Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall
4800 U.S. Hwy. 301 North, Tampa, FL  33610
Click here for directions

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Martha J. Kanter,
U.S. Undersecretary of Education

Congratulations! Participating in the HCC commencement ceremony is an important and exciting milestone! This page is designed to give you some basic information about commencement. Please contact your Admissions, Records and Registration Office if you have additional questions.


Commencement Preparation
Caps, gowns and invitations are available for purchase in all HCC Bookstores and online through the HCC Bookstore website.  The cost of the cap and gowns is $34.95 plus tax and invitations are available for $1.00 each in sets of five. 

Accommodations: If you require accommodations on the day of the ceremony, contact Jeanette Starks, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, at jstarks2@hccfl.edu or 813-253-7757.

Commencement Day
Ample parking is available at the Florida State Fairgrounds.  There is a $6 charge for cars and $12 for RVs and buses. Check-in for commencement begins at 7:30 a.m. Students must be in the robing area by 9:30 a.m. to be lined up for the processional. The processional into the main hall begins promptly at 10:00 am. We ask that all guests be in their seats at this time for the dais party, the faculty and the students to enter in grand fashion. The doors to the hall are closed during the processional and are opened again once the students are seated.

Each student will have his or her name called as they walk across the stage and shake hands with either the President of the College or the Chairperson of the College Board of Trustees. A professional photographer is available to take pictures of each student as they receive their degree. Due to the number of students, the ceremony will end around Noon. Students must stay until the program ends with the recessional. Family and friends are asked to remain in their seats until the recessional is complete. 

Survey
Please take a few minutes to complete our graduate student survey via your Hawknet email.  We would like to learn from your experience at HCC.