Day of the Ceremony

We are thrilled to celebrate our students’ achievement at Commencement!

Essentials

Memorial Stadium clear bag policy: Memorial Stadium will have a clear bag policy in place for the universitywide Commencement ceremony.

House Rules: For your safety and enjoyment, the following items are not permitted inside Memorial Stadium:
* Laser pointers
* Backpacks/bags
* Banners/signs
* Coolers
* Containers
* Alcoholic beverages
* Weapons
* Noisemakers

Tickets: Tickets are NOT required for guests to attend the universitywide Commencement ceremony. Doors open at 8 a.m.

Commencement Etiquette: Graduates and guests should plan to attend the entire ceremony to celebrate all of the graduates’ accomplishments.

Participants should remain seated until the conclusion of the ceremony, which is marked by the platform party recessional.

Only degree candidates and faculty are allowed on the field.

Cell phones and other electronic equipment should be silenced.

All graduates should plan to meet their guests outside the stadium following the ceremony.

While graduation is a festive occasion, the ceremony itself is marked by dignity and a degree of formality.

Courtesy and mutual respect for all those in attendance are critical for the enjoyment of this momentous occasion.

Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, advanced certificates: Report to Memorial Stadium no later than 8:45 a.m. Please refer to the section “Seating and Conferring of Degrees” for your appropriate location inside Memorial Stadium.

Doctoral candidates: Includes A.Mus.D., Aud.D., D.V.M., Ed.D., J.D., J.S.D., M.D. and Ph.D.

Report to ARC Gym 4 by 8:30 a.m. for instructions from Graduate College staff regarding the procession into Memorial Stadium. Please do not bring anything with you to ARC or Memorial Stadium. You are not allowed to carry anything in the procession, and there is no secure place to leave it in the staging area.

University Honors (Bronze Tablet): Arrive at Memorial Stadium by 8:45 a.m. Additional instructions will be emailed to these candidates.

Bachelor’s degrees: Candidates for bachelor’s degrees assemble in the section of Memorial Stadium on the field designated for their college or school. Candidates should fill in the front rows. Memorial Stadium ushers will provide assistance, if necessary. Candidates from each college rise as a group and are presented by their respective dean to the president.

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.

University Honors (Bronze Tablet) recipients Assemble as a group and process onto the field 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.

Master’s degrees and advanced certificates: All master’s degree and advanced certificate candidates sit as a group in their designated area inside the stadium. Master’s degree recipients and candidates should wear their hoods into Memorial Stadium. Candidates rise as a group and are presented by the dean of the Graduate College to the president, who will confer the degrees.

Doctoral degrees: All doctoral degree recipients (A.Mus.D, Aud.D., D.V.M., Ed.D., J.D., J.S.D., M.D. and Ph.D.) assemble as a group in ARC Gym 4 and line up as directed by Graduate College staff.

Doctoral candidates process into the stadium following the platform party and are seated on the field of Memorial Stadium. The dean of the Graduate College asks the doctoral candidates to rise and presents the candidates to the president, who confers the degrees.

Candidates should wear their hoods and stoles should not be worn with hoods.

Rain gear: Graduates: Graduates will not be allowed to bring umbrellas on the field. Ponchos will be distributed upon entering the stadium. There is no umbrella storage. Please leave umbrellas with your guests.
Guests: Guests will be allowed to bring umbrellas into the stadium. Guests should be prepared to wait to enter the stadium as bags are checked. While umbrellas are allowed, rain suits or ponchos are highly recommended instead as umbrellas will impede the view of other guests.
Please remember, Illinois weather in May can change quickly. Please check the weather forecast and dress appropriately so you can celebrate the day comfortably with your graduate.
For updates, follow Commencement on Twitter #ILLINOIS2025.

Inclement weather plan: The universitywide Commencement ceremony held on Saturday, May 17 will take place rain or shine. However, if the weather is unsafe, the ceremony will be cancelled or shortened depending on the weather forecast. Unsafe weather includes high winds and lightning strikes within eight miles of Memorial Stadium. The Commencement Office works closely with members of the university’s safety team and local meteorologists in making the determination to cancel or shorten Commencement.
Should inclement weather occur, a cancellation notification will be sent out via social media, the University of Illinois website, the university’s text messaging system (Illini Alert) and to local media. All unit Convocation Ceremonies at the university will still take place at their regularly scheduled times.