PhD and MFA Hooding Ceremony

The PhD and MFA hooding ceremony will be held at 9am on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at the Student Recreation Center North in the main gymnasium.
Please visit Graduation Quarter Eligibility Requirements at the bottom of this page for details about who is able to participate.

College Ceremonies

www.commencement.ucr.edu
Master's students who wish to participate in the college ceremonies must submit the Intent to Participate via a custom link.   The link to the Intent to Participate will be sent out to students with a valid graduation application on April 14, 2025.

Commencement Checklist for Advanced Degree Candidates 

https://commencement.ucr.edu/advancedchecklist

PhD Graduates and Candidates

• Step 1: Apply to Graduate

  Submit the Online Graduation Application via R'Web - see the chart of deadlines.

• Step 2: Confirm Your Research Advisor's Attendance

  Confirm your Research Advisor's attendance at the ceremony and ask them to confirm their attendance with the Commencement Office by April 23, 2025.

  All PhD and MFA Candidates will be hooded by their research advisor on stage at the Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony.  If your advisor is not able to attend the ceremony, it is your responsibility to find someone else to hood you and report that information on your commencement RSVP (step 3).

• Step 3: Confirm Your Participation and Order Your Tickets

  If the Graduate Division has determined that you are eligible to participate in commencement, you will receive an email from the Commencement Office starting April 14, 2025.  Follow the link in the email to confirm your participation.  

  If you believe you are eligible but have not received an email from the Commencement Office by April 14, 2025, complete the following steps:

  1. Check your student profile in R'Web to verify that you have completed a graduation application.  If you have not, please do so right away.  Once you complete the graduation application, you should receive an email from the Commencement Office within 2 business days.
  2. If you have completed Step 1 and still have not received an email, please email GAA@ucr.edu.

Master's Graduates and Candidates

• Step 1: Submit the Application for Candidacy

  Submit the Application for Candidacy for the Master's Degree via R'Grad.  See the chart of deadlines.

• Step 2: Apply to Graduate

  Submit the Online Graduation Application via R'Web.  See the chart of deadlines.

• Step 3: MFA Candidates ONLY - Confirm Your Research Advisor's Attendance

  MFA students must confirm their Research Advisor's attendance at the ceremony and ask the advisor to confirm their attendance with the Commencement Office by April 23, 2025.

  All PhD and MFA Candidates will have the opportunity to be hooded by their research advisor on stage at the Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony on Saturday, June 7, 2025.  If your advisor is not able to attend the ceremony, it is your responsibility to find someone else to hood you and report that information on your commencement RSVP (step 4).

• Step 4: Confirm Your Participation and Order Your Tickets

  If the Graduate Division has determined that you are eligible to participate in commencement, you will receive an email from the Commencement Office by mid-April 2025. Follow the link in the email to confirm your participation. 

  If you believe you are eligible but have not received an email from the Commencement Office by April 14, 2025, please complete the following steps: 

  1. Check your Student Profile in R’Web to verify that you have completed a graduation application. If you have not, please do so right away. Once you complete the graduation application, you should receive an email from the Commencement Office within 2 business days. 

  2. If you have completed Step 1 and still have not received an email (and it is April 14, 2025 or LATER), please email GAA@ucr.edu.

Additional Information

Ordering Regalia

Doctoral Regalia Purchase

Doctoral souvenir regalia can be purchased at Grad Fair*, April 15-17, 2025 at the UCR Bookstore or by using this link: https://ucr.bncollege.com/Regalia/c/ac-graduation-regalia

Regalia packages will also continue to be available for purchase after Grad Fair at the UCR Campus Bookstore through Commencement weekend.

Master's Degree Regalia Purchase

Master's regalia may be purchased at Grad Fair*, April 15-17, 2025 at the UCR Bookstore or by using this link: https://ucr.bncollege.com/Regalia/c/ac-graduation-regalia

Regalia packages will continue to be available for purchase after Grad Fair at the UCR Campus Bookstore through Commencement weekend.

