Preparing for Graduation
For December Graduates
Graduation Ceremony tickets are not required for family and friends. ALL GRADUATES must have a graduate ticket to enter the Convocation Center. You must pick them up in advance Grad Finale (November 30) or at the Alumni House (Dec 1-Dec 13).
It is a wonderful way to stay connected to USC Aiken while receiving information on career opportunities and other ways to be involved.
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).
Celebrate with your parents, family, and USC Aiken Faculty on Thursday, December 14, 2023, at 10:30 am in the Convocation Center. The Celebration Brunch will allow your family to view the Convocation Center, meet with faculty & staff, and spend part of the day with you.
Graduates receive a free Brunch ticket. Additional tickets are $15 per person ($5 for children ages 2-10). These tickets must be purchased from the Alumni Relations Office in the Alumni House.
Please purchase family tickets in advance using any of the below methods:
- Mail your check payable to Aiken Partnership and return the form to Alumni Relations - 471 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801. Please enclose the Senior/Family Celebration Brunch form.
- Purchase your brunch tickets at the Alumni House on the USC Aiken campus; the address is 471 University Parkway, Aiken, South Carolina, 29801.
- Call the Office of Alumni Relations at 803-641-3480
Class Gift. Along with graduation, you may participate in the traditional Class Gift Program. With a $25 donation, you will receive an Alumni t-shirt, a special alumni gift, and a one-year membership to the Alumni Association’s Pacer Perks Program. To do this, complete the class gift form and bring or mail the form and your donation to the Alumni Relations Office in the Alumni House.
By being a member of the Alumni Association, you gain access to our PacerPerks program that provides discounts at retailers, restaurants, travel, and more across the country!
Have questions about joining the alumni association? Need tips on what to wear? Have questions regarding your diploma? Visit our frequently asked questions page.
Yes. The session will be held at the Convocation Center at 11:30 a.m. on December 14.
The USC Aiken Bookstore, located in the Student Activities Center, has several Pacer and graduation items available for purchase, including diploma frames, desk lamps, desk sets, letter sorters, bookends, desk boxes, paper weights, alumni coffee mugs, alumni decals, and USC Aiken clothing.
Merchandise can also be purchased online at https://www.bkstr.com/uscaikenstore.
The Graduation Ceremony
There is one area of the parking lot designated "by invitation only" for members of the Platform Party.
For May Commencement, all guests need an entry ticket. If they are bringing children, each child (including babies) must also have a ticket.
Parents and guests should use the main front doors leading into the lobby.
Due to limited capacity and licensing restrictions at the USC Aiken Child Care Center, the University will no longer be able to provide child care services during the graduation ceremony. If tickets are required to attend the graduation ceremony, children must also have a ticket.
Baby strollers may not be taken in to the arena area of the Convocation Center since there is little space on the arena floor and because they create a hazard for other guests trying to reach their seats.
If a member of your party needs a sign language interpreter for hearing impairment reasons, please contact Ahmed Samaha, Vice Chancellor of Student Engagement and Belonging, 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 July 24, 2020 for an interpreter to be present.
If an interpreter is requested, there will be a special area of the Convocation Center offering unobstructed views of the sign language interpreter. If a party member needs to be seated in this section, someone in your group may accompany that person; however, due to the limited amount of seating in this area, not everyone in your party can be accommodated in this section.
Family and friends who cannot 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 before the start of the ceremony.
Parents who cannot attend may also send their graduates a special letter or message through our Office of Parent and Family Relations.
Parents who cannot attend may send their graduates a special letter or message through our Office of Parent and Family Relations.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to deliver items other than letters or cards. Please include your graduate's first and last name, and middle initial and submit it to the Office of Parents and Family Relations by April 26, 2023. 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:
Student Life- Lacie Wehrmann
“Your Student’s Name”
650 Trolley Line Rd. Graniteville, SC 29829
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 noisemakers 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-makers or from causing distractions that would prevent others from enjoying the ceremony. We’ll collectively congratulate all of the graduates 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 to take photographs. The marshals will be instructed to return guests 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 later. The Alumni Office is pleased to provide a complimentary photograph of the graduate, which will be mailed approximately four weeks after the ceremony.
Additional photos will be available for purchase online at www.gradimages.com.