Congratulations on nearing your doctoral degree completion. We look forward to celebrating your accomplishments. Please find details on the Graduate College Doctoral Hooding ceremony below and reach out to gradsuccess@illinois.edu with any questions.
May Doctoral Hooding Ceremony
Thursday, May 15, 2025
7:00 p.m.
State Farm Center
The Ceremony
This ceremony offers doctoral degree recipients, along with faculty mentors, a special opportunity to celebrate their achievement in a university-wide setting. The ceremony will include comments from campus leaders, and deans from each college and school will be present to congratulate students on their achievements. The focus of the ceremony is the formal "hooding" of doctoral degree recipients, often by faculty advisers.
Eligibility
Doctoral students (PhD, EdD, JSD, DMA and AudD) are eligible to participate in the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony if they will finish the degree requirements for May 2025 or if they graduated in a previous term but have not yet participated in a hooding ceremony. Students graduating this semester must have deposited their dissertation with the Graduate College Thesis Office by the May 2025 doctoral deposit deadline (Friday, May 2 for doctoral dissertations) in order to participate.
Visit our Completing Your Degree page for more information.
Registration
In order to participate, please register for the Doctoral Hooding.
Register Now
Monday, April 14 is the registration deadline to participate in the May 2025 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. This registration is for the Graduate College Doctoral Hooding Ceremony only. For information and registration details for other Commencement ceremonies visit the Commencement webpage.
Please contact gradsuccess@illinois.edu with any questions about your registration.
Regalia
Academic attire is required for participation in the ceremony. Regalia can be ordered online through Herff Jones at herff.ly/illinois.
Rental regalia can be ordered at the regular rate until 10:59 pm on April 14. Students may also purchase academic regalia (not required). April 29 is the last day to order regalia online. All regalia ordered online will be mailed to the address provided during the ordering process.
Faculty Hooders
Faculty who are designated as a hooder do not need to independently register for the ceremony. Students will provide their hooders' information when registering, and the Graduate College will directly email all designated hooders with further instructions for the ceremony, including how to order rental regalia. Designated hooders who own regalia are welcome to wear their own set at the ceremony and do not have to rent through Herff Jones. We suggest students connect with their hooders to request their participation before completing the registration form.
Guest Tickets
Tickets are not required to attend the May 2025 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. Attending guests are welcome to sit anywhere in the designated guest seating areas at State Farm Center. The event will be livestreamed for family and friends who are unable to attend the ceremony in person.
Accessibility
If you, your hooder, or any of your guests require accessibility accommodations during the ceremony, please specify those needs when registering. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your needs.
Parking
Free parking is available in the lots directly surrounding the State Farm Center on the day of the ceremony.