2026 Commencement Ceremony

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026

Ceremony Times: 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, & 5:00 pm

Location: Diamond Head Theatre (DHT)

2026 COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY @ Diamond Head Theatre (DHT)

The 2026 Commencement Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 15, 2026. The ceremony will last for an hour and fifteen minutes, with lei giving in DHT parking lot immediately afterwards. Students who have been petitioned for their Application for Degree/Certificate for Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 are eligible to participate in the 2026 Commencement. 

You can take a look at our FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS to get a better understanding of how Commencement will work!

Apply to be one of our Commencement Speakers by filling out this application form: https://forms.gle/4LTzLs73DxDRuFPz8 

DEADLINE: April 12th

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:

• Register - You MUST register for Commencement to be able to participate in the ceremony. We will not be accepting walk-ins on the day of the event. If you have been petitioned for your Application for Degree/Certificate, you will get an email from kapcomm@hawaii.edu with the registration information. If you anticipate getting your degree/certificate, email kapcomm@hawaii.edu to get the registration link. Deadline to register is April 17, 2026 by 11:59 pm HST.

• Link to Register: https://hawaii.kualibuild.com/app/67103195f3449d014ca7c62e/run  

• Guests - You will be allowed two (2) guests for the ceremony, due to number of seats in Diamond Head Theatre.  We will not be giving you physical tickets before the ceremony. Tickets will be available for pick up on the day of the event, one hour before the event. If any of your guests require special accommodations, please let us know in advance. Doors will open for Ticketed Guests half hour prior to the start of the ceremony. If you register AFTER the deadline, you are NOT guaranteed two guests. 

Ticketed Guests MUST be seated in the theatre 10 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony. Any unclaimed seats will be opened up for Standby Guests. We will not be seating late guests who arrive after the ceremony starts. We are doing this to make sure we don't waste any of the theatre seats due to guests who don't show up.

• Standby Tickets for Family & Friends - We will not be issuing additional guest tickets but we will be filling any empty seats in the theatre ten minutes before the start of the program. These Standby Seats will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Detailed instructions will be posted here later and emailed out.
  
  

• Additional Friends & Family can go to the Overflow Area - Additional friends and family will be able to wait at a designated overflow area that will be used for the Lei Zone in the Diamond Head Theatre parking lot. The ceremony will be livestreamed so these guests can watch from their mobile devices. Go to https://www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu/ for the link. 

• Ceremony - The ceremony will last a little over an hour. Here is a breakdown of the Ceremony Program to give you an idea of how the ceremony will work. Graduates can receive lei in the Lei Zone (Diamond Head Theatre parking lot) after the ceremony. 

• Parking - Parking will be available at KCC in Parking Lot B. There will be drop off and pick up areas for kupuna and anyone with mobility issues at the DHT driveway on Alohea Ave. Look for the handicap signs. NO PARKING IN THE DHT PARKING LOT. You can view a Campus Map and Parking here. 
  
  

• Cap & Gown - You will be required to wear Commencement Regalia (Cap & Gown) at the Commencement Ceremony. A "Graduation Gown Set" can be purchased from the Kapi'olani Bookstore, online or in store. https://www.bookstore.hawaii.edu/uhkcc/ 
  
  

• Professional Headshot Photos - There will be professional photographers taking photos of you in your regalia BEFORE the ceremony. The digital photos will be uploaded to our campus image archive and you will be emailed instructions on how to download them. This photo is KCC's gift to you! Tip: Come early to make sure you can get shots and even take some photos with your classmates! If you show up late and there is a long line, you may not have time to get a headshot taken.
  
  

• Diploma - You do not receive your diploma or diploma cover at the Commencement Ceremony. You will receive your diploma through the mail. Since final grades will not be available by Commencement, the conferring of degrees/certificates at the ceremony is provisional, pending verification that degree requirements have been met. https://www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu/admissions/diplomas/
  
  

• Photos - By registering for this commencement ceremony, you are granting permission to University of Hawaii to use photographs and/or video of you taken during the Commencement Ceremony and related activities by event photographers/videographers.

Email kapcomm@hawaii.edu if you have questions or need additional information.