Graduate Doctoral Commencement Ceremony

To be eligible to participate in Spring 2024 commencement, you must be a Spring or Summer 2024 degree applicant who submitted an RSVP in MyUI prior to the deadline (April 7th at 11:59pm CT). 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.

SUMMER DEGREE APPLICANTS

Summer 2024 degree applicants are welcome to participate in Spring 2024 commencement ceremonies. Students who will be Summer 2024 degree applicants and wish to participate in Spring 2024 ceremonies will need to complete the following action items in the order listed prior to the April 7th commencement RSVP deadline:

1. Enroll in Summer 2024 coursework
2. File a Summer 2024 degree application
3. RSVP for commencement in MyUI

At this time, tickets are not required for Spring 2024 Graduate College ceremonies. This is subject to change.

Doors to the arena will open one hour prior to the start of the ceremony. Graduates should arrive no later than 15 minutes after the doors open.

Public Safety officials will search any purses or bags brought into the building. Everyone will be asked to open their coat, jacket, or graduation gown for visual inspection.

No backpacks, large bags, packages, wrapped gifts, balloons, flowers, or outside food and beverages (with the exception of one factory sealed or empty reusable water bottle) are allowed at Carver-Hawkeye Arena during this event.

Carver-Hawkeye now has a clear bag policy. The following items are allowed inside Carver-Hawkeye. All permitted items and patrons are subject to search and will be tagged at entrance.

• Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC that do not exceed 12"x6"x12"
• Clutch bags that do not exceed 4.5"x6.5"
• Factory-sealed water bottles or empty, refillable bottles [Limit one (1), under one (1) gallon]
• Medically necessary items (including equiptment for nursing parents and diaper bags

See a full list of Carver-Hawkeye Arena commencement policies here.

The temperature in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in May can be difficult to predict. We recommend bringing in a factory-sealed water bottle or an empty, reusable water bottle less than one gallon and dressing in layers, as the facility can become very warm. Carver-Hawkeye Arena is not a temperature-controlled facility.

Accessible seating in Carver-Hawkeye Arena is available on a first come, first served basis and cannot be reserved. Accessible seating is available on the concourse in sections K through N. We ask that this space be limited to the individuals needing accessible seating and one support person so that we are able to accommodate as many individuals as possible. Seating will also be available in the Feller Club Room, which is climate-controlled, though seating in the Feller Club Room does not have a direct view of the stage. The ceremony will be live streamed on a large screen for guests in the Feller Club Room. We again ask that this space be limited to the individuals needing this seating, with one support person.

Complimentary parking for commencement at Carver-Hawkeye Arena is available in the locations listed here:

Parking will be available on a first-come first-served basis within walking distance at parking lots 40, 33 (Dental Visitor), 43 (Kinnick), 65 (Finkbine), and 75 (Arena Commuter).

Guests with disabilities who have a state-issued ADA parking placard or license plate will be permitted to use Lot 46, adjacent to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. From Lot 46 guests should enter through the west doors.

Please Note: Accessible parking in Lot 46 is limited to a first-come first-served basis. Once full, drop-offs will be allowed and then drivers will be directed to overflow accessible parking in Lot 40. Guests dropped off in Lot 46 should enter through the west doors.

The Graduate College is seeking nominations for a student speaker for the masters commencement ceremony. While graduating students can nominate themselves, as well as fellow graduating students, nominations can also be submitted by university faculty or staff. The nomination form, found here, is now open and must include a resume/CV, a video speech sample, and a letter of support from a faculty or staff member explaining why they feel the nominee would be a positive and compelling commencement speaker and outstanding representative of their class. Incomplete applications will not be considered. In order to be considered, nominations must be submitted by 5pm on Monday, March 4th. We anticipate selecting speakers no later than Monday, March 18th. Final versions of speeches must be submitted to the Graduate College by Monday, April 15th.

Graduates should plan to arrive to Carver-Hawkeye Arena no later than 6:15pm with their tam, hood, and gown. Graduates will enter through Carver-Hawkeye Arena's East Doors and proceed down the arena stairs to the floor. There, graduates will stop at the appropriate name card table to pick up and/or fill out their name card. This is used by both the name reader and Flash Photography during the ceremony. Please check the card for accuracy and make any necessary changes or corrections. 

Graduates should then find their faculty hooder (if applicable) and make their way to the graduate seating area and sit down. Seating is largely not assigned. In the seating area, graduates should be wearing their tam and gown, with their hood draped over their left arm. Graduate College staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and provide assistance throughout the ceremony. Graduates should avoid bringing bags and personal items with them into the graduate seating area, with the exception of medically necessary items or one factory-sealed water bottle or one empty, refillable bottle under one gallon.

The ceremony will begin promptly at 7:00pm. Graduates and guests will be invited to stand as the academic procession is led to their seats on stage. Once the academic procession is seated on stage, graduates will view the Celebrating Iowa video.

