Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the Student Center’s instruction page. Master’s and PhD students can also find information on the  Graduate School’s webpage. 

All students must complete their graduation application in the MyUW Student Center by Friday, November 3, to ensure their names are printed in the commencement program.  

Yes, graduates are required to complete the application, even if they have missed the deadline for their name to be listed in the program. All graduates are also required to have a cap and gown to attend the ceremony.

Graduates who are completing their degree requirements within one semester of winter 2023 can participate in the ceremony. Apply to graduate in the MyUW Student Center and indicate when you are completing your degree and that you would like to participate in the winter 2023 ceremony to be included in the program and receive all the necessary information. If you no longer have access to your MyUW Student Center, please email commencement@wisc.edu

There is no separate registration process for commencement, and there is no master list that students’ names are read from. Graduate names will be read as candidates cross the stage. A name card will be located on your chair when you arrive, and we ask that you print your name phonetically so that our readers are accurate. 

To ensure your name is included in the printed program, you must apply to graduate in the MyUW Student Center by Friday, November 3.

To request diacritical marks be included with your name in the printed program, email commence@chancellor.wisc.edu by Friday, November 3. 

All graduates must wear a cap and gown to participate in the ceremony. Reserve your cap and gown through the University Bookstore to ensure your academic regalia reflects your intended degree.

The Winter 2023 Commencement ceremony will take place on Sunday, December 17, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the Kohl Center (601 W Dayton Street, Madison, WI).

The ceremony will begin promptly at 10 a.m. and will last approximately two and a half hours.

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 8 a.m. Graduates are asked to be in their seats no later than 9:40 a.m.  
 
Degree candidate seating will be in designated areas by school, college, or degree on the floor of the Kohl Center. Seating is not pre-assigned by graduate name and is first-come, first-served. No guests, including children, are permitted in the candidate seating area, except for nursing parents.   
 
Commencement Marshals wearing cardinal red academic attire, as well as ushers and posted signs, will be present to provide seating directions and assistance when you arrive. Degree candidates with faculty escorts (PhD, DMA, MFA) should ask their escort to sit on their right. A graduate seating map will be uploaded at a later date.

Yes! Each degree candidate’s chair will have 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.

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.

A printed program will be at each degree candidate’s chair and available for guests at the ceremony. All programs are archived here  in PDF form.

You will receive a red diploma folder at the commencement ceremony. Your actual diploma will be mailed six to eight weeks after grades are entered to the permanent home address listed in your MyUW Student Center.

The commencement ceremony will be streamed live through the University’s YouTube channel. Archived video of the ceremony will be available shortly after commencement weekend.

Yes! Join fellow graduates in celebration of your graduation at these celebration events hosted by the schools, colleges, departments, and more!

Please visit the Academic Calendar page for more information on future commencement dates.

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.

Many campus parking lots will be free beginning Saturday, December 16 through Sunday, December 17. School bus shuttles running every 10 minutes will be available on Sunday, December 17 along University Avenue and Dayton Street, between cross streets Frances Street and Randall Avenue, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The shuttle will stop at blue metro bus stops and in front of the Kohl Center. A parking and shuttle map will be available at a later date.

No food or beverages of any kind are permitted. Flowers are allowed inside the Kohl Center; however, glass containers, balloons, banners, backpacks, and wrapped gifts are not allowed. Please review the carry-in policy, as well as the metal detector procedures, and plan accordingly, as these processes will take extra time at point of entry.

Yes, a limited number of stands will be open for guests to purchase food or beverages.

Be sure to check the weather and plan accordingly. Rain, snow, or extreme cold temperatures will not keep us from celebrating! Be sure to check out UW–Madison’s Twitter, as well as our commencement website, for updates and information.

You can obtain an invitational letter through the International Student Services. The ISS website will provide you with more information and the form with how to do so.