Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If graduates or guests are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please reach out to grad-commencement@uiowa.edu. Accommodation requests must be emailed before December 1, 2024.

To be eligible to participate in Fall 2024 commencement, you must be a Summer or Fall 2024 degree applicant who submitted an RSVP in MyUI prior to the deadline (November 17). The Graduate College typically does not allow students to participate in commencement ceremonies at times when they are not eligible except in rare circumstances. Approval by the Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs in the Graduate College is required to participate in a commencement ceremony other than the ceremony students are eligible for based on their degree application. Reasons for an exception could include:

• A significant health issue (themselves or immediate family members)
• Student has left for employment in another country before their assigned ceremony takes place
• A required clinical rotation (or similar requirement) outside of the state coinciding with the assigned commencement ceremony, such as Clinical or Counseling Psychology, Music Therapy, or MSTP students engaged in medical residency

In the vast majority of approved exception requests, students would be permitted to participate in a ceremony immediately following the assigned ceremony. For example, Fall degree applicants would be permitted to participate in the ceremony held the following spring. Early participation is very rarely approved. 

Exception forms should be submitted by the student. Submissions need to include a letter of support from the Director of Graduate Studies or the Associate Dean for Graduate Education, as well as a description from the student of the reasons for the exception request. The request form can be found here. Please direct any questions to grad-commencement@uiowa.edu. Forms should be submitted to the Graduate College at least one month before the ceremony, if at all possible, to allow time for a decision to be made.

All graduates are expected to wear academic regalia at their ceremonies. Required for all doctoral graduates: gown, hood, and tam. For more information on hood colors, please visit the bottom of this webpage.

Ordering information and a link to the apparel portal can be found on the Apparel page.

All regalia must be in hand prior to your commencement ceremony. Regalia will not be available to purchase or rent at the ceremonies.

All faculty hooders are expected to wear academic regalia at the ceremonies. University of Iowa regalia is not required – if a faculty hooder has regalia from another institution they are more than welcome to wear that. If regalia is needed for a faculty hooder, it can be ordered on the Herff Jones website. Faculty hooder regalia orders must be placed by November 19. 

Complementary parking for commencement is available at Hancher Auditorium. Traffic congestion around Hancher Auditorium is expected during commencement, so please allow extra time for your travel and parking.

Lot information and accessible parking details can be found on the Hancher Auditorium venue page.

Detailed security information including allowed and prohibited items can be found on the Hancher Auditorium venue page. 

Graduates arriving with a coat or purse should plan to leave these items with their guests. 

Doors to Hancher Auditorium will open one hour prior to the start of the ceremony. Graduates should arrive no later than 15 minutes after the doors open. Guests are encouraged to arrive as early as possible so they can ensure they are in their seat by the start of the ceremony.

Graduates should proceed to the Check-in table north (left down the hallway) of the main entrance in Strauss Hall and find the name card table for their last name. Volunteers can assist with name card location. Hold onto your name card; your name card will be scanned and then handed to the name reader prior to crossing the stage.

After getting their name card, graduates should make their way into Strauss Hall to line up for the processional with their faculty hooder, if applicable. Volunteers will be available to assist graduates in finding their way. 

There are no tickets required and no assigned seating for guests at Hancher Auditorium. 

Detailed information on accessible seating can be found on the Hancher Auditorium venue page.

At 8:55 AM, graduates and faculty hooders will be led by a faculty marshal to the auditorium entrance. 

At 9:00 AM, guests will view the "Celebrating Iowa" video.

Following the viewing of the video, graduates and faculty hooders will process to their seats on the auditorium stage, as directed by the faculty marshal and Graduate College staff. Graduates and faculty hooders should remain standing at their seats, if able, as the academic procession makes their way to their seats on stage. 

Following the academic procession, there will be a brief welcome by Associate Provost and Dean Amanda Thein.
 

A faculty marshal will lead graduates and their faculty hooders by row to the left side of the stage. At this time, graduates should have both their name card and academic hood with them. Graduates will first have their name card scanned to be displayed on the screens in Hancher Auditorium and on the livestream. Graduates will then hand their card to the name card reader who will individually recognize the graduate. After having their name read the graduate will be acknowledged by the dean/president and continue crossing the stage. Graduates will then have a portrait photo taken by Flash Photography before returning to their seats. 

After all graduates have been recognized there will be a few more remarks and the class will recognized as a group and the ceremony will conclude. The ceremony is expected to last around 90 minutes.

Faculty hooders should arrive no later than 30 minutes after the doors open and proceed to Strauss Hall. In Strauss Hall, faculty hooders should line up in the appropriate section with their graduate(s). During the ceremony, graduates and faculty hooders will be dismissed row by row to come forward for the official hooding on stage. Graduates should take both their name card and their academic hood with them up to the stage. After the graduate has been hooded, the graduate and faculty hooder will continue across the stage and return to their seats. Faculty hooders with more than one graduate will remain in the middle of the stage until all of their graduates have been hooded and will continue across the stage with their final graduate and return to their seat. There will be a marshal and volunteers on hand to direct graduates and faculty hooders both to the stage and back to their seats.

Immediately following the doctoral commencement ceremony, the Graduate College will be hosting a reception celebrating our graduates in Hancher Auditorium until 12:00 PM. Graduates, guests, and faculty hooders are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be provided in both the Smith Lobby and Stanley Café. 

Commencement is the culminating event of University study for students who choose to attend. An appropriate and dignified academic atmosphere is absolutely expected so that you, your family, and other guests may enjoy this important gathering. 

The following rules of behavior will be enforced at all ceremonies:

• No alcoholic beverages of any kind
• Inappropriate dress and costumes worn under gowns will not be allowed
• Cell phones must be turned off or silenced in the graduate seating area
• No flowers, purses, gifts, balloons, or bags will be allowed in the student seating area
• Marshals and security staff will be looking for intoxicated persons.  Inebriated students are not permitted to participate

With everyone’s cooperation, this occasion will become a proud and happy memory of your academic achievement at the University of Iowa.