SAN MARCOS, Texas — Eat 'em up, Bobcats! It's time to celebrate the weekend you've been working toward: walking the stage with your degree.
Texas State University (TXST) is hosting another round of commencement ceremonies in "San Marvelous," starting Thursday, May 11, and ending on Saturday, May 13.
Each commencement ceremony will be held at Strahan Arena at the University Events Center on TXST's San Marcos campus. Tickets to each ceremony are available through a request made by the graduate – only graduates who selected "yes" on their graduation application were able to reserve up to four tickets.
Although graduates do not need a ticket to attend their graduation, they will need a form of identification when checking in to grab their name card before walking the stage. It is recommended that graduates arrive an hour before the start of their ceremony and guests arrive 30 minutes beforehand.
Parking
During commencement, there will be officers from the University Police Department helping coordinate and supervise parking and traffic flow around San Marcos. There will likely be lane closures, so be sure to drive carefully as you navigate the roads.
The fastest way to get to Strahan is through the shuttles, which pick up from different parking lots around campus. Shuttles will be on either Route A or Route B, which are designated by a large blue dot on the parking map. If you park in an area that does not have a blue dot, you will have to walk to the arena.
The shuttles run on a 15-minute timetable for each route and will be available starting an hour and a half before the ceremony. The last bus after the ceremony leaves an hour and a half after the ceremony ends.
River jump tradition
The tradition that began in the early 2000s is deeply beloved by former Bobcats and students waiting to get their hands on a degree. After a commencement ceremony, Bobcats rejoin with their family on the grass at Sewell Park in front of Jowers Center and to the side of Strahan Arena.
The river is a constant 72 degrees and is flowing all the time, so make sure to take off any class rings, stoles, jewelry and socks before you jump in! Additionally, unique to the class of 2023 are "Challenge Coins," which should also be taken off before jumping in.
This year, the river is OK and safe to jump into.
Schedule
Each day through the weekend will have three graduation ceremonies: one at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 11 at 10 a.m.
- College of Fine Arts and Communication
- The Graduate College
Thursday, May 11 at 2 p.m.
- McCoy College of Business
- Department of Finance and Economics
- Department of Management
- Department of Marketing
- The Graduate College
Thursday, May 11 at 6 p.m.
- College of Health Professions
- McCoy College of Business
- Department of Accounting
- Department of Information Systems and Analytics
- Dean, Business Administration
- The Graduate College
Friday, May 12 at 10 a.m.
- College of Education
- Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology
- Department of Health and Human Performance
- The Graduate College
Friday, May 12 at 2 p.m.
- College of Liberal Arts
- Department of English
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
- Department of Political Science
- College of Education
- Department of Curriculum and Instruction
- The Graduate College
Friday, May 12 at 6 p.m.
- College of Liberal Arts
- Department of Anthropology
- Department of History
- Center for International Studies
- Department of Philosophy
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Sociology
- Department of World Language and Literatures
- University College
- The Graduate College
Saturday, May 13 at 10 a.m.
- College of Science and Engineering
- The Graduate College
Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m.
- College of Applied Arts
- The Graduate College
Commencement programs can be found online before attending, but graduates and their families will be able to receive a paper copy when inside Strahan.
Those who are unable to attend commencement for a variety of reasons can watch on a livestream on this website or on TXST's YouTube page.