Graduation

Students wishing to receive a degree from the University of South Carolina Aiken must use the online graduation application on Self Service Carolina (SSC). The online application will not be available after the posted deadline.

Failure to apply for graduation by the deadline will delay your application until another term.

• May (Online Application available from December 15 - January 31)
• August (Online Application available from May 15 - June 15)
• December (Online Application available from July 18 - August 31)

If you experience difficulty with the online graduation application, contact the Office of the Registrar at (803) 641-3550 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Additional Information for August Graduates

Any August graduate who wishes to participate in the May ceremony must complete this form no later than January 31 in order to receive recognition in the UofSC Aiken Commencement program.

August Graduation Participation Form

If you would like to check on your application, follow these steps:

• Log into SSC
• Click on "Student"
• Click on "Student Profile"
• You should see "Graduation Information: Graduation Applications"
• Click on "Active (1)" to go to a graduation application information page. From here you can check your diploma name, diploma mailing address, and degree status. Please note that your status will remain pending until final grades are entered.

Cap and gown orders are currently being taken through the Pacer Shoppe website. You can have your regalia shipped directly to your home or set it to be picked up at the Pacer Shoppe and will be notified of your order’s progress via email including any relevant tracking information.

Here are the current prices:

Bachelor Set (includes cap, gown, tassel and diploma cover): $80.00

Masters Set (includes cap, gown, tassel, Master’s hood and diploma cover): $124.00

If you elect to have your items shipped, please make sure to place your order by Monday, April 19, 2021 to ensure timely arrival before the ceremony. You may also purchase your cap and gown by visiting the campus bookstore during our normal business hours. 

If you have any questions regarding cap and gown orders, please give the Pacer Shoppe a call at 803-641-3457.

Regalia for Honor or Service Organizations

Only students who are members of recognized UofSC Aiken honor or service organizations are allowed to wear the regalia of these organizations. A list of those organizations is below. The Division of Student Affairs will be working on contacting those organizations and collecting the regalia for graduates which they can pick up at a table during the rehearsal in August. Please make sure your organizational advisor knows you are graduating and should receive the regalia.

View list of student organization advisors

The Chancellor's Medal

Degree candidates who qualify for graduation with honors from the university will wear the Chancellor's Medal. This medal is a gift from the university to those students who have achieved the highest level of academic excellence. If you have been notified that you are likely to graduate with honors, please pick up your medal from the Records Office or the morning of Commencement.  For more information , please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

See email forwarded by Ahmed to you about Organizations and Stoles Chart.

Pacer Pursuit Medallion

The Pacer Pursuit Medallion will be distributed by the Division of Student Affairs.  For more information, contact Ahmed Samaha, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Each student must complete a Graduation Update Form in order to participate in the ceremony. You must complete the form found at the link below and return it to the Alumni Office in the Alumni House (Pickens-Salley House).

Graduation Ticket and Update Form

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, each graduate participating in our Fall Commencement will be allocated two tickets for guests, and each student must complete a Graduation Ticket and Update Form in order to participate in the ceremony. You must complete the form and return it to the Alumni Office in the Alumni House. Infants under 2 years old do not need a ticket.

Grad Finale will be the first day that tickets will be available for graduates to pick up. After Grad Finale, tickets can be picked up in the Alumni House. Because of COVID-19 limitations, each graduate will be allowed 2 tickets. 

For May and August Graduates

Tickets can be picked up at the Alumni House between Monday, April 19 and Tuesday, May 4 on any weekday between 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. 

Graduates will need to complete the Graduation Update Form in order to get their tickets. Graduates will receive 4 tickets each.

With a $25 donation, graduates will receive an alumni t-shirt, a special gift and one year membership to the Alumni Association. To participate, complete the form below and bring both the form and your donation to the Alumni Relations Office in the Alumni House (Pickens-Salley House).

Senior Celebration Brunch/ Senior Class Gift Form

There will be no brunch for the May 5, 2021 commencement.

