Graduate Division

Promoting Graduate Education

UCR Pipe Band

Commencement 2026

PhD and MFA Hooding Ceremony

The 2026 PhD and MFA hooding ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in the Student Recreation Center, main gymnasium.  Time TBA.
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 in mid-April 2026.

Commencement Checklist for Advanced Degree Candidates 

https://commencement.ucr.edu/advancedchecklist

PhD Graduates and Candidates

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

  • Confirm your Research Advisor's attendance at the ceremony and ask them to confirm their attendance with the Commencement Office by mid-April 2026.

    All PhD and MFA Candidates will be hooded by their research advisor on stage at the Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in the UCR Student Recreation Center, main gymnasium (time TBA).  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).

  • If the Graduate Division has determined that you are eligible to participate in commencement, you will receive an email from the Commencement Office starting mid-April 2026.  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 mid-April 2026, 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

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

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

  • 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 mid-April 2026.

    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 6, 2026 in the UCR Student Recreation Center, main gymnasium (time TBA).  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).

  • 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 mid-April, 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. 

    1. If you have completed Step 1 and still have not received an email (and it is mid-April 2026 or LATER), please email GAA@ucr.edu.

Additional Information


Ordering Regalia

UCR's regalia colors have changed.  Please click on the links below to view the appropriate colors for the UCR commencement ceremonies.

Doctoral Regalia Purchase

Doctoral souvenir regalia can be purchased at Grad Fair* 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* 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.


Grad Fair

Grad Fair is your one-stop Commencement shop for everything Commencement! Grad Fair will be held in-person in mid-April 2026 at the UCR Campus Bookstore.

Grad Fair Hours: 

mid-April 2026 - TBA


Watkins Commencement Award 

Congratulations to Neeha Gajula (MS, Computer Science), the Dr. Gordon and Anna Watkins Award winner 2025!

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 mid-April 2026. 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 in early March 2026 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 2025
1.  Send an email to GAA@ucr.edu by April 3, 2026 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 mid-April 2026.

Fall 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 mid-April 2026.

Winter 2026
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 mid-April 2026.

Spring 2026
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 3, 2026 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 mid-April 2026.

Summer 2026
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 3, 2026 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 mid-April 2026.

Fall 2026 and later
Students graduating in Fall 2026 and beyond are NOT eligible to participate in the June 2026 ceremony.  Please plan to join us for a future ceremony.