Graduation Ceremony
Fall Commencement
Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m.
At Columbia International University, graduation is a time to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and achievements of our graduates. We invite you to join us as we honor the students who are stepping into their future, prepared to lead and serve wherever God calls them.
Whether you are a graduate, a family member, or a friend, we celebrate this significant milestone with you, giving thanks to God for His faithfulness and for all He has done.
Graduate Info
Next Steps After Applying to Graduate
After you apply for graduation, you’ll be added to the graduation mailing list. This ensures you receive important updates and action items related to the ceremony and degree completion.
Check Your CIU Email Regularly
All official announcements, including details about graduation and your graduation audit, will be sent directly to your CIU student email. Make sure you monitor your inbox so you don’t miss any important information.
Graduation Regalia Information
Order Your Regalia
Graduation regalia is ordered through Jostens. Ordering timelines are different for doctoral candidates and for bachelor’s and master’s candidates, so please review the details for your degree level below. For questions, please contact the Campus Store: (803) 807-5263 | ciu@slingshotedu.com
Doctoral Regalia
Doctoral regalia can be rented or purchased. Rental pre-orders are available through Jostens from Monday, Sept. 28 to Tuesday, Oct. 20. No rental pre-orders will be accepted after Oct. 20. Purchase options are available year-round. We highly encourage you to pre-order to guarantee the perfect fit for your big day.
Bachelor’s and Master’s Regalia
Ordering for bachelor’s and master’s regalia opens Sunday, Nov. 1. You will receive an email as soon as the order links are live. New this fall, you can choose free pickup at the Campus Store or have your regalia shipped to your home. Orders are fulfilled right away, so there’s no need to wait until graduation week to receive your regalia.
Regalia Packages
Bachelor’s Package – $65.00
Includes gown, CIU zipper pull, cap, and tasselMaster’s Package – $113.00
Includes gown, CIU zipper pull, cap, tassel, and hoodDoctoral Rental – $163.00
Includes gown, tam, tassel, hood, and CIU zipper pull. Doctoral rentals must be returned by 2:00 p.m. on graduation day.Doctoral Purchase – $1,116.00
Includes gown, tam, tassel, hood, and CIU zipper pull. Ships to student’s home.
Payment: All regalia payments are due online at the time of ordering.
Pick-Up Details (Ship-to-Campus Store Orders)
- Location: CIU Campus Store
- Bachelor’s and Master’s: Orders can be picked up once fulfilled, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. | Saturday 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Doctoral Rentals: Monday, Dec. 7 to Friday, Dec. 11, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Rental regalia will not be ready for pick-up before Dec. 7.
- Doctoral Rental Returns: All rentals must be returned by 2 p.m. on graduation day. If your rental is not returned, you will be charged the full purchase price.
Wearing Your Regalia
To help you prepare for the ceremony, we’ve included a visual guide for assembling your regalia.
- Graduate Students (Master’s & Doctoral): Your regalia includes a hood. Please review the graphic for proper hood placement (examples shown are seminary graduate hoods).
- Bachelor’s Students: Your regalia does not include a hood.
- Associate’s Students: You will wear the bachelor’s robe.
Submit Your Graduation RSVP Form once you receive an email request from the Registrar’s Office later in the Fall semester.
This helps us to plan the ceremony accordingly (printed name in program), acts as your RSVP, and holds your tickets for your guests.
Conferring Degrees Takes Some Time
Diplomas for students graduating will be mailed out 6–8 weeks after the graduation ceremony or conferral date. If your diploma receipt preferences have changed since you applied (i.e., you want to pick up instead of having diploma mailed, or if you will be unable to access mail at the given address), please email us at registrar@ciu.edu.
Read CIU’s Graduation Policy.
Graduation Day Specifics
Graduates are asked to check in one hour prior to their ceremony time in front of the Fisher Education Building. Graduates should arrive in their regalia. Students are not allowed to decorate their caps or regalia. However, traditional stoles are allowed. Fisher will not be locked during the ceremony so please limit bringing purses and other items to the ceremony.
Rehearsal
There will not be a rehearsal for the graduation ceremony. The Registrar’s office will be sending communication throughout the semester as to process and protocol regarding the ceremony.
Diploma Processing Time
CIU has three conferral dates per year — Fall (December), Spring (April/May), and Summer (August).
Your conferral date is based on the term you selected when you applied for graduation and the date when all degree requirements are completed.
Please note that it does take up to 4-6 weeks for conferrals to be processed and reflected on your academic record. You can verify your conferral date’s status anytime by viewing your unofficial transcript on myCIU.
Diplomas for all graduates whose degrees have been conferred should be available 6–8 weeks after the end of the term, roughly by late October for Summer conferrals, mid-February for Fall conferrals, and early July for Spring conferrals. Students with outstanding accounting balances must settle their balances before their diplomas can be released.
Every graduate will be picking up an empty diploma cover to keep as they walk across the stage.
Graduation Activities Beyond the Ceremony
The Registrar’s Office coordinates the Graduation Ceremony itself.
Other services or events (ex., commissioning services, hooding ceremonies, dinners) are typically coordinated through the various colleges. Please reach out to your faculty advisor for information regarding these separate events.
Honor Cords & Stoles
Students who qualify for honor cords and honor stoles will receive an email from our office and will be distributed from our office. Students unable to pick up cords and/or stoles will receive them during check-in on the day of the ceremony.
Scholastic honors are based on the student’s cumulative GPA as of the previous semester’s GPA and a completed 48 hours at CIU. Students will be notified via email if they earned scholastic honors. Only four-year undergraduate students are considered for scholastic honors.
I can no longer attend the Graduation Ceremony.
Let us know immediately if you are not able to attend the graduation ceremony by emailing registrar@ciu.edu or calling (803) 807-5040.
Guest Info
Tickets
Seating is limited and each guest will need a ticket for the ceremony. Each graduate can reserve up to four tickets for the ceremony. Graduates do not need a ticket for themselves but do need to reserve their tickets once tickets are released. Tickets are for guests only. Children 3 and older who require their own seat will need a ticket.
Tickets are allotted based on the number of students who are participating in the ceremony. We give the maximum amount of tickets that we can based on the available seating in Shortess Chapel, and this is determined once all RSVPs are received by our office.
The Registrar’s office will keep a waiting list for extra tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis. To add your name to the waiting list please email, registrar@ciu.edu. We cannot guarantee that any extra tickets will be available. However, Hoke Auditorium will be available for any non-ticketed guest(s) that would like to view the service via livestream.
Accommodations for Out of Town Students and Guests
Columbia, SC offers a wide range of off-campus accommodations, many of which are located within a short driving distance of CIU. CIU also maintains guestrooms at the Alumni Center, which are available to alumni, as well as current students and their families. Please contact the Alumni department if you have questions regarding their guestrooms.
Accessibility Accommodations
We would love to accommodate anyone that has accessibility needs. If you or your guests use a walker and/or wheelchair, we are able to plan seating arrangements to make you comfortable. Please email registrar@ciu.edu or call (803) 807-5040 to request this.
Ceremony Photos
CIU’s University Communications department takes photos of this event, including stage photos of our graduates as they receive their diploma covers. The photos are made available to the students who participated through Dropbox in the weeks afterward. There is no charge to download from this repository. For any questions concerning photos of this event, please reach out to alumnicenter@ciu.edu or (803) 807-5500.
Get Your Graduation Photos
Update your contact info so we can send your Commencement Day photos and keep you in the loop on alumni perks, event invites and updates that matter.
Questions?
Contact University Registrar at (803) 807-5040 or registrar@ciu.edu.
