Graduation FAQs

The commencement ceremony is held twice a year in the spring and fall. This is a public ceremony for the conferring of degrees. No one "graduates" at commencement.

Graduation occurs at the end of each term after all the requirements for the degree or certificate have been affirmed by the Registrar’s Office.

You must apply to graduate and you must also RSVP "yes" to walking in Commencement and then also reserve a ceremony time and guest tickets. View details on the Commencement RSVP process.

Yes. Each student who plans to meet all graduation requirements for any degree or certificate program must apply to graduate and pay the Graduation Application fee to receive their EFSC degree, whether or not they plan to attend the commencement exercises.

You will not receive your EFSC diploma and your degree will not be posted to your record if you do not apply for graduation. The requirements are then verified, and if met, the credential is awarded and mailed to you at the address on file.

Yes, the graduation processing fee is $20 per degree; after the published deadline, there is an additional late fee assessment of $20 per application.

The fee(s) must be paid at the time you apply to graduate. If you do not graduate in the term that you registered to graduate, you must sign up again in the term in which you will complete your requirements and pay the fee again.

If you’re a summer graduate, you are invited to attend the fall ceremony and should indicate "yes" for attending commencement and choose the Fall Ceremony.

For spring and fall graduates, when you submit your Graduation Application, be sure to then indicate "yes" to attending commencement in the next step of the process.

View details on the Commencement RSVP process.

Have questions? Email graduation@easternflorida.edu.

Note: The commencement ceremony is photographed and filmed for broadcasting on social media, WEFS-TV, and the college website. By participating in commencement activities, you authorize EFSC to photograph, record, and/or broadcast your name, image, voice, and/or likeness, and expressly grant EFSC the perpetual right to use your name, image, voice, and/or likeness without compensation for any purpose in any medium. If you request that such information be confidential, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

December 17, 2026. There are two ceremonies: 11 AM and 2 PM.

King Center for the Performing Arts at the EFSC Melbourne Campus.

Be sure to apply for graduation! That will trigger the ability to RSVP for Commencement!

You will select your ceremony time (11 AM or 2 PM) when you claim your guest tickets in the King Center Reservation System. This opens on November 16th and stays open until November 29th.

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This opens on November 16th and stays open until November 29th in the King Center Reservation Center website. Ensure the name on your registration matches your graduate name. Orders not matched to a registered graduate will be canceled, including guest tickets. 

Important: Use your Titan student email address to create your King Center account. All commencement information and guest tickets will only be sent to this email address.

Tickets will be emailed to students on December 14th from
KingCenter@asmmelbourne.com. Students should use their Titan email for username to create an account. Only accounts using the Titan Student email
address are guaranteed to receive guest tickets.

Check your spam/junk folder for missing ticket emails.

If additional guest tickets become available, notification will be sent to your EFSC Titan email account, usually the week before or the week of commencement. The email will include instructions for claiming extra tickets.

Contact the King Center.

Guest tickets will be emailed to you by the King Center on December 14, 2026.

Yes. All guests, regardless of age, must have a ticket (even if held by someone or sitting in someone’s lap). The venue must follow fire and occupancy regulations that limit the total number of people permitted in the event space. Every person in the venue must be included in the attendance count, regardless of age or whether they occupy their own seat. Therefore, infants and young children must also have a ticket.

If your guests need limited-mobility seating, please reply to your King Center order confirmation email or by calling the King Center at 321-242-2219 to make your request.
 
Accessible seating requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be sure to specify whether your guest needs Limited Mobility Row (two shallow stairs) or No-Stairs Seating (for wheelchair users).

Business casual attire is recommended.

Graduates will be standing for an extended period, so comfortable low-heeled or flat shoes are recommended.

There is no storage available for personal items. Please leave purses and other belongings at home or with a guest or family member.

You can decorate your caps!

Caps, gowns, and tassels are generally available for purchase at any EFSC on-campus bookstore up to the day of the commencement ceremony. Blue cap and gowns are for
Associate Degree recipients and green cap and gowns are for Bachelor Degree recipients.

