Celebrating Our Graduates
Congratulations, Class of 2025!
Calumet College of St. Joseph is delighted to address you as a prospective member of the graduating class of 2025. We are very proud of the work you have accomplished to date and look forward to celebrating your academic achievement with the Commencement Exercise on Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM. On this page, you will find important information about Commencement-related activities. In order to be eligible and participate in the ceremony, you must have completed your coursework in December 2024 or you must plan to complete your coursework as of May 2025 (or August 2025 for summer students). Before you finish your degree, please follow the steps below to meet critical deadlines for graduation.
Senior Farewell Toast
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Join us in celebrating our graduates with a champagne toast and celebration in honor of commencement. This event—limited to fall, spring and summer graduates—is an opportunity to enjoy one last event together as a class. The event includes music, photos, awards, hors d’oeuvres and a special toast with a commemorative champagne flute.
Important Steps for Graduation
Follow these steps to ensure that you are eligible to graduate and meet the required deadlines.
Submit Your Application
Please keep in mind that the graduation process is not automatic. Students in the last semester of their senior year need to apply for graduation. Those who do not complete the application for graduation by Friday, February 28, 2025, will not be awarded/degreed until the next graduation term. Log into your MyCCSJ account to complete your graduation checklist and apply for graduation. You must complete the following steps under the Graduation Checklist to apply for graduation:
- Review Personal Information
- Review Student Billing Account
- Apply for Degree
A $125.00 graduation fee will be assessed for all associate and bachelor degree recipients and a $150.00 graduation fee for all master degree recipients upon completion of the graduation application. These fees are incurred for all graduates whether or not they participate in Commencement activities.
December 2024 Graduates and May and August 2025 Candidates
Please make sure to verify that your address is correct while reviewing your personal information during the application process. Don’t forget to provide us with the desired name on your diploma through the application as well. All applications received with no desired name for your diploma will result in the usage of the name in our system as the default diploma name. All names must be verified by February 28, 2025.
Attend Grad Finale (Wednesday, March 12, 2025)
Grad Finale will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 1:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Grad Finale, a Graduation Fair, is a one-stop shop for graduating seniors. Here you will be able to complete all required steps for graduation, pick up your cap and gown, and pick up your graduation tickets. You can also purchase class rings and announcements with a representative from Jostens, have a professional picture taken by Grad Images, and much more. Finale will be held on the 1st floor at Calumet College of St. Joseph.
Order your Cap and Gown and other Graduation Needs
Academic regalia can be obtained in two ways.
- You can come to Grad Finale on March 12, 2025 from 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. We will have a selection of sizes for you to choose from and take with you. You can use your own regalia that day to take a picture with Grad Images. There will not be regalia to pick up from the College after March 12, 2025
- After March 11, you can go to Josten’s website. You can order your regalia and it will be shipped to your home for $12.45 shipping. The deadline for online ordering is April 4, 2025
December and May undergraduate Bachelor’s degree candidates who will graduate with honors or distinction wear a gold honor stole. By decision of the Faculty Senate (3/21/18), August undergraduate Bachelor’s degree candidates with honors or distinction will wear a gold honor candidate stole until their course requirements have been fulfilled and a final GPA has been determined. August undergraduate Bachelor’s degree candidates with honors or distinction will be recognized as honors candidates in the commencement program. Stoles, other than the aforementioned, will not be allowed. We will have honor stoles to use during the Grad Images photo shoot. Students will receive their stole when they attend commencement or pick up their diploma.
Graduation Application
Please keep in mind that the graduation process is not automatic. Students who do not complete the application for graduation by Friday, February 28, 2025 will not be awarded/degreed until the next graduation term. Log into your MyCCSJ account (my.ccsj.edu) to complete your graduation checklist and apply for graduation. You must complete the following steps under Graduation Checklist to apply for graduation: Review Personal Information, Review Student Billing Account, and Apply for Degree. If you plan to participate in Commencement, you must complete the graduation application no later than Friday, February 28, 2025.
