Commencement & TGS Hooding Ceremony
Please see below for important dates and information regarding the 2025 Commencement and the TGS hooding ceremony. We will continue to update this webpage as details become available.
2025 University Commencement
Commencement is open to all Northwestern graduates. It is a University-wide ceremony where graduates are commemorated as a whole. During the ceremony, students, faculty, and guest speakers address graduates and their families.
The 2025 Commencement ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 10:30 AM at United Center (1901 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60612). Please refer to the University Graduation website for details.
In addition to the University Commencement ceremony, each Northwestern school and The Family Institute host a ceremony or ceremonies for graduates.
Students who wish to participate in the University Commencement, a school ceremony, or both should pay careful attention to all deadline announcements as they are made closer to the ceremonies. Please direct any questions regarding Commencement to the Office of Graduation and Senior Year Experiences (GSYE).
TGS PhD and MFA Hooding Ceremony
The Graduate School hosted an in-person PhD and MFA hooding ceremony on Friday, June 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM in Ryan Fieldhouse (2333 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208) on the north end of the Evanston campus to the east of Lincoln Street and Sheridan Road. (Please note that this is the indoor practice football field—not the Ryan Field football stadium on Central Street). The ceremony will also be available to view via livestream.
This annual ceremony formally recognizes participating PhD and MFA graduates of TGS programs that are in partnership with the following schools:
- The Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
- The Kellogg School of Management
- The School of Communication
- The Feinberg School of Medicine
- The Graduate School Interdisciplinary Programs
2024–25 PhD and MFA graduates—Summer (September) 2024 through Spring (June) 2025—will be invited to attend this year's hooding ceremony.
In order to participate in the 2025 PhD and MFA Hooding Ceremony, your PhD or MFA must be conferred in September 2024, December 2024, March 2025, or June 2025.
Please note that Summer (September) 2025 graduates are not eligible to participate in this year’s hooding ceremony. If you will graduate in September 2025, you will be invited to participate in the 2025–26 PhD and MFA Hooding Ceremony, which will be held in June 2026.
Partner School PhD Ceremonies
PhD students who graduate from TGS programs that are in partnership with the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP), the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music are invited to participate in the respective partner school's ceremony instead of The Graduate School's ceremony.
Please contact your school representative below for additional details about convocation ceremonies for these partner schools:
- Bienen School of Music: Linda Jacobs – linda.jacobs@northwestern.edu
- McCormick School of Engineering: northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu
- School of Education and Social Policy: sespconvocation@northwestern.edu
Partner School MA, MS, and MPH Ceremonies
TGS Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), and Master of Public Health (MPH) graduates should check with their departments or school convocation contact regarding eligibility and participation in any partner school ceremonies.
The Family Institute Ceremonies
Graduates from the Master of Arts in Counseling and Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy should email Kristen Catuara, Assistant Director for Administration at The Family Institute, at k-catuara@northwestern.edu with any questions about their ceremony.
Last Updated: November 5, 2024