Eligibility

In order to be eligible to participate in the 2019 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony you:

• Must have filed a doctoral dissertation approved by the Graduate Division during the Summer 2018, Fall 2018 or Winter 2019 term OR you must file a doctoral dissertation approved by the Graduate Division during the Spring 2019 term on or before Wednesday, June 12, 2019,  5 p.m. PST. For information on filing: filing your doctoral dissertation.
• In order to participate in the ceremony, you must be a doctoral graduate.  Master’s students should contact their department regarding commencement ceremonies.

If you have eligibility questions, please contact Academic Services at academicservices@grad.ucla.edu.

Ceremony Participation & Doctoral Hooding Program

Graduates who filed in Summer 2018, Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 will receive invitations to the ceremony in mid-April. Doctoral candidates who successfully file in Spring 2019 will receive the invitation link to MyUCLA to RSVP to the ceremony and to request guest tickets.

Starting 24-48 hours AFTER receiving the ETD approval email from the Graduate Division, you may request up to 4 guest tickets for family and friends and 1 waitlist ticket through www.my.ucla.edu by selecting Event Reservation Form from the Campus Life tab.

In order to have your name and dissertation title listed in the 2019 Doctoral Hooding program, you must have successfully filed by 5 p.m. PST on Monday, June 3, 2019.  Submissions after that date may not make it into the program.

Please note that if you file between June 3rd and June 12th, you are still eligible to participate in the 2019 ceremony and request guest tickets.

Guest Tickets

Due to the increasing number of doctoral graduates and limited seating capacity in Royce Hall, graduates will only be able to order up to four (4) guest tickets and request one (1) waitlist ticket.  Faculty do NOT need tickets. They are invited separately by the Graduate Division. 

Mailing Option vs. Pick-Up Option

• Guest tickets will be issued by the UCLA Central Ticket Office (CTO).
• Guest tickets ordered (including waitlist tickets granted) by June 3, 2019 can be acquired in either of two ways:
  1. Sent by U.S. mail to an official domestic address already on file with the Registrar’s Office. If your official address is not a domestic address, you are NOT eligible for the mailing option. IMPORTANT: Before requesting this option, please verify your official address on MyUCLA. (For addresses outside the U.S., tickets will be held for pick up at the Central Ticket Office.)
  2. Held for pick-up at CTO

• When picking up guest tickets from CTO, expressly state that you are picking up tickets for the “Doctoral Hooding Ceremony.” You must present a valid student ID to pick up your guest tickets.  You cannot send another representative to pick your tickets up on your behalf.
• Any guest tickets (including waitlist tickets granted) ordered on or after June 3, 2019 and by June 12, 2019 will be held for pick up at the UCLA Central Ticket Office as follows:

• Through Wednesday, June 12 from 10 am – 4 pm (weekdays) at CTO
• Thursday, June 13 (day of ceremony) from 10 am – 12 pm at CTO
• Thursday, June 13 (day of ceremony) from 1 pm – start of the ceremony at the Royce Hall box office (Will Call window)

 Waitlist Tickets

• Through MyUCLA, you can request one (1) additional waitlist ticket for the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony during your designated ordering cycle. We make every effort to grant all waitlist ticket requests. However, they are not guaranteed.
• Waitlist tickets will be determined via lottery on a rolling basis.
• Waitlist ticket decisions will be posted on MyUCLA. If your waitlist ticket request has been granted, the status will be updated on MyUCLA.  Before going to CTO, please check the status of your request on the designated waitlist ticket pick-up start date.

“Day of Event” Timeline

1:30 p.m. Graduates check-in on Royce Quad.  If graduates have any extra unused guest tickets, please turn them in at the Royce Hall will-call window.

  Graduate and faculty reception on the West Terrace of Royce Hall.

  Light appetizers and beverages will be served at the reception. Due to space restrictions, family members and friends may not accompany the graduates to the graduate/faculty      reception in Royce Hall.

2:00 p.m. Doors open in the auditorium for guest seating. 

2:40 p.m. Processional line-up begins. The official party will lead followed by the faculty and graduate processionals

3:00 p.m. Hooding ceremony begins. The anticipated duration is 2 hours.

5:00 p.m. Post-ceremony gathering outside on Royce Quad.
(approx.)

