With a 21 percent increase in the number of students receiving degrees compared to last year, College of the Canyons honor their largest group of graduates during the college’s 47th annual commencement ceremony.

The ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. Friday, June 3, in the college’s Honor Grove, located on the Valencia campus.

The scene of many graduations and other college ceremonies and events, the COC Honor Grove is located in the center of campus and will be outfitted with a stage for the presentation of diplomas and certificates, as well as seating for the graduates and the proud families and friends who will be in attendance.

Community members attending the ceremony should plan to arrive to campus no later than 8:15 a.m., as parking lots are expected to be congested and guest seating will be limited.

“It is with great pride and excitement that we prepare to confer the title of graduate to the members of the College of the Canyons class of 2016,” said College of the Canyons Chancellor Dr. Dianne Van Hook. “To be able to see these hardworking, studious individuals meet their goals, earn their degrees and now move forward in pursuit of their dreams is truly rewarding, and part of what makes COC so special.”
The class of 2016 has 1,766 students who petitioned for graduation, representing a 21 percent increase from the class of 2015 (1,462).

This class represents 103 majors, with liberal arts and sciences (193) ranking as the leading field of study among graduates, followed by accounting (189), psychology (174), sociology (130), nursing (107) and administration of justice (75).

There are also 216 students graduating with two or more degrees.

The class of 2016 is approximately 59 percent female (1,039) and 41 percent male (727), which is identical to the percentage of female/male graduates included in the class of 2015.

Academically, there are 382 students graduating with honors — which requires a 3.5 GPA or higher — and 25 students with perfect 4.0 GPAs, which grants them the status of valedictorians at the college. The average GPA of the class of 2016 is 3.1, up from the mark of 3.06 achieved by last year’s class.

The average age of a COC graduate is 25. The oldest student in the class is 71-year-old graduate Renee Ann Miller. In total, there are seven graduates over the age of 60.

In addition, there are 18 students who will receive diplomas at the age of 17, representing the youngest graduates in the class.

Notably, there are also 83 veteran graduates in the college’s class of 2016, which is equal to the number included in the 2015 class.

There are 21 graduates from the school’s Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program.

Additionally, nearly 77 percent of this year’s graduates have completed at least once course at the college’s Canyon Country campus, which first opened in 2007.

Graduates from the class of 2016 will be heading to four-year schools including: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, USC, Cal Lutheran, Chapman University, University of San Diego, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Northridge, CSU Bakersfield, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Humboldt, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Monterey Bay, CSU San Francisco, CSU Long Beach, CSU San Jose, CSU Fullerton, CSU San Marcos, CSU San Diego, Oregon State University, University of Massachusetts, Boston College University, Gonzaga University, William Penn University, University of Louisville, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, South Dakota State University, Montana State University, and Syracuse University.