Student Instructions

>Eligibility	>Tickets
>Campuswide Ceremony Participation	>What to do on Commencement Day
>Announcements	>Diplomas
>Academic Attire	>Photographer
>Special Needs

Eligibility

Commencement is not a certification of graduation, but rather a ceremony that celebrates your academic achievements. You must satisfy all of your degree requirements before you officially graduate and receive your diploma. You are eligible to participate in Commencement if you have graduated since May 2008 or expect to finish your degree requirements in May 2009. If you are a Bachelor's student with 13 or fewer hours or a Master's student with 8 or fewer hours remaining and expect to complete your degree requirements in August, 2009, you may participate in Commencement; however, your name will not appear in the printed campuswide Commencement Program. Recipients of doctoral degrees must have deposited their dissertations in the Graduate College Thesis Office by May 8 in order to participate in Commencement ceremonies.

Participation in Campuswide Commencement Ceremony

In order to participate in the campuswide Commencement ceremony, you must:

1. Order academic attire – a mortarboard, gown, and in the case of a graduate degree, a hood.
2. Indicate your plan to participate in the campuswide Commencement ceremony at the Assembly Hall when ordering academic attire.
3. Obtain guest tickets.
4. Pick up your academic attire.

When ordering academic attire, you must indicate whether you intend to participate in the campuswide Commencement ceremony at the Assembly Hall.

Doctoral candidates must indicate participation on-line at http://www.grad.illinois.edu/commencement or by contacting the Graduate College at (217) 333-0035.

Registering for the campuswide Commencement ceremony does not place your name on the degree list. Students are responsible for announcing their candidacy for a degree. This should occur when registering for the term in which you will finish all requirements for graduation. Bachelor's candidates should contact their college office immediately if they have not yet indicated their intention to graduate. Master's and Doctoral candidates should contact the Graduate College. Failure to fulfill this requirement will delay the awarding of your degree.

Announcements

Personalized graduation announcements may be purchased through the Illini Union Bookstore, 809 South Wright Street, (217) 333-2050, or at http://www.herffjones.com/illinois. Announcements are also available through local bookstores and copy shops.

Academic Attire

All graduates and degree candidates participating in Commencement ceremonies are required to wear appropriate academic attire. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduates wear custom regalia designed specifically for the campus. Academic attire consists of a blue mortarboard, blue gown and, in the case of a graduate degree, a hood. (View custom regalia here.) Academic attire may be ordered at http://www.herffjones.com/illinois. If you live on campus or in the Champaign-Urbana area, you may order academic attire in the Authors Corner of the Illini Union Bookstore at the designated times below. If you are unsure of your plans at this time, but are considering participation in either the campuswide Commencement ceremony or a unit convocation, you should place an order to rent academic attire. You will not be charged the rental fee if the academic attire is not picked up during the distribution period.

Mortarboards, Gowns, and Hoods
Mortarboards and gowns are blue. The tassel is worn on the right front quadrant of the mortarboard and is moved to the left after the degree has been conferred. Bachelor's regalia includes a blue stole.

The gown and stole arrive folded and may require steaming (do not iron). Bronze Tablet recipients wear an orange and blue braided cord that is worn on the left shoulder, and will be distributed at a special Bronze Tablet reception hosted by the Chancellor in late April.

For Master’s and Doctoral degree candidates, the color of the velvet on the hood indicates the field of study, and the tassel is black. The tassel worn by Bachelor's candidates indicates their department of study. Bachelor's tassel colors are as follows:

• Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, maize
• Applied Health Sciences, sage green
• Architecture, blue-violet
• Aviation, copen blue
• Business, drab
• Media, crimson
• Education, light blue
• Engineering, orange
• Fine and Applied Arts, brown
• Liberal Arts and Sciences, white

Women should wear mortarboards at all times; men should remove mortarboards only during the singing of the National Anthem. Jewelry, flowers, or emblems worn on the mortarboard or gown are inappropriate.

Rentals
Academic attire rental is ordered at http://www.herffjones.com/illinois. After placing your order, you will have the opportunity to print a receipt. Please present the receipt when you pick up the apparel. You will not be charged the rental fee if academic attire is not picked up during the distribution period.

Rental fees must be paid in full by cash or check, made payable to Herff Jones, when you pick up the apparel. Payment cannot be made in advance.

If you own your Master’s hood, deduct $12.50 from the rental fee. If you own your Doctoral hood, deduct $14.50 from the rental fee. You may keep the tassel as a souvenir. Orange and blue souvenier tassels may be purchased for $7; however, they are not to be worn during ceremonies.

