Spring Graduation

Academic Attire is required for UW Commencement and the School of Nursing BSN Graduation Celebration. To ensure your academic regalia is reflective of your degree, please place your order through the University Book Store.

Feb 3 – April 3, 2026 – Receive the early Badger pricing of $15 off academic attire rental (online)
May 5, 2026 – Deadline to rent academic attire online
May 10, 2026 – Deadline to rent academic attire in person (711 State Street store)
May 13, 2026 – Deadline to return rented attire

Review the University Book Store’s May 2026 Timeline for additional instructions and deadlines.

Rent vs. Purchase

Gowns and hoods can be rented or purchased; the majority of graduates choose to rent. Bachelor’s gowns and hoods are rented separately. A keeper cap and tassel comes with the gown rental (i.e., do not return cap or tassel). Stoles and most cords must be purchased.

Cap and gown packages for bachelor students can be found on the University Book Store website. Students can choose any package that starts with ‘Bachelor Degree Cap and Gown Rental .’ After selecting your preferred rental package, click ‘ADD TO CART.’ In the pop-up menu, select “School of Nursing-Apricot” under School/College and enter “Nursing” under Subject of Studies.

Academic Attire Breakdown

Cap & Gown

All graduates must wear a cap and gown to participate in Campus Commencement as well as the School of Nursing Baccalaureate Graduation Celebration. BSN students should receive a 4-sided mortarboard cap with an apricot colored tassel and a bachelor’s style gown.

Stoles

Excellence in Nursing Education Stole: The Excellence in Nursing Education (ENE) designation recognizes outstanding academic achievement among nursing students. Eligibility for ENE is determined by nursing GPA, with the top 20% of students in each BSN cohort receiving the distinction at graduation. To ensure consistency with existing academic standards, a student’s nursing GPA must be no lower than 3.75, which aligns with the Dean’s List threshold. Eligibility is calculated at the beginning of the spring term based on verified academic records, and ENE is awarded to those who meet both the percentile ranking and minimum GPA requirements. SoN will notify students who qualify for ENE in early April. Once notified, those who qualify can purchase a gold graduation stole through the retailer of their choosing.

Honors Stole: The honors stole is a white stole with three cardinal bars. BSN students in the Honors Program are eligible to wear an honors stole. Honors stoles are purchase-only through the University Book Store. SoN will notify honors students when the sole is available for purchase.

Stole of Distinction: A UW-Madison recognition, to be eligible for Distinction students must complete 60 or more credits at UW-Madison and earn a cumulative GPA that places them within the top 20% of their graduating class. Students who receive this award are eligible to wear the Distinction Stole (solid cardinal red) during commencement exercises. “Graduation with Distinction” will appear on student transcripts. SoN will notify students who qualify for Distinction in early April. Once notified, those who qualify can purchase the Stole of Distinction through the University Book Store.

Bachelor’s Hood

BSN students earning their nursing degree as a second (or third, or fourth…) bachelor’s degree are eligible to wear a bachelor’s hood as part of their academic attire. The hood has a red lining indicating the graduate’s most recent bachelor’s degree came from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an apricot velvet trim indicating the graduate’s most recent degree was in Nursing. The nursing bachelor’s hood can be rented through The University Book Store for $40. This price and ordering process is in addition to your chosen academic attire (cap & gown) package.

Cords

• ABSN Cohort (GOLD): Students graduating from the ABSN program have chosen to wear gold cords at Graduation. Students will collaborate to purchase cords.
• BSNA (BROWN): Students who are part of the Black Student Nursing Association will wear brown cords at Graduation. Students will collaborate to purchase cords.
• MSNO (PINK): Students who are part of the Multicultural Student Nurse Organization will wear pink cords at Graduation. Students will collaborate to purchase cords.
• N3 (RED, GOLD, & WHITE twist): Students who volunteered as a Nursing Knowledge Network leader may wear an N3 cord. Students will collaborate to purchase cords.
• Sigma Honors (PURPLE & WHITE twist): Students in Sigma may wear an Honors cord as part of their academic regalia, signifying their membership in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Cords can be obtained through the UW-Madison Sigma representative.
• SNA (RED): Students who are part of the Student Nurses Association will wear red cords at Graduation. Students will collaborate to purchase cords.
• Student Ambassadors (RED & WHITE twist): Students working with the Advancement Manager as School of Nursing ambassadors will wear a red and white twist cord at graduation. The Advancement Manager will coordinate this with eligible students.
• Student Council (ROYAL BLUE, KELLY GREEN, & ORANGE twist): Students participating on Student Council may wear a Student Council cord. Students will collaborate to purchase cords.
• Volunteer Service Cord (SILVER): Students who complete volunteer service hours throughout their BSN program may wear a Volunteer Service cord at graduation. To be eligible, students must complete 15 service hours per semester for each semester enrolled in the BSN program, with opportunities approved through the School of Nursing; a list of pre-approved volunteer events can be found on this google document. Students should submit volunteer hours through the online tracker.

