ACES | Graduation | Illinois

December 2026 ACES Convocation

Friday, December 18, 2026 | 5:00 P.M.

Krannert Center for Performing Arts Great Hall

Registration form will be sent via email to students on the pending degree list by October 1st, 2026.
December graduates have the option to participate in the December ceremony or the following May ceremony. If you would prefer to participate in the May Convocation ceremony instead, please indicate this on your RSVP.
Tickets are required for the event - students are not limited on the number of tickets they can have for the ceremony.

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

ACES Graduation Information

Graduation Preparation Checklist

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

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.
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 have 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 typically arrive in the mail within 9 weeks of 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 through the Office of the Registrar.

Regalia Information

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

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 participating in multiple ceremonies should keep their regalia to wear in all ceremonies throughout the Convocation season. More information on Regalia can be found on the University Commencement website.

Eligibility Information

August degree candidates may petition to participate in the May ceremony.

Bachelor’s Degree Candidates

Bachelor’s degree candidates with 13 or fewer hours remaining who expect to complete their degree requirements in August may participate in Commencement the May prior; however, their names will not appear in the Universitywide Commencement Program until the following May. (I.e. if a student completes their degree requirements in August 2027, they can participate in the May 2027 ceremony, however their name will not appear on the Universitywide Commencement Program until May 2028)

Bachelor’s candidates who have not yet indicated their intention to graduate should contact their college office immediately at ACES-academics@illinois.edu.

Master’s Degree Candidates

Master’s degree candidates with eight or fewer hours remaining who expect to complete their degree requirements in August may participate in May Commencement; however, their names will not appear in the Universitywide Commencement Program until the following May. (I.e. if a student completes their degree requirements in August 2027, they can participate in the May 2027 ceremony, however their name will not appear on the Universitywide Commencement Program until May 2028)

Master’s candidates who have not yet indicated their intention to graduate should contact the Graduate College.

Doctoral Candidates

Recipients of doctoral degrees must have deposited their dissertations in the Graduate College Thesis Office by 5 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in order to participate in the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony and unit Convocation ceremonies in December. The Graduate College has firm deadlines that students must follow.

Doctoral candidates who have not yet indicated their intention to graduate should contact the Graduate College.

Photography Information

Photos are captured by Memory Lane Photography.

You can view your, or your student's, photos on their website from the May 2026 ACES Convocation ceremony.

Students and guests are encouraged to pre-register to ensure you can gain access to photos from the event. Details on how to pre-register will be available later in the semester.

Future Convocation Ceremonies: May 2027

May 2027 ACES Convocation

Saturday, May 15, 2027 | 1:00 P.M.
State Farm Center

Registration form will be sent via email by March 1, 2027 to all students that are on the pending degree list.
Tickets are not required for this event.
The ceremony will begin promptly at 1:00 P.M.
The ceremony will end by 3:00 P.M. at the latest.
The event is subject to change as the semester progresses.

Additional details on the May 2027 ceremony will be available later this fall.

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