Tickets are not required for guests for the Spring Gies Convocation ceremonies. The State Farm Center has a large capacity that will accommodate as many guests as you would like to bring. Seating is first come, first served. Additional information for the venue, including parking, will be in the final confirmation email that you will receive in early May.  

The convocation ceremony will be livestreamed, for any guests unable to attend the ceremony in person to view. Link will be provided closer to date.

Please note: Online participation or remote recognition during the ceremony is unavailable.

Each graduate will have their picture taken as they receive their diploma. Graduates will receive information on ordering proofs, directly from GradImages®, following the ceremony.

August and December 2025 Graduates are eligible to participate in the December 2025 Gies Convocation Ceremony. August and December 2025 and May 2026 Graduates are eligible to participate in the May 2026 Gies Convocation Ceremonies.

If you have academic-related eligibility questions, undergraduate candidates should contact the Office of Undergraduate Affairs at undergrads@business.illinois.edu or 217-333-2740. 

Master’s, MBA, and PhD candidates should contact their respective degree program office with questions.  

During the Gies Convocation Ceremony, you will have the opportunity to have your individual name read along with the rest of the Gies graduates and you will walk the stage and receive your diploma cover.

During Commencement, all graduates from across the University are eligible to participate. Your degree program will be announced, and you will stand with the rest of your fellow graduates. Individual recognition does not occur at this ceremony. You are not required to attend the Commencement Ceremony to participate in the Gies Convocation.

If you intend on participating in either or both, please note there are separate registration processes for each. You will need to register for each ceremony separately.  

No, applying for graduation does not automatically register you for either Gies Convocation or Universitywide Commencement. There are separate registration processes for each.

For information regarding applying for graduation, please contact your academic advisor.

Visit the Universitywide Commencement Ceremony website for information on Commencement and how to register.

After you have registered to participate in the Gies Convocation Ceremony, you will receive an initial confirmation email confirming your registration. A final confirmation email will follow in early May that will include, arrival time, line up and name card instructions, ceremony details, as well as additional information on regalia, photography and parking. This email will be sent to the email address you use to register for the event. Registration for the May Convocation Ceremonies will launch in early Spring 2026.

Graduates: If you will need accessibility-related accommodations in order to participate, please indicate when registering for the ceremony.

Guests: If one of your guests will need accessibility-related accommodations, please contact our office at Gies-Convocation@illinois.edu.

Learn more about accessibility at the State Farm Center.

All graduates participating in the Gies Convocation Ceremony will have their names read as they cross the stage. Everyone receives a diploma cover (only). Because it is not possible to process final grades and prepare degree lists by Convocation weekend, diplomas will be mailed approximately 9 weeks after your conferral date.

Here are additional details on your diploma.

Each graduate will cross the stage one time during the Gies Convocation Ceremony and have their name read in the department/degree area they used during the convocation ceremony registration.

Upon the conclusion of the in-person ceremony (AFTER the platform party has recessed out of the room), the graduate may approach the stage area and request a 2nd diploma cover from a Gies volunteer. Alternatively, graduates may order diploma covers from the Illini Union Bookstore.