Yes. The session will be held at the Aiken High School football stadium at 1:00 pm on November 20th. Please enter through gate 1. Parking is available in front of the stadium. 

On the day of graduation there will be an opportunity for students to practice the pronunciation of their names with the commencement speakers. The speakers will phonetically spell out the names to ensure correct pronunciation. This is highly recommended if you think there is even small a chance of mispronunciation.  More details about time and location will be provided once the time of the ceremony is set. 

Name changes must be turned in 4 weeks prior to to commencement in order to appear on your diploma. Please contact the Registrar's Office for more information.

Students receiving bachelor's or master's degrees wear black gowns and caps. The color of your tassel is determined by your degree. These items should have been purchased at Grad Finale.

Women are strongly encouraged to wear flat or very low-heeled shoes. Some women wear dresses while others wear dress slacks. Men generally wear dress slacks, dress shirt and tie, and dress shoes.

Please check in at James A. Taylor Gymnasium located in the front of the Aiken High School campus. You may park in the parking lot in front of the gymnasium (guests should park in the parking lot by the football stadium). Please arrive by 4:30 pm. 

View Map of the Aiken High School Campus

Guests should park in the parking lot by the gym. Gates open at 5:00 pm. Guests will be required to sit socially distance in pods of two. All guests should be seated by 5:50 pm.

View Map of the Aiken High School Campus

If a member of your party needs a sign language interpreter for hearing impairment reasons, please contact Ahmed Samaha, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 803-641-3411. A request must be made by November 11, 2020 for an interpreter to be present.

If an interpreter is requested, there will be a special area of the stadium offering unobstructed views of the sign language interpreter.

View Map of the Aiken High School Campus

Family and friends who are unable to attend can still be part of the event by watching a live stream of the entire ceremony. By the evening of commencement, there will be a link to the broadcast on the home page of our website: www.usca.edu. This live stream will begin about 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.

Send Letter or Message to Your Graduate

Parents who are unable to attend may send their graduate a special letter or message through our Office of Parents and Family Relations.

Unfortunately we will not be able to deliver items other than letters or cards. Please include your graduate's first name, last name, and middle initial and submit it to the Office of Parents and Family Relations by August 5, 2020. If they will be attending the ceremony, we will make sure it is delivered on the day of graduation. Submissions after that date are not guaranteed to be delivered.

Families can email the message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or send via US Postal Service to:

Food and beverages are strictly prohibited.

Noise Reduction

Please turn off your cellular phones and/or pagers. Cowbells, air horns, whistles, and other loud artificial noise makers are not allowed.

Families are asked to withhold applause or loud celebrations during the announcement of graduate names so that we don’t prevent any family’s ability to hear clearly, and to refrain from using any noise making items or from causing distractions that would prevent others from enjoying the ceremony. We’ll join together to congratulate all of the graduates collectively after all names have been read.

As a courtesy to other audience members, please be aware that sound reverberates in a gymnasium and that even the slightest noise is magnified. Please keep movement to a minimum.

We respectfully ask that younger children not be brought to the ceremony at all since they can become restless and disruptive. Also, no baby strollers are permitted inside the Convocation Center.

Photography

Please do not to step into the aisle during the processional or recessional or rush across the stage in order to take photographs. The marshals will be instructed to send guests back to their seats if they attempt to do this. There will be a photographer taking photos of each graduate during the ceremony.

During Commencement, professional photographers from Grad Images will take photographs throughout the evening. Multiple individual shots of graduates will be taken during the ceremony, which graduates will have the opportunity to purchase at a later date. The Alumni Office is pleased to provide a complimentary photograph of graduate which will be mailed approximately 4 weeks after the ceremony.

Additional photos will be available for purchase online at www.gradimages.com.

Regular student email accounts are removed after one year of non-activity as a student, but once you switch to your Alumni account, it’s yours for life!

Learn more about alumni email accounts