There will be a brief welcome by Associate Provost and Dean Amanda Thein.

Doctoral degrees will be conferred by Associate Provost and Dean Amanda Thein. 

Graduates will be invited row by row to come forward and be hooded. Graduates will approach the stage with their hood draped over their left arm and their name card, which they will hand to the name reader on stage. Once their name is called, they will proceed to the middle of the stage where they will be hooded by their faculty hooder or a member of the platform party. They will then proceed the rest of the way across the stage. As graduates move from the stage back to their seats, they will have a professional photo taken by Flash Photography.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the academic procession will leave the stage. After the academic procession has cleared the floor, graduates are free to leave.

• Doors to the arena will open one hour prior to the start of the ceremony - graduates should arrive no later than 15 minutes after the doors open
• Please be mindful of Carver-Hawkeye Arena's clear bag policy - full list of CHA policies can be found here
• Public Safety officials will search any purses or bags brought into the building - everyone will be asked to open their coat, jacket, or graduation gown for visual inspection
• No backpacks, large bags, packages, wrapped gifts, balloons, flowers, or outside food or beverages are allowed in the venue during this event
• The temperature in Carver-Hawkeye Arena is difficult to predict - Graduates are encouraged to bring a factory sealed water bottle or an empty, reusable water bottle under one gallon
• Prior to the start of the ceremony, graduates are welcome to remove their gowns and tams but they must be on when the ceremony begins
• Please do not leave trash at your seats

Graduates are seated at the lowest level of Carver-Hawkeye Arena during the ceremony and will go across the stage to be recognized and hooded. Graduates who need accommodations in order to participate in the doctoral commencement ceremony should reach out to grad-commencement@uiowa.edu at least three weeks prior to the ceremony to make appropriate arrangements.

To ensure consistency and quality of regalia for our graduate and professional students, the University of Iowa has transitioned to rentals for all graduate and professional students.

Your master’s or doctoral rental will include your gown, hood, mortarboard or tam, and tassel. The appropriate color hood will be added to your order based on the area of study you choose in the online ordering portal.  For assistance with identifying your hood color, please go here. Rental hoods and gowns need to be returned. You will keep your mortarboard/tam and tassel. If you fail to return your rental regalia, you will be charged.

If you picked up or rented your regalia from the Iowa Hawk Shop and University Bookstore, you will need to return it to the Iowa Hawk Shop and University Bookstore.

If you had your regalia shipped to your home, you will need to return it using the prepaid shipping label that came with your order. If you lost your prepaid label, please generate a new prepaid label here.

You will have the option to purchase fine-quality custom keeper regalia if you choose. Purchased regalia must be ordered by March 11, 2024.

Only Herff Jones regalia will be permitted at commencement ceremonies. Regalia from other universities, other vendors, or regalia from an undergraduate ceremony will not be permitted. 

If you have questions about the online apparel portal please contact Herff Jones at gradmidwest@gmail.com or 952-447-4449.

If you have questions about in store purchases and picking up apparel please contact the Iowa Hawk Shop at tracy-brodrick@uiowa.edu or 319-335-3179.

Please visit the Apparel site for more information on ordering, including applicable deadlines and late fees.

Business attire is suggested but not required. Graduates are cautioned regarding their choice of footwear, as stairs and floor may be difficult to navigate. Wearing high-heeled footwear is not advised. Bags or purses may not be carried or left in the graduate seating area, with the exception of medically necessary items.

Faculty hooders should plan to arrive to Carver-Hawkeye Arena no later than 6:30pm to allow adequate time to enter the venue, make their way to the floor, and find their graduate(s). Faculty hooders and graduates should be seated together in the graduate seating area once graduates have picked up their name card. Faculty hooders with more than one graduate should alll be seated together. Seating in the graduate seating area is largely unassigned. Please be sure to check the name pronunciation printed or written on the graduate's name card for accuracy. 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 marshals and volunteers on hand to direct graduates and faculty hooders both to the stage and back to their seats.

Faculty hooders who need accommodations in order to participate in the doctoral commencement ceremony should reach out to grad-commencement@uiowa.edu at least three weeks prior to the ceremony so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Faculty hooders who are in need of academic regalia can rent from our official vendor, Herff Jones, at herff.ly/hawkeyefaculty. This site will be open for orders on March 1, 2024. The deadline to place an order will be April 12, 2024, at 10:59pm CT. Please note, this information only pertains to faculty hooders participating in the Graduate College doctoral commencement ceremony. This information may not be accurate for obtaining regalia for other University of Iowa commencement ceremonies. For assistance with ordering regalia, please reach out to Herff Jones directly at (952) 447-4449 or gradmidwest@gmail.com.

Please note: The ordering site lists the doctoral ceremony as Thursday, May 9th. This is an error.