One week in May, and the whole year walks in it

CSUF has no winter commencement. Its ceremonies happen once a year, at the end of May, and every graduate of the academic year takes part: those who finished in the fall, and those finishing in spring or summer. The university has set the window, shown in the table above, and publishes the detailed college-by-college schedule later; last round that came out in December.

The ceremonies are college-based and held outdoors, on two sites on campus: Titan Stadium and the Intramural Field. CSUF’s FAQ describes ceremonies running at the same time at both sites, on identical stages, so the venue matters as much as the start time when the schedule appears.

Eight tickets, and no more

A graduate who confirms participation through Tassel gets eight guest tickets, electronically. They can email them to guests or print them, right up to the start of the ceremony. Every child over two needs one, and CSUF says plainly that it does not sell extra tickets, so eight is the ceiling for the family.

Each ticket carries its own scan code and becomes invalid once scanned. A screenshot passed to a second person will not work if the first has already gone in. Paper or phone, each guest needs their own.

Every ceremony is livestreamed, with the links posted on the commencement site an hour before each start and the recordings left up afterwards, which is the answer for the ninth and tenth relatives.

Parking depends on the venue

No parking permit is needed on commencement days, but CSUF asks families to carpool because space is limited, and the right lot depends on where the ceremony is.

• Titan Stadium: exit the 57 freeway at Yorba Linda Boulevard. General parking is lot S8; accessible parking is lot S10.
• Intramural Field: general parking is the Eastside North Parking Structure, off Folino Drive; accessible parking is the State College Parking Structure, off Gymnasium Drive.

Overflow parking is spread across campus. An ADA shuttle carries graduates and guests with mobility needs from designated lots to the venues, starting an hour before each ceremony and running throughout. Uber and Lyft cannot drop anyone near the ceremonies: drivers are sent to the edge of campus, at Titan Hall, South Campus Drive and College Park, so allow time for the walk in.

Outdoors at the end of May

These are outdoor ceremonies in late-May Southern California. CSUF runs cooling centres at the back of the Intramural Field and at the top of Titan Stadium on the east and west sides, and first aid near the Student Health Center on Gym Drive and on West Campus Drive. CSUF also asks anyone susceptible to heat-related illness to think twice before attending in person; the livestream is there for them.

Where to sleep

Two hotels are close enough to walk: the Fullerton Marriott, on the edge of campus, with 221 rooms, and the DoubleTree on Nutwood Avenue, with 96. A little further out, the SpringHill Suites in Placentia is about six minutes by road, and the Embassy Suites in Brea, with 228 suites, about seven. Downtown Fullerton, with its restaurants, is seven minutes away.

Beyond that is the whole of Orange County: the Anaheim Resort about fifteen minutes south, John Wayne Airport under half an hour, and downtown Los Angeles about forty minutes with clear roads.

We grade the pressure as elevated. The whole year graduates in four days, each graduate can bring eight guests, and only two hotels are within walking distance. That is our judgement from the schedule and the supply, not a measured count of free rooms, which we have not taken for Fullerton. Hold a cancellable room across the week now and trim it once your graduate’s ceremony is published.