Tickets

Graduates who have applied for graduation and have registered for commencement will have the opportunity to claim a designated allotment of tickets for their college ceremony, free of charge.

Guest ticket allotments vary by college and are determined by the number of graduates, Viejas Arena seating capacity, and State Fire Marshal safety guidelines. All commencement guest tickets are complimentary. The university and Viejas Arena do not authorize the sale of complimentary tickets.

How to Claim Commencement Tickets 2026

Graduates: Before You Claim Your Tickets

Graduates must have an active GoAztecs student account with their SDSU.edu email to claim guest tickets online. Those who previously claimed Aztec football or basketball tickets can use their existing account. 

Graduates should confirm they either have an account already set up with their SDSU.edu email or create a new GoAztecs account prior to the start of Commencement ticket distribution.

All guests must have a mobile ticket for entry into Viejas Arena

All guests ages 1 and older must have tickets to attend commencement. Babies under 12 months may attend without a ticket but must sit on an adult's lap. Strollers are not permitted in the arena during commencement. Baby car seats are allowed but must be placed in a ticketed seat.  

Most ceremonies will feature RESERVED SEATING, with guests assigned specific seats. Other ceremonies will offer GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING, allowing guests to choose any available seat.

For more information about arena seating, bag policy and prohibited items, visit the Viejas Arena Information page. 

Graduates and guests can contact the Viejas Arena Ticket Office at [email protected] with additional questions regarding commencement guest tickets.

Commencement Ticket Distribution

Online distribution of commencement guest tickets will begin Tuesday, March 24 through Thursday, March 26 on the GoAztecs site. Each college ceremony will be assigned a specific date and time within this three-day window when commencement guest tickets become available to claim (schedule below).

On Monday, March 16, graduates will receive a preliminary email containing a special link to GoAztecs.com to claim their commencement guest tickets beginning at their assigned date and time within the three-day window. Access to tickets is available only through this emailed link and cannot be accessed from the main GoAztecs homepage. Graduates must log in to the GoAztecs site using the provided link to claim their guest tickets.

Important: Graduates are not limited to this three-day period. Once their college’s assigned distribution time has opened, graduates may continue to claim their initial allotment of Commencement guest tickets online through Thursday, April 30 at 4:00 p.m.

Additional Guest Ticket Distribution

The deadline for graduates to claim their initial ticket allotment is Thursday, April 30 at 4 p.m. After that date, unclaimed tickets may be released into the ticket pool for additional guest ticket distribution.

Each college has a specific date and time when additional tickets will be available to claim. This schedule will be posted here in mid-April. These numbers are determined by the total number of graduates registered for the ceremony and the maximum seating capacity at Viejas Arena and cannot be adjusted.

Please note, there is no guarantee that the additional guest tickets will be seated together or near the initial allotment of guest tickets the graduate claimed. In some instances, there may only be reserved, scattered single seats available.

Additional guest tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and are subject to availability. Ceremonies with a larger number of graduates will have more limited availability to claim extra tickets.

On commencement day, guests can check the Viejas Arena Ticket Office for any available additional tickets. Availability is not guaranteed.

Another option for graduates who need extra tickets is to connect with other graduates within their college who may have unused tickets. Graduates can transfer any extra tickets they do not need to other graduates.

Accessing Guest Tickets

Graduates can transfer guest tickets starting Monday, May 4, either individually or collectively, to one guest. Guests must create a GoAztecs account to access transferred tickets, or graduates can share their GoAztecs login so guests can bypass account creation.

Once guests receive their tickets, they should upload them to their smartphone wallet. To avoid delays, graduates should encourage guests to save tickets to their wallets before arriving at the venue, as Wi-Fi may be unreliable during commencement. Mobile tickets saved to a wallet do not require Wi-Fi for entry.

Screenshots and printed mobile tickets are not accepted for entry. Guests using them will be directed to the Viejas Arena Ticket Office and may experience delays entering the venue.

Please review these step-by-step instructions on transferring and accepting guest tickets:

• Transferring Mobile Tickets
• Accepting Transferred Tickets

Graduates and guests can contact the Viejas Arena Ticket Office at [email protected] with questions regarding guest tickets.