School of Cinematic Arts Commencement

Welcome to the commencement website for the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), and congratulations to the Class of 2026!

For more info see: https://commencement.usc.edu

2026 USC School of Cinematic Arts Commencement Ceremony
Friday, May 15, 2026
Shrine Auditorium, 665 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007
1:00 PM Ceremony

GUEST SPEAKER: TBD

GRADUATE LINE-UP
Graduates enter the Shrine Auditorium and line up at 12:00 PM at the Expo Hall entrance on 32nd Street. Please be on time! Bring your charged device with Tassel grad pass, and your cap and gown with you.

Backpacks, air horns, and balloons are not permitted inside the Shrine Auditorium. These items will be confiscated at the door.

GUESTS
Guests enter the Shrine Auditorium through the main entrance on Royal Street. Doors open at 12:00 PM for ADA guests and 12:15 PM for general admission.

As is standard with events in large venues, all guests must pass through a metal detector to enter the Shrine Auditorium. All USC Ceremonies will be adhering to a clear bag policy. Any bags that do not comply will have to wait in a line for bag check. The following items are prohibited: backpacks, air horns, and balloons. These items will be confiscated at the door.

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
Currently, there are no restrictions or limitations for visitors coming to campus or the Shrine Auditorium.

All COVID policies are subject to change.

While masks are not required for this event, we ask that attendees, vaccinated or unvaccinated, consider wearing them for their own protection and the protection of others.

Please note that protocols are subject to change. Information on protocol updates will be communicated by email or other appropriate mechanism.

CAP & GOWN RENTAL
Rental of regalia is available through the USC Bookstore. Click here for more details.

Return your gown and hood after the SCA Ceremony at the drop location outside the Shrine Auditorium (on Royal Street) or at the Bookstore on May 15, 2026.

COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM
The Commencement Program lists every graduate's name who is eligible to graduate in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026 provided they verified their information with Degree Progress prior to printing. These programs will be available online.

DVDs
DVD recordings of the SCA ceremony will not be available.

GRAD PHOTOS
GradImages will be photographing all graduates at the SCA Ceremony as each one crosses the stage. GradImages will email complimentary proofs to graduates after the ceremony, provided they completed a Commencement reader card via Tassel before the ceremony, or provided their full contact information including address to their Division. Everyone's photo will be taken. No obligation to purchase. Visit www.gradimages.com for more information or to pre-register online.

HONOR CORDS
Honor cords are provided by the SCA and will be available for pick up in your Division office through May 14, 2026. Honor cords may be worn by undergraduates who have earned a minimum 3.5 university GPA by the end of the Fall 2024 semester. Note: Eligibility to wear honor cords is not an indication that academic honors (cum laude, etc.) will be designated on your diploma/academic record since these honors will be awarded after final grades are determined after Commencement.

MISCELLANEOUS
No backpacks, air horns, or balloons are allowed inside the Shrine Auditorium.

RECEPTION
The SCA Commencement Reception immediately follows the SCA Ceremony and is held at the School of Cinematic Arts directly following from 3:30-5:00 PM. Graduates and children under 2 years old do not need tickets to enter either event.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
An ADA Accommodation entrance on Royal Street at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard will open at 12:00 PM at the Shrine Auditorium. When graduates register for the SCA Ceremony, they must note how many guests require wheelchair seating. Due to space limitations, only one guest may enter and sit with that guest in the wheelchair seating area.

ADA ACCOMMODATION / EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
If a guest requires a Sign Language Interpreter for the ceremony, graduates were able to request that when registering for the ceremony via Tassel. These guests may enter at the ADA Accommodation entrance on Royal Street at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard at 12:00pm at the Shrine Auditorium. Due to space limitations, only one guest may enter and sit with that guest in the sign language interpreting area. CART captioning will also be provided on large screens within the auditorium.

STROLLERS
Please check in all strollers at the Special Needs entrance of the Shrine Auditorium on Royal Street at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard. No strollers are allowed in the theatre seating area.

TICKETS
At this time, tickets will not be required.

TRANSIT & PARKING
For transit by car, train or rideshare, and for parking information, please refer to USC's website for details.



Return your gown and hood immediately following the SCA Ceremony at drop locations outside the Shrine Auditorium on 32nd Street, on campus or at the Bookstore on Friday May 15, 2026. You may keep your cap and tassel.

For all details and pertinent information regarding regalia, please refer to the USC Commencement website.

Commencement Timeline:

Thursday, May 14 - USC Main Commencement
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
6:30pm

Friday, May 15 - SCA COMMENCEMENT DAY
Shrine Auditorium
1:00pm

12:00pm
SCA Graduates line up at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Hall on 32nd St. (Graduate Stage Pass required).
12 - 12:15pm
SCA Guests enter the Shrine Auditorium at Royal Street entrance (USC digital ticket required).
1:00pm
SCA Commencement Ceremony begins
3:00pm
SCA Commencement Ceremony ends.
3:00pm
SCA Post-Ceremony Reception at School of Cinematic Arts Complex (USC access pass / digital reception ticket required).


Any questions can be directed to your SCA Division office staff/advisor.

DIVISION OFFICES

Division of Cinema & Media Studies
mediastudies@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3334
SCA 320

Division of Media Arts + Practice
map@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.5700
SCI 101

Film & Television Production Division
productionoffice@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3317
SCA 434

Interactive Media & Games Division
usc_interactive@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.4472
SCI 201

John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts
animation@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.4396
SCB 210

John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television
writing@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3303
SCA 335

Peter Stark Producing Program
pstark@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3304
SCA 366

Expanded Animation Research + Practice (XA)
expandedanimation@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.9770
SCA 250