Columbia

Students completing their degree in Spring should have completed an online Petition to Graduate no later than March 7, 2022. If you have not submitted your petition, please do so immediately. The main campus will not confer your degree or release your diploma until this form has been completed. If you have not completed your petition to graduate, you must do so as soon as possible.

Students who will complete their degree in Summer 2022 are also extended the opportunity to participate in the graduation ceremony, with the permission of the Campus Director. These students will also need to complete their Petition to Graduate immediately and submit a Request for Early Commencement to the Campus Director no later than May 6, 2022. It should be noted that your name will not be printed in the program as your degree has not been conferred. However, it will be read as you walk across the stage.

Petition to Graduate Forms

• Undergraduate 
• Graduate 
• Request for Early Commencement

Please note: A student who completes a graduate degree, (including all required, elective, and transfer courses) while maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.950, receives Graduate Academic Honors.  Accelerated sequential degrees are excluded from this designation. If you believe you qualify for honors, contact the campus so they may verify.

Students who have completed all of their academic requirements to graduate must clear their Student Business Office account balance prior to diploma and transcript release. Credit card payments are subject to a 2.75% convenience fee. Check payments have a holding period of 10 days before release of transcripts. For more information, call the Business Office at 800-981-9803.

Complete and submit the RSVP form no later than May 13, 2022 for the 2022 Commencement Ceremony, which will be held at The Koger Center for the Arts at 6 p.m., Friday, June 3, 2022.

Graduation regalia is for purchase only and non-refundable. You should purchase your regalia by Friday, May 20, 2022 to avoid delays. Cap and gowns are navy blue in color.

Sizes are generic by height and weight. 

A complete master's unit (cap, gown, hood, and tassel) is $114 plus tax and shipping.

A complete bachelor’s unit (cap, gown, hood, and tassel) is $102 plus tax and shipping.

Component Items/Plus tax and shipping

• Master Gown $48
• Master Hood $50
• Bachelor Gown $42
• Bachelor Hood $45
• Cap $12
• Regular Tassel $12
• Souvenir Tassel $12
• Honor Cords $18

To order your cap and gown, send an email to p.crosswhite@follett.com, and include the following information:

Approx. height and weight

Degree - MA, MBA, BS, BFA, etc.

Daytime phone

Shipping address 

Honor cords are available upon request.  

Orders are processed and shipped within one to two business days. Do not wait untile the last minute!

Please Note: There will not be a representative on campus. Ordering will be handled exclusively online through the Follet Bookstore in St. Louis.

Tickets for the ceremony will be available for pick up from the campus on Monday, May 16, 2022 through Friday, May 27, 2022 during regular business hours.

Each graduate will receive a total of six tickets for guests. Graduates should inform their guests that tickets will be required for entry and that seating is limited. No one will be permitted access to enter the ceremony without a ticket.

Based on availability, there will be a waiting list for extra tickets on a first come, first serve basis. You will be asked to leave your name, and the tickets will be available for pick up at the venue.

Announcements and rings are available through Jostens. Don’t forget to send out your commencement announcements and provide your guest with their tickets.

• Graduates are expected to arrive by 4:30 p.m. to rehearse and prepare for the ceremony. Rehearsal will start promptly at 5 p.m.
• When you arrive you will be directed to a location which has been designated for robing, disrobing and rehearsal.
• The procession will begin promptly at 6 p.m. Late arrivals will not be permitted to participate.
• Guest will be permitted to enter at 5 p.m.
• General parking is available in the USC parking lots and in the Discovery parking garage behind the venue on the corner of Park and College streets. Applicable parking fees will apply. Handicapped parking is limited and available directly in front of the Kroger Center.
• Diplomas will not be presented to graduates at the time of the ceremony. Graduates will receive their diplomas by mail approximately six to eight weeks after the degrees are conferred by the main campus in St. Louis.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Columbia Metropolitan Campus at 803-699-0900.

We look forward to celebrating with you at the ceremony!