Commencement 2026

This Spring, the Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs (ISSP) will have a joint Department Commencement Ceremony for the Global Studies and the Political Economy graduates on Monday, May 18th, 2026, 9AM at Zellerbach Auditorium.

Commencement Registration 

• Click here to register for the Spring 2026 Global Studies and Political Economy Commencement.

This is a two-part form. The first part is an Exit Survey. After completing the Exit Survey, you will be taken to the Commencement Registration form. Your name will not be printed in the Commencement Program if you do not register. The deadline to complete registration is Tuesday, April 18th, 2026.

Commencement Tickets TBD  

We are still waiting for information from the Cal Performances Box Office about the process for ticketing and will provide this information as soon as possible. 

UC Berkeley will host a Campus-wide Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 16th, 2026, at 10:30AM in the Memorial Stadium. Students in the Global Studies and the Political Economy majors and their families may participate in either the ISSP Departmental ceremony or the campus-wide UC Berkeley ceremony, or both ceremonies, as they prefer. For more information about the campus-wide Commencement Ceremony, go to this link

What is the difference between the ISSP Departmental Commencement and the UC Berkeley Commencement?

• The ISSP Departmental Commencement will be a smaller, more intimate ceremony with graduates from only two majors: Global Studies and Political Economy. It will be held at the Zellerbach Auditorium and will feature student speakers from each major and the presentation of departmental awards. The names of the graduating students will be called out during the departmental Commencement exercise as they walk across the stage to receive their certificates.

• The UC Berkeley Commencement ceremony will be for graduates from all the majors on the campus and it will be held at the Memorial Stadium. It will feature the Chancellor and other campus dignitaries, a special keynote address and the student speaker. The UC Berkeley marching band usually performs at the festivities. Graduating student names are not called during the campus-wide Commencement Ceremony.