*If you choose to order your regalia elsewhere, please be sure to choose the UC blue and gold for your master's or PhD hood as colors may vary and you want to be sure to represent the degree granting institution.

Grad Fair

Grad Fair is your one-stop Commencement shop for everything Commencement! Grad Fair will be held in-person from April 15-17, 2025 at the UCR Bookstore.

Grad Fair Hours: 

Tuesday, April 15, 2025: 10am - 5pm, UCR Bookstore
Wednesday, April 16, 2025: 10am - 6pm, UCR Bookstore
Thursday, April 17, 2025: 10am - 5pm, UCR Bookstore

Watkins Commencement Award 

Congratulations to Neeha Gajula (MS, Computer Science), the Dr. Gordon and Anna Watkins Award winner 2024!

The Watkins award was established in 1956 by the student body to honor UCR’s First Provost and his wife. It is presented to a graduating master’s degree or PhD student for outstanding campus and/or community service. A cumulative GPA of 3.5 is required at the time of application. A lifetime membership in the UCR Alumni Association and a $500 gift will be presented.  

The Watkins Commencement Award Application should be submitted by April 1st.  Self-nominations are acceptable. 

Previous winners are Zariah R. Tolman (PhD, Psychology, Developmental Psychology), Valeria Dominguez (PhD, Education, Higher Education Administration & Policy), Roxana Coreas (PhD, Environmental Toxicology), Ryan Moruzzi, Jr. (PhD, Mathematics), Nicolette Rohr (PhD, History), Marcela Ramirez (PhD, Education), Jessica Tsai Wen (PhD, Bioengineering), Tanya Rawal (MA,  Comparative Literature), Thanh Dinh (PhD, Plant Biology), and Blake Coffin (MBA, Management).

International Students

You are your best advocate! International students who would like to invite guests to attend commencement from overseas should use this template to write the invitation letter for your guests to include in their visa application.

Faculty Participants

Please register to attend Commencement and order rental regalia for the Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony through April 23, 2025. If you are unable to attend, please ensure that an appropriate designee will be present to hood your student(s).  Registration for faculty will open on March 10, 2025 at this link: https://commencement.ucr.edu/faculty

For a quick hooding demonstration, click HERE.

Graduation Quarter Eligibility Requirements

If you graduated or will graduate in...

Summer 2024
1.  Send an email to GAA@ucr.edu by April 7, 2025 in order to be included on the eligibility list.
2.  Follow step 3 (PhD) or 4 (Master's) at the top of this page.  Eligible students will be sent an email with a customized link with RSVP information starting April 14, 2025.

Fall 2024
Students who have not previously participated in commencement for their earned degree will be sent an email with a customized link with RSVP information starting April 14, 2025.

Winter 2025
Students who have not previously participated in commencement for their earned degree will be sent an email with a customized link with RSVP information starting April 14, 2025.

Spring 2025
Follow the steps at the top of this page (under either PhD Graduates and Candidates or Master's Graduates and Candidates).  Apply for graduation by April 7, 2025 to be eligible for commencement consideration.  Other requirements also apply - you must meet the GPA requirement for graduation (3.0 and above for graduate students) and be advanced to candidacy for the degree.  Eligible students will be sent an email with a customized link with RSVP information starting April 14, 2025.

Summer 2025
Follow the steps at the top of this page (under either PhD Graduates and Candidates or Master's Graduates and Candidates).  Apply for graduation by April 7, 2025 to be eligible for commencement consideration.  Other requirements also apply - you must meet the GPA requirement for graduation (3.0 and above for graduate students) and be advanced to candidacy for the degree.   Eligible students will be sent an email with a customized link with RSVP information starting April 14, 2025.

Fall 2025 and later
Students graduating in Fall 2025 and beyond are NOT eligible to participate in the June 2025 ceremony.  Please plan to join us for a future ceremony.