March 20, 2020

Dear SDSU Community,

Commencement is one of the most important and memorable days of the year for our Aztec family. Reaching this special milestone has required substantial personal dedication and the perseverance to overcome many challenges. Our students deserve the chance to celebrate this momentous achievement with their families and friends, which is why we are not canceling the commencement ceremonies; we will postpone them.

While we are disappointed that we will not be able to gather in person to celebrate the culmination of years of dedicated work and achievement, we plan to host the SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley May in-person ceremonies December 17 through 20, 2020. This will help ensure the authenticity of the experience for our graduating students. Our students are so deserving of this moment, and we want to be there with them in person.

To close out the academic year, we are planning a virtual celebration to be held on Saturday, May 16, for the entire SDSU community to come together and celebrate with our graduates. More information will be provided at a later time.

The postponement will not have an impact on the timing of degree completion for those scheduled to graduate in May and August, and diplomas will reflect the appropriate timing. If you are a May or August candidate for graduation and complete all degree requirements, you will receive diplomas in the mail in about six to eight weeks after the end of the semester.

We do not know exactly how the situation with COVID-19 will evolve, and this has become ever present in recent weeks as we have moved to full virtual adoption of instruction. Given these ever-changing times, we thank you for your continued understanding.

Adela de la Torre
San Diego State University President

Salvador Hector Ochoa
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs