Cal State LA has released the full details for the 2026 commencement ceremonies set for May 18-20, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. An email sent to the campus community by Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes on Jan. 26 provided the dates and venue, along with a link to the official Commencement website.
This is Cal State LA’s second commencement that will take place at the Shrine Auditorium as part of their multi-year agreement. This partnership came after years of uncertainty concerning venues following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ceremonies will honor students qualifying for graduation in the 2025-26 academic year. This includes students eligible to graduate in fall 2025, winter 2026, spring 2026, or summer 2026. The schedule page of the commencement website includes the dates and times each college and department is scheduled for.
Students completing their degrees in the summer 2026 intersessions are eligible to walk in the ceremonies. The summer sessions last a total of 10 weeks, and the classes offered take place during the first five weeks, the last five weeks, or the entire duration of the summer break.
“The academic year for summer is sort of split in two. There’s one, an earlier one and then a later one, but they’re all part of the same ceremony,” Executive Director for University Events, Protocol, and Special Initiatives James Cuaresma said.
Graduation applications for students finishing undergraduate degrees in the summer were due Feb. 2, 2026 and will require an additional $25 late fee on top of the $30 application fee for any students who still need to apply. Graduate and doctoral students have until Feb. 16 to submit theirs on time.
Graduating students are each given up to seven tickets for guests. Children aged three and over will also require a ticket to enter, but any child younger than three can enter for free if they sit on a family member’s lap and don’t take up an extra seat, according to the commencement website.
Before the Shrine Auditorium, Cal State LA hosted commencement at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2024, and on campus in Parking Lot 5 in 2022 and 2023. The new venue accommodates more people than the campus parking lots, which allotted the students four guest tickets instead, according to previous UT reporting. Cuaresma also spoke on how the school will be providing its own security at the ceremonies to have staff who already know the students and faculty well.
Cuaresma also explained that a lot of updates will be coming soon, and students should regularly check their emails and the commencement website. Students have until March 16 to update any contact information to ensure they receive a receipt for any commencement-related notices, according to the website.
“Check out the commencement website, or check your email, but please do everything you need to do to be ready to celebrate all your wonderful accomplishments,” Johnson Eanes said in a video announcing Commencement 2026.
Online registration for Commencement 2026 opens March 25 at 9 a.m and closes April 22 at 5 p.m., according to the commencement website.
