check-in will close promptly at 5:45 p.m.

Line up by last name and pick up your name card. Hang on to it and do not tear or fold it. You will be handing it to the announcer, and it will be read as you cross the stage.

If you are an honor student and did not pick up your cords after rehearsal you will be able to get them after you check in.

To ensure the correct pronunciations of your name, please stop by the announcer’s station during check-in. They will help you write it phonetically at the bottom of your card.

5:40 p.m.

Line up for the processional in this order: bachelor degrees, student government, other degrees and certificates.

6:00 p.m.

Commencement ceremony begins. It lasts approximately two hours.

 

Commencement is the ceremony held each June to honor all of that year’s graduates.

Commencement is normally held in June. See the Important Dates for exact dates.

Commencement for 2024 will be held on June 14, 2024.

Students who will have completed the requirements and have turned in a certificate, associate or bachelor’s degree application for fall 2023, winter 2024, spring 2024 or summer 2024, may register to participate in the June 14, 2024 ceremony. If you are completing a degree or certificate of at least 45 credits, we invite you to participate in the Commencement ceremony.

Use the link below to register for the June 14, 2024 Commencement Ceremony.

Register for Commencement

Caps, gowns, and tassels will be available to purchase in the bookstore or on the bookstore website, around the end of April. They can be found under Student Essentials/Regalia.

If you place an order on our website you will receive an email back from the bookstore with questions to help us complete your cap and gown order.  We will send you a chart with different heights and weights so you can choose the correct size gown and color according to the degree you are receiving.

For any questions about caps, gowns, or tassels please call the bookstore at 509.574.4625.

 

Diplomas are generally mailed approximately two months after the end of the quarter. Make sure your address in the system is up to date.

  • Fall grads – end of February
  • Winter grads – end of March
  • Spring grads – end of August
  • Summer grads – end of October

Make sure your address in the Student Portal is up to date.

You can request a transcript ahead of time and mark the box indicating that you want it to be held until the degree has been posted before it is sent.

You can order unofficial transcripts through ctcLink. More information about ordering transcripts can be found on the Transcripts page.

Degrees are generally posted within two weeks after the grades for the quarter appear on the transcript. You can check to see if your degree has been posted by looking at your unofficial transcript online. The degree will appear at the top of the transcript.

Applications are only reviewed twice: initially when they are received, and at the end of the quarter you applied for. It is important that you contact the graduation department at graduation@yvcc.edu so that your application can be reviewed at the end of the correct quarter.

Contact our graduation department at graduation@yvcc.edu to have your application moved to the correct quarter.

You will receive an email once the application is reviewed. Please verify with the Registration office that we have your current email on record. Any questions or concerns or just processing information will be addressed in this email.

Student can also check their application status on ctcLink Student Homepage – Academic Progress– View Graduation Status.

A 2.00 overall YVC college level GPA is the required minimum.

No, but you may make up the .5 credit difference with elective credits.

Most applications can be printed from our website. Applications can also be picked up from your advisor or the Registration Office.

You should talk to your advisor. The advisor contact information is listed on your class schedule and on your ctcLink account.  Or you may visit the Counseling and Advising Office in Deccio 164, call them at 509.574.4956 or email counseling@yvcc.edu.

Diploma covers are generally handed out during commencement. If you choose not to walk, you may pick up a cover at the Registration Office starting the day after commencement. Bring a photo ID. Spring and summer quarter graduates who do not participate in the commencement ceremony will be sent their diploma in a cover. If for any reason a commencement ceremony is not held, diploma covers will be mailed to graduates.

Advisors are available remotely to assist with graduation-related questions. Students should contact their current faculty advisor as listed on their ctcLink account with questions. If no advisor is listed, please contact Counseling at counseling@yvcc.edu or 509.574.4956.

Graduates will receive their diplomas by mail, along with their diploma covers. Diplomas are generally available two months after the end of the quarter. Students should ensure their correct mailing address is updated in their ctcLink account. If official documentation of a degree earned is needed, official transcripts can be ordered through Parchment. A small fee is associated with ordering your transcripts via Parchment.

Note: credential evaluators use the address on the student graduation application, please inform Graduation@yvcc.edu of any address changes.

Honor cords will be handed out after the graduation rehearsal on June 13 and before the commencement ceremony on June 14. Students may also come to the Registration Office to pick them up after rehearsal.