Steps to Graduate

Venue Location: MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center
9221 SE Event Center Place, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952

• Monday, December 14 | 9:00 AM – Associate degrees and all other degrees/certifications
• Monday, December 14 | 1:00 PM – Associate degrees and all other degrees/certifications
• Tuesday, December 15 | 9:00 AM – Bachelor’s Degrees
• Tuesday, December 15 | 1:00 PM – Nursing Pinning and Commencement Ceremony

Associate Degree, Certificate, and all other diploma graduates will have the option to choose the ceremony they wish to attend. The ceremonies will be open until filled, so please be sure to choose your preferred ceremony early. 

Graduates arrive one (1) hour prior to their ceremony and remain for the entire event.

Doors are temporarily closed during the start of the Ceremony.

Yes, the ceremony will be live streamed. A link to the ceremonies will be posted on the Indian River State College commencement webpage. 

The $65 Commencement fee covers the cost of your regalia (cap/gown/tassel). Orders are non-reimbursable and non-transferrable.

Graduates attending commencement must fill out a commencement participation form through Tassel and order their regalia through the Indian River State College Bookstore. Students will receive an email through RiverMail with application instructions.

Deadline to apply—November 10, 2026

Students who submit a Commencement Participation form after the November 10 deadline will not have the capability to record their name pronunciation and will not have their information displayed on the screens at the ceremony.

The Commencement Ceremony will last approximately 2.5 hours. Guests and graduates are expected to remain for the entire Ceremony. If you plan to make lunch or dinner reservations following the Commencement Ceremony, give yourself ample time as there will be traffic delays.

View Programs of Study:

• Bachelor’s of Science and Bachelor’s of Applied Science
• Associate in Arts (Tracks)
• Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science
• Technical Certificates
• Vocational Certificates
• Applied Technology Diplomas
• Educator Preparation Institute
• General Education Diploma

Commencement announcements will be available for purchase at the Fort Pierce Campus River Shop Bookstore. Call 1-877-770-2665 for more information. 

Professional photographers will take no-obligation photographs of all graduates during the Commencement Ceremony. One photo will be taken as each graduate is congratulated by the President of Indian River State College, and a second photo is taken in front of the American Flag immediately after leaving the stage. Check the Grad Images website for information on how to order photos and prices.

• Check RiverMail for “🎓 Ready to Graduate? Here’s What You Need to Know!” email.
• Check RiverMail for “The River – Fall 2026 Commencement Ceremony” email. This email will have instructions on logging into Tassel to complete your commencement participation form.

• Complete Commencement Participation form by November 10. A confirmation email will be sent automatically with instructions on purchasing tickets & regalia.
• Purchase Indian River State College approved regalia from The River Shop Bookstore.
• Claim & purchase your guest tickets through ThunderTix. Upon completion of purchase, a confirmation email will be sent with an attachment to your eTickets.

All guests, regardless of age will need a ticket.

Yes. Everyone entering requires a ticket, regardless of age.

Graduates participating in certificate, Associate, and Bachelor ceremonies may purchase up to 3 guest tickets. Graduates participating in the Nursing Pinning ceremony may purchase up to 9 tickets.

Your commencement ceremony tickets will be available once you have completed your commencement participation form.

Students will be sent to a third party website (ThunderTix) to claim & purchase tickets. Graduates must enter their Student ID number in the Coupon Code section to claim tickets. Please be sure to enter your Student ID as listed in Banner.

• Check your RiverMail for your “🎓 Your Tassel Form is Complete – Get Ready for Commencement!” email. A ThunderTix link to your specific ceremony will be included in this email. 
• Select up to 3 General Admission tickets.
• Click Continue. 
• Enter Student ID number in the coupon code box.
• Click Apply.
• Complete Name, RiverMail email, and Billing information.
• Click Confirm Order. (Ticket orders have a 10 minute time limit, so please have your payment information ready.  If you aren’t ready to check out within the 10 minute time limit, hit “Cancel Order” to release your Student ID coupon code to be used later.)
• You will receive a confirmation email at the email address used to complete the order. Click the attached PDFs in your email to print tickets or scan them on your mobile device.

Students will be able to purchase extra tickets from ThunderTix when they are re-released in December. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Indian River State College-approved regalia may be purchased through The River Shop Bookstore at the Massey Campus or online at https://www.myrivershop.com/Home for $65.00 and is due at the time of order. The $65.00 fee covers the Regalia Package and other Commencement/Graduation expenses.

Regalia may be purchased online from November 9 to November 27 or in-person from November 16 to December 11.

No. Only the approved academic adornments listed below can be worn during the ceremony.

