Two men and a woman at the Master's Hooding Ceremony pose for a picture
Two people drape a hood over a male graduate's head at the Master's Hooding Ceremony
Two people drape a hood over a male graduate's head at the Master's Hooding Ceremony
A wide shot of the stage at the Master's Hooding Ceremony with one person walking toward three other people on stage
A man shakes a graduate's hand at the Master's Hooding Ceremony

Congratulations to All August and December 2022 Graduates!

The Fall 2022 Master's Hooding Ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in the Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium.

An invitation will be sent to your NEIU email address from the College of Graduate Studies and Research by Oct. 18, 2022, with an RSVP link. The RSVP deadline is noon on Nov. 18, 2022, but we ask that you RSVP as soon as you receive the invitation. It will help us with our planning for this event.

If you are planning to attend the Hooding Ceremony and Commencement, you must RSVP for both events.

REGALIA INFORMATION

  • All graduates participating in the Master's Hooding Ceremony MUST attend in the appropriate regalia.
  •  The deadline to order caps and gowns online via the Jostens website is Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Any orders placed online before the deadline will be mailed directly to your home address. 
  • If you still need to purchase a cap and gown after Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, please visit the Student Union Office (Room SU 207). Due to a limited supply, not all sizes or hood colors are guaranteed in stock.
  • There will be no caps and gowns available for purchase after Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, so do not wait until the last minute.

GUEST TICKETS

  • No guests will be allowed in the Auditorium unless they have a ticket. 
  • Due to limited seating, graduating students participating in the Hooding Ceremony may request up to 2 (two) guest tickets each. Guest tickets will be offered until seating capacity is reached on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Graduates will have the opportunity to place their name on a waiting list to receive additional tickets should there be any remaining tickets available. 
  • Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, tickets for your guests may be picked up between 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday from the College of Graduate Studies and Research Office located in Room LWH 0041. Guest tickets will also be available for pick-up at the Commencement Resource Fair in Alumni Hall from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, and from 3-7 p.m.Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.

The deadline to pick up your guest tickets is Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. After this deadline, if we have not reached seating capacity, we will distribute remaining tickets to our wait list and cannot guarantee the availability of your guest tickets if they have not been picked up. If you are unable to pick up your tickets, please call (773) 442-6011 or email us at graduatestudies@neiu.edu to make other arrangements.

THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY

  • Arrive at the Auditorium no later than 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.
  • Complimentary parking is available on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Parking Facility, which is marked as Building 16 on the NEIU Campus Map.
  • Wear your gown and cap and bring your hood. 
  • Leave personal belongings in your vehicle or with your guests; the University is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
  • Go to the check-in table located outside of the Auditorium to obtain your reader card which will feature your name and program. It will be used to announce your name as you walk across the stage. 
  • An usher will be available to escort you and your guests to the appropriate seating area. Your guest(s) will not sit with you during the ceremony.
  • Once the ceremony begins, an usher will guide your program on stage.
  • Due to the formality of this event, please tell your guests that if young children are unable to sit quietly during the ceremony, they are encouraged to step outside into the hallway out of courtesy to your fellow graduates.
  • No balloons will be allowed inside the Auditorium.

Your participation in the ceremony 

Check this website and your NEIU email for more details.

  • You will be seated with your program.
  • Ushers will indicate when to go on stage.
  • Take your reader card with you to the stage.
  • Hand your reader card to the reader on stage.
  • Walk to the center of the stage. You will be congratulated and hooded by your College’s Dean and the Graduate Dean. Our photographer will take a photo of this celebratory moment.
  • Continue to the other side of the stage for a photo with the NEIU’s president.
  • Quietly return to your seat; an usher will be available to assist you.
  • Out of courtesy to your fellow graduates, please stay in the Auditorium for the entire program.
  • After the conclusion of the ceremony, the graduates will march out of the Auditorium (row-by-row, at the direction of an usher); guests will exit the Auditorium after all the graduates have processed out.

SOCIAL MEDIA

We encourage graduates, friends, and family to use the hashtag #NEIUgrad on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don't forget to follow NEIU on Facebook and Instagram (@neiulife) and Twitter (@neiu)!

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Contact the College of Graduate Studies and Research at (773) 442-6011 or graduatestudies@neiu.edu.