UW Law School Hooding & Commencement Information

End of the Year Open House Celebration

Thursday, May 12, 2016, 4-6 p.m
Atrium, UW Law School

Join Dean Margaret Raymond, along with the faculty, staff and your fellow law students, to celebrate our 2016 graduates! The Open House is a wonderful opportunity to connect with a favorite professor, pick up your Pro Bono graduation cord and celebrate with friends and family. Please contact Emilie Buckman with questions regarding the Open House. To attend, please RSVP.

Law School Hooding Ceremony

Friday, May 13, 2016, 1 p.m.
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
Exhibition Hall
One John Nolen Drive
Madison, WI 53703

The annual hooding celebration is a special recognition ceremony for students receiving law degrees. It is similar to a graduation ceremony in that faculty and students are dressed in academic regalia. Faculty members place the J.D. doctoral hood over the head of the graduate to signify his or her success in completing their law degree. In addition to the keynote speaker, a faculty member, two J.D. graduates and one graduate law student (all chosen by the graduating class) will speak. The Law School ceremony is in addition to, and does not replace, the UW Commencement held at Camp Randall.

Those who reserved academic attire should pick it up at the University Book Store May 11 or 12. Beginning at 2 p.m. on May 11, unreserved attire will be available at the Book Store on a first-come, first-served basis. Supplies are limited. Consult the University Book Store’s Cap and Gown Timeline for details.

Tickets are not required for graduates or their guests, nor is there a guest limit. A live stream of the ceremony will also be provided for online viewing. 



Arrive early! Limited parking is available at Monona Terrace at a cost.


Graduates should report to Ballroom A at the Monona Terrace by 12:30 p.m. to receive hooding instructions and line up for the processional. Guests should find seating in the Exhibit Hall for the ceremony. 
After proceeding to the Exhibit Hall, graduates will be seated in a designated area.

Following the dean’s welcome, the keynote, and faculty and student speeches, graduates will be called to the stage to be hooded. Prior to their hooding, graduates should fill out the pronunciation cards found on their chairs and hand them to a designated staff person at the stage. After each graduate’s name is read, he or she will proceed across the stage to be hooded by a member of the faculty. 



Empire Photography will photograph graduates as they shake Dean Raymond’s hand. Empire will contact students after graduation with information about purchasing their photos. Guests may take additional photos of their graduates from a designated photo area. An usher will direct graduates back to their seats.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates and their guests should remain seated until the dean and faculty exit the stage. Graduates, and then their guests, will follow faculty out of the Exhibit Hall. 


A reception with light refreshments and a cash bar will be held on the Monona Terrace rooftop immediately follow the ceremony. In case of rain, the reception will be held indoors.

UW Commencement Ceremony

Saturday, May 14, 2016, noon
Camp Randall Stadium
1440 Monroe Street
Madison, WI 53711

The commencement ceremony at Camp Randall is for law, master's and bachelor's degree candidates. Law School graduates may participate in either or both of these annual ceremonies. Additional information on the Camp Randall Commencement Ceremony can be found here.

Cap and Gown Rental

Information on renting your cap and gown can be found on the UW Bookstore website.

Exit/Graduation Photographs

Graduates can have their exit or graduation photos taken by a professional photographer at the Law School. Each student may select a photo for use in our alumni photo collection located on the second floor of the Law Library. Students may order copies for a nominal price. 

Students are not required to use the Law School photographer to have their photograph included with the graduation pictures in our alumni photo collection. Alternatively, they may send a high-resolution digital copy of their photograph (using their name as the file name) by the end of the day July 1, 2016.

Please send your digital photographs or any questions you have about the exit photos to Kimberly Raether.