• Indian River State College Honor, High Honors, Highest Honors
• Indian River State College Distinguished Scholar
• All Florida Academic Team
• Alpha Phi Sigma/Criminal Justice
• Eta Sigma Delta/Culinary, Hospitality & Tourism
• Honor Society for Nursing
• Kappa Delta Pi/Education
• Lambda Nu/Radiologic & Imaging
• Military Distinction
• Phi Theta Kappa
• Promise
• PTA Phi Tau Alpha
• River Pathways – Career
• River Pathways – Community Service
• River Pathways – Digital Literacy
• River Pathways – Leadership Development
• River Pathways – Well-being and Resilience
• Sigma Alpha Pi
• Sigma Beta Delta/Business
• Take Stock in Children

Additional tassels or replacement tassels can be purchased through the bookstore for $12 and additional or replacement caps can be purchased through the bookstore for $6. If lost or missing gown, graduate will have to purchase a complete replacement packet. If you find that you are missing regalia at the Ceremony, speak to a faculty member at your check-in location.

This year’s regalia will feature the updated logo. As a result, graduates will need to purchase new regalia rather than reusing items from previous years.

Men should wear a dress shirt, tie, dark slacks and dark dress shoes.  Women should wear a dark dress or dress slacks and dark dress shoes.  For your own safety and comfort, women should not wear high-heeled and/or open-toe dress shoes. Closed-toe low heels and/or flats are strongly recommended.

Yes, graduates may decorate the top of the cap.

Honor designations are based on overall cumulative college-credit plus transfer coursework attempted at Indian River State College from the previous academic term, as well as at other post-secondary institutions. Graduates will be notified of Honors status via their Indian River State College RiverMail email.   

The Honors designations are:

• Summa Cum Laude–Highest Honors (cumulative GPA of 3.85 to 4.0)
• Magna Cum Laude–High Honors (cumulative GPA of 3.7 to 3.84)
• Cum Laude–Honors (cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.69)

Honors recipients will wear gold cords and tassels and be acknowledged as they walk across the stage during the Ceremony.

In addition to Indian River State College regalia (cap, gown, tassel), cords, stoles, medallions and/or pins from Academic Honor Society organizations recognized by the College can be worn during the Ceremony. These include:

• Indian River State College Honor, High Honors, Highest Honors
• All Florida Academic Team
• Alpha Phi Sigma/Criminal Justice
• Eta Sigma Delta/Culinary, Hospitality & Tourism
• Honor Society for Nursing
• Kappa Delta Pi/Education
• Lambda Nu/Radiologic & Imaging
• Military Distinction
• Phi Theta Kappa
• Promise
• PTA Phi Tau Alpha
• River Pathways – Career
• River Pathways – Community Service
• River Pathways – Digital Literacy
• River Pathways – Leadership Development
• River Pathways – Well-being and Resilience
• Sigma Alpha Pi
• Sigma Beta Delta/Business
• Take Stock in Children

Custom cords, stoles, medallions and/or pins are not allowed.

Each 2.5 hour ceremony will begin promptly at its designated time. Graduates will be pre-seated. Graduates arrive one (1) hour prior to their ceremony and remain for the entire event.Each graduate will receive a name card that he/she will hand to the presenter before crossing the stage to receive a diploma. 

Go directly to the Information Table in the graduate check-in area and a faculty member will escort you to the reserved seating area.

All graduates enter through the front doors and report to the Graduate check-in area. Follow the signs provided, and check in with the faculty member in charge. Check in will be by last name, and each graduate will receive a pre-printed information card with his/her full name and any appropriate honors designation. Hand your card to the faculty or administrator, and have your name scanned before you walk across the stage to be recognized.

No. Leave your personal belongings in your car or with a family member. The College and Event Center cannot be responsible for securing your valuables.

Your name will be printed in the program if you apply for Commencement by the deadline date—Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Printed diplomas will be mailed to all graduates approximately two to three weeks following the Ceremony from Parchment. A free digital diploma will be available a few days after term completion. Students will receive a notification to their personal email and a text notification with instructions for electronically claiming their diploma.

Make sure you update your personal email and mailing address in Banner prior to the end of your final term. For more information, click here.

All new Indian River State College graduates receive a complimentary one-year membership to the Indian River State College Alumni Association. To activate your membership, send an email to irscalumni@irsc.edu.

Family and guests should plan to arrive at least one (1) hour prior to the start of the Ceremony which begins PROMPTLY at the times noted above. They should expect a heavy volume of traffic and allow time to park and walk to the Ceremony site. Doors will open 1 hour prior to the start of the ceremony and are temporarily closed during the start of the Ceremony.

Guests, family and friends use the front/main entrance.

Yes. Guests, family and friends are allowed to bring water, cameras or video cameras; however, balloons and/or air horns are NOT allowed.

Yes. Visit the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce for a listing of local accommodations.

Graduates and/or family members requiring special accommodations should contact Accessibility Services at least one (1) week prior to Commencement at accessibilityservices@irsc.edu or call 772-462-7809 or 772-462-7396.

There are limited, special parking and seating areas for individuals needing special accommodations. Please plan to arrive early.

Close-Captioning will be provided throughout the ceremony.