Please contact your academic program regarding program-specific cords.

Honors cords and medallions will be distributed at ceremony check-in.

At EFSC, appropriate commencement stoles are strictly limited to those representing officially recognized honor societies and special college programs. EFSC permits graduates to wear these specialized items over their mandatory blue or green gowns.

Approved Stole & Regalia Types

• Phi Theta Kappa (PTK): Eligible members may wear the official gold-colored stoles, as well as the accompanying blue and gold cords and tassels.
• Other Recognized Honor Societies: Members of other sanctioned EFSC academic honor societies are permitted to wear their specific organization's stoles.
• Special Recognition Programs: Selected institutional clubs or campus program sponsors distribute approved stoles and regalia directly to qualifying graduates.

Rules for Sourcing & Wearing Regalia

• Acquire Directly from the Organization: You must obtain your stoles and regalia directly from the club or program sponsor rather than third-party retailers.
• Honors Tassels vs. Stoles: EFSC rewards standard academic honors (a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher) with a white tassel distributed during pre-ceremony sign-in.
  General academic honors do not include a specialized stole from the college bookstore.
• Veterans Cords: Military veterans receive specialized cords rather than stoles, which are managed by the Registrar’s Office and given out during pre-ceremony check-in.

The main doors will open for seating one hour before the ceremony begins. Please allow adequate time for parking and seating before the event starts.

Yes! To participate in the Commencement Ceremony, you must apply for graduation by the posted deadline date for that term and also RSVP for Commencement and then reserve a ceremony time. View details on the Commencement RSVP process.

The commencement ceremony is a celebration for candidates and their family and friends; it does not imply requirements are met.

At commencement, candidates’ names are read as they walk across the stage, receive a diploma cover, and shake the College President’s hand. Diplomas and certificates are NOT handed out at the commencement ceremonies, but mailed approximately four (4) business weeks after the commencement to all candidates who met requirements and do not have outstanding financial obligations.

If you apply to graduate, walk in commencement, but then do not meet the graduation requirement, you would then reapply to graduate in the term during which you will complete the requirements. You would receive your diploma approximately four weeks after that term ends.

When applying for any degree, an Incomplete ("I") mark that is received within your graduation term or remain from previous terms will hinder the graduation process. All coursework must be completed and final grades received so that a final GPA can be calculated. Degrees will not be awarded without all grades posted.

If the work cannot be completed within the intended graduation term or the student wishes to take advantage of the term allotted by the guidelines for resolving incompletes, then the student should defer their graduation until the term the grade has been applied to the course(s) in question. An “I” will convert to an “F” if not removed by the last class day of the next major term.

An "I" received in the term of graduation will be calculated as an "F" for purposes of computing the student's GPA for graduation if the course is not required for graduation.

If the course is required for graduation, students who receive an "I" in the term they apply to graduate have three weeks from the beginning of the next term to have the grade changed to meet requirements. After that time, students must reapply for graduation and repay the application fee in the term they complete the work.

Diplomas and certificates are mailed out approximately four (4) business weeks after the beginning of the next semester. Diplomas will not be released to students having any outstanding requirements or financial obligations to the college.

Diplomas are sent to graduates to the address provided when you applied. Parchment will notify you via your EFSC student email to verify your address and to view your digital diploma. You have 72 hours to confirm or update your address. Note: Diplomas cannot be released to a PO Box.  

Degrees will be posted to the student’s transcript as soon as possible once it is determined that the student “clears” for graduation, normally on the day of the ceremony.

However, if a student has any missing grades or other requirements, the degree will not be posted until all requirements are met. Once final grades are posted, all outstanding transcripts received, transfer work evaluated, and degree requirements have been met, degrees are posted to the online record.

If you do not meet all of the requirements for graduation in the term you applied, you’ll receive a letter approximately one business week after the graduation date telling you why you did not graduate.

You’ll need to submit a new Graduation Application (applying online is easiest) and pay the application fee in the term in which you will complete your requirements. If you submit the application after the published deadline, there will be an additional $20 late fee.