Online orders must be placed by 11:59 p.m., April 20

Graduates who miss the April 20 deadline may obtain academic regalia during distribution at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), Multipurpose Room #6. Herff Jones will do its best to accommodate late orders on site, but it cannot guarantee custom rental regalia for orders placed after April 20. Graduates may be required to return to distribution at a later time if inventory on hand cannot accommodate their order. All late orders will be charged a $20 late fee.

If you choose not to order academic attire online, you must order your academic attire in person in the Authors Corner of the Illini Union Bookstore at one of the following times that is most convenient:

Purchases
Herff Jones Cap and Gown Company is the only company that manufactures the Urbana campus custom regalia. If you are interested in purchasing a mortarboard, gown and/or hood, call a Herff Jones representative at (314) 997-6660. This is not a retail store; therefore, you must call to schedule an appointment to meet with a sales representative. Depending on the attire you wish to purchase, you should allow six to eight weeks for delivery.

Where to Pick Up Your Academic Attire
Academic Attire will be distributed in the ARC, Multipurpose Room #6 at the following times:

You are strongly advised to pick up your academic attire before Sunday, May 17. Please be aware that your gown will be folded and may require steaming (do not iron).

You should present your receipt when picking up your academic attire. Bronze Tablet students must request their cord at this time, if they did not attend the Bronze Tablet reception in April.

If you cannot pick up your academic attire at one of the scheduled times, you may arrange for someone else to do so; that person should present your receipt and must pay the rental fee. In no instance will academic attire be mailed to a candidate or graduate. Rental fees must be paid in full by cash or check only. Checks should be made payable to Herff Jones and have your name, address and phone number on the check.

Academic attire will not be distributed after 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 17.

Where to Return Your Academic Attire
Following the campuswide Commencement ceremony and/or unit convocation, you must return your rented academic attire. Herff Jones representatives will accept rented academic attire at the ARC, Multipurpose Room #6, at the following times:

Because of state health regulations, only returns of rented academic attire can be accepted at these times.

Graduates who do not return their rented attire by 5 p.m. on Monday, May 18, are responsible for returning the attire to the Illini Union Bookstore on Tuesday, May 19, through Friday, May 22, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Please note that Herff Jones will assess a late charge of $5 per day to all graduates returning rented attire to the Illini Union Bookstore after May 18.

Special Needs

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 designated seating areas. Graduates with disabilities who require special assistance to fully participate in Commencement events may contact the Committee on Commencement at (217) 333-8834 or email, commencement@illinois.edu.

Sign language interpretation will be provided on stage at the campuswide ceremony; 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.

Guest Tickets to the Campuswide Ceremonies

Local Graduates and Candidates
Free tickets for the campuswide ceremonies will be available at the Assembly Hall on a first come, first served basis following Spring break. There is no limit on the number of tickets you may request, however, please take only as many as you will actually use. Tickets may be obtained in one of the following ways:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, and J.D. students obtain tickets at the Assembly Hall Ticket Office or the Event Services Window at the Illini Union. The Assembly Hall Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Event Services Window at the Illini Union is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Ph.D., Ed.D., J.S.D., and A.Mus.D. candidates complete the ticket information on the Web registration form at http://www.grad.illinois.edu/commencement or by contacting the Graduate College at (217) 333-4610. Tickets will be distributed only after your dissertation has been deposited.
• D.V.M. students obtain tickets at their college office.

Out-of-Town Graduates and Candidates
If you reside more than 30 miles from campus, you will receive your campuswide ceremony tickets through the U.S. mail.

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, D.V.M., and J.D. students may download the Ticket Order Form from the Commencement Web site at http://www.illinois.edu/commencement (Quick Links/Tickets). Return the order to the Committee on Commencement as instructed on the form by Monday, April 20. Failure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope will delay the processing of your ticket request.
• Ph.D., Ed.D., J.S.D., and A.Mus.D. candidates complete the ticket information on the Web registration form at http://www.grad.illinois.edu/commencement or by contacting the Graduate College at (217) 333-4610. If you are unable to order academic attire via the Web, contact the Graduate College for assistance.

What to do on Commencement Day (May 17)

Arrival Time for Candidates
Candidates for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees should report to the Assembly Hall no later than 10:10 a.m. for the morning ceremony, and no later than 1:40 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. Doctoral candidates should report to the Assembly Hall tunnel off of Fourth Street by 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for their respective ceremonies. Please refer to the section "Seating and Conferring of Degrees" for your appropriate location inside the Assembly Hall.

Upon arrival, candidates and guests will be asked to demonstrate that they do not possess anything that violates the Assembly Hall House Rules.

