Commencement Ceremony

All STCLH faculty, staff and student parking lots will be open and available on a first come, first serve basis. The parking map is available here.

The Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (JD) will be conferred upon students who have successfully completed all graduation requirements of South Texas College of Law Houston.

All graduates must complete the following prior to graduation:

• applying for graduation via Stanley,
• completing the Financial Aid Exit Interview and Group Counseling Session,
• having a zero balance,
• and completing the Graduate Employment Survey.
  • To complete the survey:
    1. Login to Symplicity (https://law-stcl-csm.symplicity.com/students/)
    2. Click on “Graduate Employment Survey” under “My Account” on the Symplicity homepage
    3. Complete the Graduate Employment Survey with the information that you have as of now for your employment status AFTER graduation and click on Save Changes (you only have to hit Save Changes once and it is submitted) (ONLY THE INFORMATION MARKED WITH AN ASTERICK AND YOUR NON-STCL EMAIL AFTER GRADUATION IS REQUIRED INFORMATION. THE OTHER INFORMATION IS OPTIONAL. COMPLETE THOSE FIELDS ONLY IF YOU CHOOSE TO DISCLOSE IT.)

2023 – 2024 Graduation Applications:

• December 2023 Graduation Application Deadline: August 7, 2023
• May and July 2024 Graduation Application Deadline: January 4, 2024

Please follow these instructions to submit your application by the deadlines above. 

If you do not plan to attend the commencement ceremony, you must complete and submit this Absentia form.

Please contact Student Services at studentservices@stcl.edu with questions.

Order your cap, gown, invitations, diploma frames, and rings from Herff Jones at:  http://herff.ly/stcl. If you  have any questions, contact the bookstore at: gradsw@herffjones.com

Deadline to order Fall 2023 cap and gown: October 27, 2023. Pick up will be at STCL Houston bookstore, pick up date will be announced soon.

Be sure to have your finger sized at your local jeweler before placing your ring order.

Strength, resilience, pride.

The South Texas College of Law Houston class ring  features images that reflect these bold  characteristics—personified by the law school’s  graduating students and alumni. The bald eagle, a  widely recognized symbol of American strength and  pride, is presented in the same commanding position  as the bronzed eagle statue on prominent display in the  law school’s front atrium. The scales of justice signify a  conviction to maintain the highest standards of fair and  equal administration of the law — a value that is  underscored and reinforced throughout the STCL  Houston student experience. The substantive, open  book represents the volume of knowledge students  gain throughout the J.D. program, as well as a dignified  understanding that they must continue to learn and  develop throughout their careers.

Number of Guests

There will be a limit of 10 guests per graduate. Please contact the Manager of Events at events@stcl.edu with any questions regarding the ceremony.

(Coming Soon)

Graduation Questions

For any questions regarding graduation academic requirements, grades, or confirmation of honor cords (not pickup), please contact the Office of Student Services at studentservices@stcl.edu.

A special part of the graduation ceremony is the hooding of new graduates by alumni relatives instead of faculty hoodmasters. Among our guest hooders are parents, spouses, siblings, grandparents, significant others, aunts, uncles, and cousins of the graduates. Guest hooders are required to be graduates of STCL Houston.

• Please register your guest hooder HERE.
  • Guest hooder information must be completed by November 21, 2023.  Graduates who have not submitted guest hooder information will be hooded by a designated faculty hooders.
• Video instructions to share with your guest hooder: Click here to see how to hood your graduate.

You may take photographs on campus and ring the bell during the following dates/times:

• Any time (all day) Sunday, December 3, 2023
• Any time after 10:00 pm on December 7, 2023 (once finals end)

We encourage you to take photographs during these times rather than the day of graduation. Traffic in the atrium will be high on graduation day.

All graduates will be professionally photographed the day of graduation by Marc Nathan Photographers, Inc.  You will have a photo taken on the stage as you shake Dean Barry’s hand and a portrait taken off stage after you have been hooded.

If you have a guest hooder you will also have a portrait taken with them.
Photos will be available on Tuesday after the ceremony.

In order for the photographers to contact you or your family after the event, please PREREGISTER prior to the ceremony by providing your email, cell phone and physical address by clicking here or scanning the below QR code:

Graduates must complete all obligations before their diplomas are mailed.

This includes:

• applying for graduation via Stanley,
• completing the Financial Aid Exit Interview and Group Counseling Session,
• completing the Graduate Employment Survey,
• and having a zero balance.

Diplomas will be mailed to the address provided when you apply for graduation.

If, once you have applied, you wish to change the address to which your diploma is sent, you may do so by submitting a Change of Name and Address. Address changes made via Stanley do not change your diploma mailing address. If you have changed your address online, you must also submit a change of Name and Address form with the box next to “Diploma Address” checked.

Graduates may order a replacement diploma by completing the Diploma Reorder Form (linked below) and sending it to Student Services with their $50 payment. Online payment can be made here.

Any faculty not attending the commencement ceremony: please inform Dean Barry.

Regalia

Faculty regalia orders are due November 5, 2023.  For questions about your regalia order, contact Sophia Campos at 713 646 2977; scampos@stcl.edu or see La Toya Johnson in the bookstore.

Important note: if you joined the STCL Houston community after December 2022 and need to order regalia, please contact Sophia Campos or the bookstore before November 5, 2023, end of day to order your regalia and guarantee arrival in time for the commencement ceremony.

Adjunct professors: if you are attending commencement or have been asked to hood a graduate, reach out to Sophia or the bookstore to ensure your regalia is ordered.

Hooding

If you are interested in being one of 8 hooders, please complete the survey here by end of day November 9,  2023.

Coming soon…

Fall 2023 Graduating Students:

If you would like to ring the bell, you may do so:

• Any time (all day) Sunday, December 3, 2023
• Any time after 10:00 pm on December 7, 2023 (once finals end)

Students graduating with honors will be able to pick up honor cords during the Graduation Fair, held every semester, or in suite 267. Honor cords may be picked up during the final semester of attendance and no earlier.

Honor graduates will be recognized in the commencement program and will receive an honor cord to be worn during the graduation ceremony.

Honor cord colors by cumulative GPA:

• Summa Cum Laude (gold honor cord)      3.800 or higher
• Magna Cum Laude (silver honor cord)     3.650 – 3.799
• Cum Laude (white honor cord)                   3.450 – 3.649

Please contact the Office of Student Services for any questions regarding honor cords at: graduation@stcl.edu or suite 267.