Complete Exit Loan Counseling
Government regulations require you to complete student loan counseling. Visit studentaid.gov, log in with your federal FSA ID and select “Loan Repayment” then “Loan Exit Counseling” to begin. Follow the prompts to complete the loan exit counseling process, which covers both Direct and FFEL borrowers. An explanation of your rights/responsibilities as a student loan borrower will be presented as well as a review of important loan details; such as interest rates, loan repayment options, and deferment or forbearance options.
Submit Your First Destination Survey (Graduation Survey)
The Career Services Office conducts a graduation survey of all graduates. This information is utilized to provide summary data about your graduating class. This data is critical for the University’s annual report and is also helpful to academic departments, current and prospective students, and potential employers. The survey takes 2 minutes to complete.
Get a FREE gift when you complete the survey! Gifts can be picked up at Career Services in Room 101.
*Gifts cannot be mailed, they must be picked up in person.
Career Services
Career Services offers valuable services from creating a winning resume and interview prep to job postings as well as guidance on graduate schools that match your career goals.
Commencement (Saturday, May 10, 2025, 12:00 PM)
Graduates are expected to arrive promptly at 10:30 a.m. with their cap and gown to register and receive instructions. Registration will occur in the main building on the second floor across from the elevators. The doors to the Rittenmeyer Center will open to the public at 11:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. for guests with special needs.
Please leave all personal belongings (such as coats, purses or bags) with your guests prior to the ceremony.
Commencement tickets and seating options
All guests, including children, must have a ticket to attend the Commencement Exercise. Each student participating in the commencement ceremony will receive 6 tickets to the commencement exercise. The number of tickets available for each student is based upon the size of the respective graduating class. In order to comply with the maximum occupancy laws for the Dennis and Leslie Rittenmeyer Athletic Center, the commencement ticket allotment for each graduating student is final; there are no extra tickets. We cannot replace lost, stolen or misplaced tickets. Tickets are distributed at Grad Finale or afterwards at the college. Your tickets will be forfeited if you do not claim them by Friday, May 2, 2025.
Live Stream of Commencement Ceremony
For those family members and friends who are unable to attend commencement, CCSJ will offer a live video stream of the ceremony at https://www.jedtv.com/watch.html.
Commencement Booklet (2024)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Commencement: Saturday, May 10, 2025
- Location: Dennis and Leslie Rittenmeyer Athletic Center, 2400 New York Avenue, Whiting, IN.
- Doors to the Rittenmeyer Center will open at 11:00 A.M. and 10:45 A.M for guests with special needs.
- Grad Finale – It does not require registration. It is an open house, you attend during the designated times that are convenient for you. – March 12, 2025, 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.
- Commencement – It is part of your graduation application if you plan to attend or not. If you wish to change what you initially stated, please email commencement@ccsj.edu.
You are required to wear a cap and gown for commencement. You need to order your regalia from Jostens by April 4, 2025 to ensure it arrives in time for Commencement.
If you have settled your obligations to the College, including, if any, tuition and fees, book rental charges, library fines and exit surveys, your diploma will be mailed to you after Commencement. If not, your diploma will be mailed to you after you have settled your obligations to the College. Students must pay their accounts in full.
You will receive your adornments on the day of Commencement.
Yes. A graduation fee will be assessed for all associate, bachelor, and master’s degree recipients. The graduation fee covers the cost of degree audits and evaluations, the diploma, diploma cover, mailing fees, program booklet and other materials. Graduation fees that are not paid after the application is submitted may result in a hold being placed on the student’s record. Diplomas will not be released to graduates with an account balance. Students should make sure all fees, including the Graduation Fee, are paid prior to leaving the College
If you have additional questions, please email commencement@ccsj.edu.
For More Graduation Information
Manager Student Services
Phone: (219) 473-4224
E-mail: commencement@ccsj.edu