Candidates receiving University Honors (Bronze Tablet) should arrive in the tunnel of the Assembly Hall by 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for their respective ceremonies. Additional instructions will be mailed to these candidates.

Seating and Conferring of Doctoral Degrees (Ph.D., Ed.D., J.S.D., and A.Mus.D.)
Doctoral candidates attend the same ceremony as the college that administers their field of study. For example, a student receiving a Ph.D. in computer science would attend the afternoon campuswide ceremony along with engineering students. Doctoral candidates will receive a registration confirmation from the Graduate College after registering for the campuswide ceremony on the Web. The registration confirmation will also indicate which campuswide ceremony the candidate is to attend. All Doctoral degree recipients assemble as a group in the Assembly Hall tunnel off of Fourth Street and line up in the order assigned by Graduate College staff. Doctoral candidates proceed into the arena following the platform party and are seated on the floor. The dean of the Graduate College asks the Doctoral candidates to rise and presents the candidates to the president, who confers the degrees. Doctoral candidates then proceed across the stage to be presented individually to the chancellor and president; candidates must arrive on the stage in the proper order. Candidates should carry their hoods, unbuttoned, over their left arm while approaching the platform. A member of the platform party or the hooder designated by the candidate then takes the hood from the candidate for the formal hooding. After being hooded, each graduate returns to his or her seat and remains standing until all doctoral graduates have returned to their seats.

Seating and Conferring of J.D. and D.V.M. Degrees
Candidates receiving a degree in law or veterinary medicine attend the morning campuswide ceremony and sit in their designated area on the arena floor. J.D. and D.V.M. degree recipients and candidates should wear their hoods into the Assembly Hall. Candidates rise as a group and are presented by their respective dean to the president, who will confer the degrees.

Seating and Conferring of Master’s Degrees and Advanced Certificates
Candidates for Master’s degrees and Advanced Certificates attend the same ceremony as the college that administers their discipline. For example, a student receiving a Master’s degree in English would attend the morning campuswide ceremony along with students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. All Master’s degree and Advanced Certificate candidates sit as a group in their designated area inside the arena. Master's degree recipients and candidates should wear their hoods into the Assembly Hall. Candidates rise as a group and are presented by the dean of the Graduate College to the president, who will confer the degrees.

Seating and Conferring of Bachelor’s Degrees
Candidates for Bachelor’s degrees assemble in the section of the Assembly Hall designated for their college or school on the arena floor or in Section A. Candidates should fill in the front rows so guests may use unoccupied seats. Assembly Hall ushers will provide assistance, if necessary. Candidates from each college rise as a group and are presented by their respective dean to the president.

University Honors (Bronze Tablet)
Candidates receiving University Honors attend the same ceremony in which their individual college participates, but assemble as a group in the tunnel of the Assembly Hall and proceed into the arena before the doctoral candidates. They sit together and are presented as a group to the president. They should also stand when candidates from their college are presented to the president. Bronze Tablet honorees are distinguished by orange and blue braided cords, which are worn from the left shoulder and are provided courtesy of the Office of the Chancellor.

Band and chorus members and ROTC candidates should stand at the same time that other candidates for undergraduate degrees from their college are presented to the president.

Diplomas

Because it is not possible to process grades and prepare degree lists by Commencement weekend, diplomas will be mailed to May 2009 graduates by the end of July.

Diploma Mailing Address: The primary address that will be used to mail your diploma is the "Diploma Address." If the Diploma Address is unavailable, it will be mailed to the "Mailing Address." Students should check and update their "Diploma Address" at http://apps.uillinois.edu/selfservice/. If your diploma is returned to the Office of the Registrar, you will be responsible for providing a corrected address and paying for any forwarding mail charges.

Name Change: Information for instructions on changing your name to the version which will appear on your diploma and transcript can be found at http://www.registrar.uiuc.edu/graduation/namechange.html.

If you have any questions about your diploma, please call the Office of the Registrar at (217) 333-0210.

Commencement Program

Printing deadlines prohibit changes received after March 27 from being reflected in the Commencement Program. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Chancellor/Special Events by phone at (217) 333-6814 or email commencement@illinois.edu.

Photographer

At the campuswide ceremonies, Chappel Graduation Images will be present to take photos of graduates and their families prior to and after each ceremony.

Locations - Portrait stations will be located inside the Assembly Hall main west doors and on the upper level by the Northwest and Northeast entrances.

No Sitting Fee

Free Proofs - Graduates will receive a passport sized photo proof image in the mail five days following the ceremony with complete ordering instructions. Orders may be placed via the Web site, mail, or fax. Chappell offers 100% photo satisfaction.

Photos will NOT be taken inside the arena or during the ceremonies.