Spring 2023 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 12, 2023 | 5:30 p.m. 
Kohl Center, 601 West Dayton Street 

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

When should I arrive at the Kohl Center, 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 by 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, with the exception of nursing parents. 

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

What accessibility options are available at the Kohl Center?

If you are a graduate in need of accessibility accommodations, please review our accessibility resources and email accessibility@chancellor.wisc.edu to make arrangements for a celebratory experience.

If you have a guest in need of accommodations, please visit the commencement website for more information on Kohl Center accessibility.

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). All online orders not picked up by noon on Friday will be transported to the Kohl Center for pick up starting at 4 p.m. Questions about cap and gown rental should be directed to the University Book Store at 608-257-3784, extension 5924.

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.

Where will the livestream be playing?

A livestream of the ceremony will be available on our website. 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.

What other events are happening related to commencement?

Each school, college, program, or community space may host its own celebration event during commencement weekend. Questions about these events should be directed to your school or college.

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