Commencement is fast approaching! Here are some details to make sure you are prepared for the big day. Please follow these detailed instructions to ensure a successful graduation.

Doctoral, MFA, and Medical Professional Degree Candidate Ceremony
Friday, May 13, 2022  |  Kohl Center, 601 West Dayton Street  |  5:30 p.m.

The ceremony will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. and will last approximately two and a half hours. No tickets are required, and there is no limit to the number of guests you may bring.

When should I arrive and where do I go? 

Graduates should enter the arena at Gate A (West Dayton Street entrance). Access to candidate seating is via the grand staircase located outside Section 127. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

Graduates are asked to be in their seats no later than 5:10 p.m. Degree candidate seating will be in designated areas on the floor of the Kohl Center. Commencement Marshals wearing cardinal academic attire, as well as ushers and posted signs, will be present to provide seating directions and assistance when you arrive. No guests, including children, are permitted in the candidate seating area.

Please be sure to review the Kohl Center carry-in policy. No food or beverages of any kind are permitted from outside the stadium. Limited concessions will be available for purchase.

Where do I pick-up my cap and gown?

Cap and gown rentals can be picked-up at the University Book Store (711 State Street). We recommend you pick-up your cap and gown by 11:00 a.m. on Friday at the University Book Store. Rentals will be available only after 3:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center for pick-up before the ceremony. Questions about cap and gown rental should be directed to the University Book Store at 608-257-3784, extension 5924.

What accessibility options are available at the Kohl Center?

Graduates who need hearing, mobility, or other accommodations for the commencement ceremony should contact us to make arrangements as soon as possible at accessibility@chancellor.wisc.edu. 

Guests in need of accommodations should visit the commencement website for more information about Kohl Center accessibility.

How will my name be read? How can I make sure I’m signed up for commencement?

There is no separate registration process for commencement, and there is no master list that students’ names are read from. Each degree candidate’s chair will have a printed program, a two-part card, and a pencil. The top portion of the card will be used to announce your name as you cross the platform. It is important that you carefully and clearly print your name in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS phonetically (as it sounds) on the card so that it will be legible to the reader. When you approach the stage, you will hand this card to a Marshal, who will read your name from the card, as you have written it, as you cross the stage.

How will graduate photographs work?

The lower portion of the card located at your chair will request your email and mailing address so that the professional photographer can send you complimentary proofs of your participation in the ceremony. Photographs will be taken as you receive your diploma folder and as you leave the stage. Proofs will be emailed out approximately 24 hours after the ceremony.

If you'd like to get a professional photo taken in your graduation attire before commencement, graduate portrait sessions are still available through May 11 at Memorial Union. See TITU for room location; pre-registration is recommended.

Where will the livestream be playing?

A livestream of the ceremony will play on YouTube, and also be available on our website after the ceremony has concluded. If you can’t attend in person, you can watch live, or at a time that works best for you to celebrate.

What else do I need to know?

Degree candidates with faculty escorts (PhD, DMA, MFA, MD) should ask their escorts to sit on their right. Escorts with two or more degree candidates are asked to cross the stage with all candidates at the same time (an escort typically won't have time to cross the stage and go around the floor and back to the line to pick up subsequent candidates unless they are at the very front of the line).

You will receive a red diploma folder at the commencement ceremony. Your actual diploma will be mailed to your permanent home address listed in your MyUW Student Center.

A Note on Public Health

UW–Madison continues to consult public health experts and monitor national public health recommendations regarding our COVID-19 response. With some exceptions — including clinical spaces — masks are no longer required on campus. You are welcome to choose to wear a mask while visiting campus. We ask everyone to respect the choices of others.  Please continue to check our COVID Response page for details pertaining to the impact of public health policy on the event.
 

What other events are happening related to commencement?

Schools, colleges, and some departments and divisions are holding recognition events. Questions about these events should be directed to your school or college.

Kick back, relax, and soak up the fun of Madtown with fellow UW alumni who have graduated within the past eight years at Recent-Grad Weekend. Join WAA on June 24–25, 2022, for a weekend of reconnection and celebration, featuring all-inclusive access to exclusive receptions and social mixers, a rooftop brunch, a Madison Mallards game with bottomless food and beverages, Badger trivia night, and more.

Share Your Plans after Graduation

Will you work for a corporation or government agency? Pursue another degree? Start your own business? Please take a few minutes to update us at go.wisc.edu/21-22gradplans or from the MyUW portal. Your confidential response and the responses of other graduates will be aggregated so we can tell other UW students and the citizens of Wisconsin more about the important contributions and accomplishments of UW–Madison graduates. Your information will also be used to improve our academic programs.

Congratulations, soon-to-be graduates; we look forward to celebrating with you at the Kohl Center!