One ceremony in December, thirteen in June

UC Davis runs two commencement rounds that barely resemble each other, and the next one is the smaller and less documented of the two.

Saturday 12 December 2026, 10 a.m., is a single undergraduate ceremony in the University Credit Union Center, on the Davis campus. UC Davis describes the arrangement as standing practice rather than a one-off: “Each Fall, UC Davis hosts a Commencement ceremony for undergraduates, held in the University Credit Union Center.”

11 to 13 June 2027 is a different animal. The same office says it “oversees 13 commencement ceremonies” that weekend, with undergraduate ceremonies at Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento and graduate ceremonies “held at various locations across campus.”

One building on campus, or thirteen ceremonies across two cities. If you have read anything about UC Davis commencement before landing here, it almost certainly described June.

Where the dates come from, and what the registrar will not promise

Both dates sit first in the registrar’s tables; for December the commencement site now confirms it, with the time.

The registrar’s Quarter Dates and Deadlines table for 2026-2027 carries a row headed “Commencement Date.” Under Fall 2026 it reads Dec 12. Under Winter 2027 it reads N/A. Under Spring 2027 it reads Jun 11-13. For June, that is still the whole of what UC Davis has published about timing.

The table places them sensibly against the rest of the year: Fall quarter instruction ends 4 December, finals run 7 to 11 December, the quarter ends on the 11th, and commencement is the day after. Spring finals run to 10 June with commencement the weekend after. We checked the weekdays ourselves rather than trusting the labels: 12 December 2026 is a Saturday, 11 June 2027 a Friday and 13 June a Sunday.

The registrar attaches a caveat to the whole table, and it belongs on this page rather than buried: “Dates and times subject to change without notice.” Treat December as firm enough to book a refundable room against and not firm enough to buy a non-refundable flight.

What December does to the town

The venue difference is not a detail, it is the entire lodging story at this campus.

June sends its biggest ceremonies to Sacramento, into a hotel market sized for a state capital. December keeps everything in Davis, a city of roughly 66,000. Same university, same graduating families, and in one case the demand leaves town while in the other it does not.

That is why the ring on this page matters more in December than it would in June. Woodland sits about 15 minutes away and Sacramento about 20, and in December they are the overflow rather than the destination. UC Davis makes the same suggestion to visiting families on its Parent and Family Weekend page, recommending they “look for hotels in Davis, but Woodland and Dixon areas are also close and sometimes less expensive.”

What UC Davis has published for 12 December

The fall commencement pages are live, and they answer most of what a family needs.

• Time: 10 a.m., at the University Credit Union Center, and UC Davis says it will start on time.
• Tickets: graduates register by 30 November 2026 and can request up to six guest tickets. They are free and digital, emailed to the graduate by the Aggie Ticket Office by 5 December, and general admission, so seats are first come, first served. Children aged two and under do not need one. Selling tickets is against university policy.
• Parking: free in Lot 25 and the Pavilion Parking Structure from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the day, with a complimentary mobility-assistance shuttle from the Pavilion structure to the venue’s southeast entrance from 8 a.m. UC Davis recommends carpooling.
• Public transport: plan to arrive at least an hour and a half before the ceremony.

UC Davis also tells out-of-town guests to reserve accommodation as early as possible.

Not published: a doors-open time and how long the ceremony runs.