Doctoral Hooding Ceremony
Join us in recognizing your academic excellence and celebrate this significant milestone with your family, peers and mentors.
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Doctoral Hooding Ceremony
Congratulations, Graduates! Get ready to celebrate your remarkable achievement at the upcoming Doctoral Hooding Ceremony which marks the culmination of your hard work, dedication and scholarly success. This is your moment to shine as you don your academic regalia and are honored for reaching this extraordinary milestone. We can't wait to honor you and your achievements - let’s make this a day you’ll cherish forever!
The Fall 2026 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will be held in the Student Activities Center (SAC) Ballroom on Friday December 11th at 2pm. To RSVP to this event, please complete this form no later than Friday, December 4th.
Ceremony Photos & Booklets
Graduates and their dissertation titles can be found in the Doctoral Hooding and Graduation Ceremony Booklet, along with the Commencement Award winners and their biographies. Photos from previous Doctoral Hooding and Graduation Ceremonies can be found on the University of Louisville's Flickr page.
Commencement vs. Doctoral Hooding
While the Commencement and Doctoral Hooding Ceremonies are very similar, there are some important differences you should be aware of.
Differences:
- Commencement celebrates Undergraduate and Master’s students and takes place at the KFC Yum! Center.
- Doctoral Hooding celebrates students who have completed their MFA or Doctorate. The fall ceremony takes place in the Swain Student Activities Center (Ballroom) and the spring ceremony takes place at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena in the Student Activities Center.
Similarities:
- Both occur biannually, once in the fall and once in the spring.
- Both include students from the Graduate School who have successfully completed their programs.
- The fall ceremonies celebrate students who completed their program requirements during the preceding summer or the current fall term.
- The spring ceremonies celebrate students who completed their program during the current spring term.
Preparing for the Ceremony
Graduates who attend the ceremony are required to wear the custom University of Louisville academic regalia, Order Here. UofL stoles and other items may also be ordered.
When submitting your cap and gown order, you will select “Doctorate Tam (One Size), Gown, Hood, Tassel with School Custom Charm.” All orders will ship to the address indicated on your order as soon as it is produced. Purchasing all items in one transaction is advised to avoid multiple shipping fees.
The deadline to order your regalia in time for the Hooding Ceremony is October 29th.
To learn more about the hooding process as well as how to best wear your academic regalia, please watch this video on How to Prepare for the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony.
If you or your guests need special accommodation, please provide that information via the RSVP form so we can make the appropriate adjustments and considerations.
If you or a loved one are unable to attend the ceremony, you can livestream the event via the University of Louisville's YouTube channel.
Parking is available in the Main Parking Garage (Floyd Street Parking Garage, which is located at 2126 S. Floyd Street). This garage can be, accessed off Floyd St. at the traffic light, across from the park. There will be a sign that states “Event Parking” and a parking attendant will accept Credit/Debit Cards and Mobile Payment Options from 12:30 pm to 2:15 pm. The cost to park will be $5.00. Handicap parking is available on the third floor and a state issued handicap permit must be used.
To see an example of the ceremony procession, please watch this video of a previous Doctoral Hooding Ceremony Procession.
Faculty RSVP and Regalia
We are extending an open invitation to all faculty who would like to attend. While participation in commencement is voluntary, RSVP is required to attend. The RSVP will include all ceremonies and details for each event: Commencement (for Bachelor, Master, and Certificate recipients), the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, as well as all the professional schools’ convocations. If you plan to attend, you must submit to the Faculty RSVP form.
Information will come from the Commencement office regarding rental regalia if needed. Please mark each ceremony you plan to attend. All university-wide faculty orders will ship to the commencement staff and will be available for pick-up at a later date and faculty will receive an email with information regarding pickup. Regalia should be returned at the faculty return station immediately following the Commencement Ceremony and Doctoral Hooding. Professional schools' regalia will be delivered to your respective schools and pickup information will follow.
For more information, contact Courtney Kerr at clkerr01@louisville.edu or (502) 852-6497.