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 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 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 for doctoral dissertations) in order to participate.
Visit our Completing Your Degree page for more information.
Registration
Registration will open in February.
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.
Regalia
Academic attire is required for participation in the ceremony. Regalia can be ordered online through Herff Jones at herff.ly/illinois. April 13 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.
Rental regalia can be ordered starting January 5. Students may also purchase academic regalia (not required). All regalia ordered online will be mailed to the address provided during the ordering process.
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.
Guest Tickets
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.
Accessibility and Accommodations
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.
Parking
Free parking is available in the lots directly surrounding the State Farm Center on the day of the ceremony.