May 2024 ACES Convocation

Sunday, May 12, 2024 | 5:30 P.M.
State Farm Center

  • You must register by April 9 to have your name called and listed in the online program at the ACES ceremony.
  • Registration form will be sent via email by March 1, 2024 to all students that are on the pending degree list.
  • Tickets are not required for this event. 
  • Graduates should arrive by 4:45 P.M. to line up. The ceremony will begin promptly at 5:30 P.M. 
  • The ceremony will end by 7:30 P.M. at the latest. 
  • The event is subject to change as the semester progresses. 

If you have questions, please email us at ACESGraduation@illinois.edu

The University of Illinois hosts a university-wide Commencement ceremony each spring.

Regalia

Academic rental attire is ordered online on the Herff Jones website. Regalia will be shipped to the address you provide in the U.S. 

Student Pricing
Early Order Discount by April 9:
    Bachelor $56
    Master $64
    Doctor $84

Regular Pricing by April 25:
    Bachelor $76
    Master $84
    Doctor $104

Rental fees are paid in full when you order online with Herff Jones. Regalia may be returned via the prepaid shipping label. Students and faculty who are participating in multiple ceremonies should keep their regalia to wear in all ceremonies they are participating in throughout the Convocation season. More information on Regalia can be found on the University Commencement website.

Additional Information

Bachelor's:

May students on the pending degree list will automatically be invited to participate in the May ACES ceremony. August degree candidates may petition to participate in the May ceremony. 

Master's: 

Recipients of master's degrees must have deposited their dissertations in the Graduate College Thesis Office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2024. August degree candidates may petition to participate in the May ceremony. 

Doctoral:

Doctoral candidates can only participate in the ceremony if they deposit their dissertations in the Graduate College Thesis Office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 26, 2024. Recipients of doctoral degrees must have deposited their dissertation in order to participate in the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony and unit Convocation ceremonies. If you are not officially graduating this semester, you are unable to participate in the ceremony. 

 

Checklist

As you start your last semester of coursework, use this checklist to make sure you are ready to graduate. 

  1. Place yourself on the 'Pending Degree List' in your Illinois Self-Service Account
    • In the main menu, select “Graduation”
    • Next, select “Apply to Graduate”
    • Check the appropriate term
    • Submit
    • Note that a "Pending Graduation' registration hold is placed on all graduating students. This hold will not prevent you from receiving transcripts or earning your diploma.
  2. Check your degree audit.
    • At the top of the audit, it should say "ALL REQUIREMENTS COMPLETE USING IN PROGRESS COURSES"
      If it does not, you need to meet with your advisor.
    • If you already put yourself on the 'Pending Degree List', your degree audit will say, "Attention, this student is on the spring/fall/summer degree list". If it doesn't, you can have your name added to the degree list by emailing ACES-Academics@illinois.edu

Diplomas arrive in the mail typically within 9 weeks after graduation. If you need a transcript documenting the completion of your degree before that, you may order it from the Office of the Registrar and ask that it be held until the degree is posted. More information on how to change your name on the diploma and where your diploma will be mailed is available on the Office of the Registrar's website.

Recording of May 2022 Graduation 
Recording of December 2022 Graduation  December 2022 Convocation Program
Recording of May 2023 Graduation    May 2023 Convocation Program 
Recording of December 2023 Graduation  December 2023 Convocation Program 

Title
Commencement Ceremonies

Body

The University of Illinois hosts a university-wide Commencement ceremony each spring.

We host a Convocation ceremony during May Commencement Weekend, as well as each December.

There is also a campus wide Doctoral Hooding ceremony during the May Commencement Weekend, as well as the first weekend of finals in December.

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