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 14, 2026
6:00 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 universitywide 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.
Graduate and Faculty Hooder Day-of Information
Graduates and faculty should arrive between 5:00 - 5:15 p.m. at the East entrance to the State Farm Center to check in and receive their seat assignment.
Arrive wearing your academic attire.
A photographer from GradImages will take pictures during the hooding ceremony and will send proofs via mail/email following the ceremony along with ordering instructions, if you opted in to sharing your information.
The ceremony will conclude with a recessional of the graduates and faculty. You will end up outside of the building on the east side. Please plan to meet your family and friends outside the State Farm Center.
Guest Information
Tickets are not required to attend the May 2026 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. The event will be livestreamed for family and friends who are unable to attend the ceremony in person.
Doors will open for guests at 5:00 p.m. Guests will enter via the West entrance (First Street).
State Farm Center arena policies, including the Clear Bag/Prohibited Items Policy, will be in effect for all graduates, faculty and guests. Concessions with basic offerings will be open in the State Farm Center.
For guests who require accessible seating, there will be ushers available to help guide them to the appropriate sections. Accessible seating is plentiful and does not need to be reserved.
Parking
Directions and parking information are available at the State Farm Center website. Parking at the State Farm Center parking quadrants (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast) is free for the ceremony.
Accessibility and Accommodations
Live captioning and ASL-English interpretation will be provided at the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. Accessible seating for participants and guests is available and plentiful in the State Farm Center.
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. Reach out to gradsuccess@illinois.edu with additional requests and questions.
Regalia
Academic attire is required for participation in the ceremony. Rental regalia can be ordered starting January 5. Students may also purchase academic regalia (not required). Regalia can be ordered online through Herff Jones at herff.ly/illinois. April 13 10:59 p.m. Central Time is the deadline to order regalia at the discounted rate. The deadline to order academic attire is April 28, at 10:59 p.m. Central Time. If you miss this deadline, please reach out for information on the late-order process.
All regalia ordered online will be mailed to the address provided during the ordering process. Regalia ordered through the late-order process can be picked up at Gies Memorial Stadium during the following windows:
o Wednesday, May 13, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
o Thursday, May 14, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
o Friday, May 15, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
o Saturday, May 16, 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.
o Sunday, May 17, 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Watch our short video tutorial to know what to expect during the hooding 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.
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 2026 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 2026 doctoral deposit deadline (Friday, May 1, 5:00 p.m. for doctoral dissertations) in order to participate.
Visit our Completing Your Degree page for more information.
Registration
Registration for the May 2026 Doctoral Hooding has closed. Please contact gradsuccess@illinois.edu if you are interested in participating.
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 or changes to your registration.