General Information
Designating a Hooder (doctoral students)
Doctoral students may designate someone to hood them on stage at the campuswide commencement ceremony. Designating a hooder is optional. If you do not wish to designate a hooder, the dean of your college will be present to hood you. Many students, however, wish to designate someone special, such as an advisor, a faculty member, or perhaps a family member. Hooders must have an earned doctorate. It is up to the graduating student to contact and invite designated hooders, and to confirm their availabilty.
The Faculty/Staff and Hooder Commencement Registration Form must be completed (by the student or by the designated hooder) and returned to the student's department by April 6. (You may have received this form in the mail, if not, please contact the Graduate College.)
If you designate someone to hood you at the campuswide ceremony, it is essential that he or she order rental academic regalia by April 16. UI faculty and staff should be receiving a form to order regalia by early March. The University pays for their regalia rental. If you want someone outside the University to hood you, that person will need to pay a rental fee for the non-University hooder regalia.
Please note that designating a hooder for the campuswide ceremony at the Assemble Hall does not register that person to serve as your hooder at a unit convocation ceremony. To designate a hooder for a convocation ceremony, please contact your college.
Diplomas
Because it is not possible to process grades and prepare degree lists by commencement day, diplomas will be mailed to May 2012 graduates at the end of June. For name changes, please go to the personal info page in Student Self-Service for further information. If you have any questions about your diploma, please call the Office of the Registrar at (217) 333-0210.
Photographer
At the campuswide ceremonies, Grad Images will be present to take pictures of graduates and their families. Portrait stations will be located inside the Assembly Hall main west doors and on the upper level by the Northwest and Northeast entrances. Photographs will not be taken inside the arena or during ceremonies. Graduates are responsible for ordering and payment arrangements directly with the photographer.
Graduates may also wish to take their own photographs to commemorate this important day. For suggestions of photographic location on campus, see the interactive map.
Special Needs
Graduates or guests in wheelchairs or for whom walking is difficult may be dropped off at the Assembly Hall's circle drive on the west side. Inside the building, an usher will direct you to the reserved seating areas. Individuals with disabilities who require special assistance to fully participate in commencement events may contact the Committee on Commencement by phone at (217) 333-8834 or by email at commencement@illinois.edu.
Sign language interpretation will be provided on stage; therefore, hearing-impaired students and guests should sit as close to the stage as possible within their designated section to improve visibility.
As a service to parents with small children who may become restless during the hour-and-a-half ceremony, the ceremony will be televised in the hallways outside the arena. Please call the Committee on Commencement, (217) 333-8834, if additional accommodations need to be made.