Taking place April 9 at Grandview Campus and April 11 at Yakima Campus. Order your
cap and gown, confirm your graduation application, grab free invites and more!
Commencement 2025 June 13 at 6 p.m. Yakima Valley SunDome
Students who have successfully submitted a graduation application and completed all
their degree and/or certificate requirements for Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025
and Summer 2025 are invited to attend this year’s Commencement Ceremony on June 13
at 6 p.m.
Students planning to attend should register for the ceremony no later than June 7 if they wish to have a printed reader card with their name,
degree and any additional honors listed to be announced at the ceremony. Any students
who have not registered by this date will need to check-in early at the SunDome no
later than 4:30 p.m. to ensure their participation.
Guests are welcome to attend our celebration at the SunDome or watch our livestream
of Commencement on YVC’s YouTube channel. Guest registration is not required.
Important Dates
Events & Deadlines
Dates
Location
IMPORTANT:Only students who have successfully submitted a graduation application and fulfilled
all degree and/or certificate requirements for Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025,
or Summer 2025 are eligible to participate in the 2025 Commencement Ceremony.
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 509.574.4700or by email atgraduation@yvcc.edu for further information.
Attending Commencement Rehearsal is strongly recommended. On event day, you'll know
exactly where to be and what to do so that your day and everyone else's is truly a
celebration.
During rehearsal, you can participate in a guided walkthrough of the ceremony and
get your questions answered. In addition, students can also pick-up the following
items after rehearsal:
Honors Cords are available in the Hopf Union Building (HUB) from 1-2:30 pm.
Caps and gowns are also available at YVC's Bookstore until 4 pm.
Rehearsal will be Thursday, June 12 2025 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 .
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 12 in building #9, the
Hopf Union Building (HUB), from 1:00 – 2:30 pm. They will also be available before
the ceremony on June 13 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 2025 will be held on June 13, 2025.
Students who have successfully submitted a graduation application and completed all
their degree and/or certificate requirements for Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025
and Summer 2025 are invited to attend this year’s Commencement Ceremony on June, 13
at 6 p.m. NOTE: To attend, students must have completed a degree or certificate of
at least 45 credits.
Use the link below to register for the June 13, 2025 Commencement Ceremony.
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.
All applications will be processed in the order received with priority given to those
students submitting on or before the deadline.
Students who submit their graduation application on or before the last day of the
quarter can expect: 1) Degrees will post to student transcripts up to four weeks after
final grades post for the current quarter, 2) Diplomas will be mailed up to two months
after degrees are posted to student transcripts.
Students who submit their graduation application after the last day of the quarter
can expect: 1) Degrees will post to student transcripts up to six weeks after the
date the application was received, 2) Diplomas will be mailed up to three months after
degrees post to student transcripts.
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 can talk to an advisor about how other classes you’ve completed may allow
you to satisfy any remaining credit requirements in each distribution.
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 12 and before
the commencement ceremony on June 13. Students may also come to the Registration Office
to pick them up after rehearsal.