Reader & Display Cards

A pink or yellow reader card will be provided to you when you check in at the ceremony. It will not only serve as your admission to the ceremony, but it will also be used to announce your name as you come forward to be hooded. Should you have a difficult name to pronounce, please print the phonetic pronunciation of your name where indicated.

You will also receive a card with a QR code printed on it.  This will be used to project your name on a screen on the stage while you are being hooded.

Regalia

Graduates are responsible for renting OR purchasing their own cap, gown and hood for the ceremony. Ordering can be completed through Graduation, Et Cetera. Questions should be directed to Graduation, Et Cetera (A-Level of Ackerman Union, 310- 825-2587).

• The rental regalia is a standard black gown, flat cap, and blue hood.
• TIME SENSITIVE NOTE:  For those graduates who wish to order fine regalia that is specific to UCLA (blue gown, tam and tassel that is custom sized), regalia must be purchased no later than mid-April, as delivery takes approximately 8 weeks.  Any questions?  Contact Graduation, Et Cetera.

If you are receiving your PhD degree, you should purchase/rent a Royal Blue hood.  However, professional doctoral degree recipients should request the appropriate hood color representing their fields of learning:

Environmental Science & Engineering – Golden Yellow
Education – Light Blue
Music – Pink
Public Health – Salmon Pink

NOTE: Graduation, Etc. is the official Jostens vendor for the purchase and rental of regalia. Thus, they are licensed to reproduce the official UC colors and brand their gowns as University of California. There are other regalia vendors with whom you wish to do business. However, please note that we have no corporate responsibility information from their factories to determine where their materials are being resourced, or how/where they are being produced.

Tips for preparing your gown for your big day:

• Remove the gown from the packaging and place on a hanger to allow the folds to fall out, and hang your gown in a high humidity area. Otherwise, it will be very wrinkled.
• If you wish to press your gown, turn it inside out and press with a warm, not hot iron. Steaming is also an option.
• Because it has a tendency to get very warm in the auditorium, please wear lightweight clothing underneath your regalia.

Following the event, you may return your rented regalia to the collection tables outside Royce Hall. Caps, gowns and hoods may be kept and turned in later if you are participating in a separate ceremony during commencement weekend.

Ceremony Photographs

Graduates will be photographed by GradImages as they are being hooded during the ceremony. Graduates may purchase prints following the event and will be contacted directly by GradImages.

Graduation Announcements

Visit Graduation, Et Cetera to purchase graduation announcements.

Graduation Portraits

Formal or candid portraits can be scheduled at the Campus Photo Studio on the A-level of Ackerman Union. Sittings may be arranged in person or by calling 310-206-8433. Academic attire will be furnished without charge for use in the Campus Photo Studio. Portrait prices vary according to individual needs.

Ceremony Details

• • Graduates:– Please leave valuables, purses, and backpacks with family members/guests, as there is no place to store or secure them during the procession and ceremony.
• The Processional: Candidates will be led into the auditorium by two pre-selected student marshals. Professional graduates (Ed.D., D. Env., D.M.A. and Dr. PH) should line up at the end of the procession so the last reader can correctly identify their degrees. Faculty participants will be seated on stage behind the official party.
• Hooding: At the appropriate time, graduates will be directed by event staff to stand by row and proceed to the left side of the stage. You will hand your pink/yellow and QR code cards to an event staff person at the top of the stairs. You will be cued when to proceed across the stage to be hooded.
• Due to the high number of graduates and time constraints, only pre-designated platform party hooding marshals will hood the candidates rather than individual dissertation committee members. Chairs, co-chairs and members of a dissertation committee will be invited to stand when their respective candidate(s) cross(es) the stage to be hooded.
• After being hooded you will pose for a photo with the Vice Provost/Dean and shake hands with the Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor. A photographer will stop you as you leave the stage to take an official photograph before you return to your original seat.
• You will not receive your diploma at the ceremony.
• Recessional: The official platform party that is seated on stage will file out of the auditorium first, followed by the faculty, and then by the graduates who will be led by the two student marshals.

How to Wear Your Cap and Carry Your Hood

Instructions on How to Wear Your Cap and Carry Your Hood.

Parking

Parking Structure 2 & 4 are the designated lots for graduates and guests attending the ceremony (space permitting). UCLA Parking Services attendants will staff both lots. There will be limited availability at Parking Structure 5 for disabled parking.

Parking permits are $12 (The rate for guests parking with a disabled parking placard is $5).

UCLA Parking Information