Double majoring and want a keepsake tassel in each major’s color?

No problem! If you would like to get a tassel in both the School of Nursing apricot color and your additional major’s color (colors are listed under the ‘Academic colors’ tab), you can order one tassel with your gown rental and one tassel through the Book Store’s “tassel only package” for $10. You should still only wear one tassel during Commencement and the SoN event, but you will have one tassel from both majors as a keepsake if desired.

Academic Attire is required for UW Commencement and the School of Nursing Hooding Ceremony. To ensure your academic regalia is reflective of your degree, please place your order through the University Book Store.

Feb 3 – April 3, 2026 – Receive the early Badger pricing of $15 off academic attire rental (online)
May 5, 2026 – Deadline to rent academic attire online
May 10, 2026 – Deadline to rent academic attire in person (711 State Street store)
May 13, 2026 – Deadline to return rented attire

Review the University Book Store’s May 2026 Timeline for additional instructions and deadlines.

Rent vs. Purchase

Gowns and hoods can be rented or purchased; the majority of graduates choose to rent. A keeper tam and tassel comes with the gown rental (i.e., do not return tam or tassel).

Rental: Cap, gown, and hood packages for doctoral students can be found on the University Book Store website. Students should choose any package that starts with ‘Doctoral and MFA Cap and Gown Rental.’ After selecting your preferred rental package, click ‘ADD TO CART.’ In the pop-up menu:

• DNP students – select “Doctor of Nursing Practice-Apricot” under School/College and enter your population track under Subject of Studies
• PhD students – select “Doctor of Philosophy-Blue” under School/College and enter “Nursing” under Subject of Studies

Purchase: Academic Attire is available for purchase through Herff Jones and will take approximately six weeks to manufacture. It is significantly more expensive (~$950). The only time we would recommend purchasing over renting is if you plan to go into Academia and anticipate needing to wear your regalia at least once a year for the foreseeable future. You may always purchase at a later date if desired. Contact the UW Book Store for academic attire purchasing information.

Academic Attire Breakdown

Cap & Gown

All graduates must wear a cap and gown to participate in Campus Commencement as well as the School of Nursing Doctoral Hooding Ceremony.

• DNP students should rent/purchase an 8-sided tam with a gold tassel, a doctoral style gown, and a doctoral hood in apricot
• PhD students should rent/purchase an 8-sided tam with a gold tassel, a doctoral style gown, and a doctoral hood in blue

Sigma Honor Cords

Students in Sigma Theta Tau can wear an honors cord as part of their academic regalia, signifying their membership in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Cords can be obtained through the UW-Madison Sigma representative.

Diplomas

Diplomas will be mailed to the designated Diploma Address in your MyUW Student Center 6-8 weeks after Commencement. Update your Diploma Address in MyUW to ensure these items reach you. The Diploma address can be the same as your home address, but there must be an address listed in Student Center with an address type of “Diploma.”

To avoid a delay in receiving your diploma, varify you do not have any holds on your account that will prevent the release of your diploma. These holds will be marked as “Hold Records.”

Questions? View the Office of the Registrar’s comprehensive list of frequently asked questions regarding diplomas.

Student Name on Diploma

When applying for graduation, you can select whether you would like your name in use/preferred name or your legal name printed on your diploma. If you don’t complete an application for graduation, your diploma name will default to your legal name. 

Please note that changes to name in use or legal name after the apply to graduate deadline will not impact the name that appears on the commencement program. 

If you have any questions about the name that will print on your diploma, please contact the Office of the Registrar directly.

Diploma Covers

Undergraduates: Diploma covers are available for pick up at the UW Bookstore State Street location and can be obtained when you pick up your academic attire order. Covers will not be handed out at the Camp Randall or Shannon Hall events.

Doctoral Candidates: Diploma covers will be handed out at the May 8 Kohl Center Ceremony. If you are not attending the Kohl Center Commencement Ceremony, you may pick up a cover at the UW Bookstore State Street location.

NOTE: The information on this page does not pertain to the Graduation Alumni Pin Recipient Award; this information is regarding YOUR alumni pin. Information about the Graduation Alumni Pin Recipient Award can be found on the Graduation Awards page.

Students graduating with their BSN can order their alumni pin through our partners at J. Brandt Recognition! Learn more about the nursing pin’s symbolism and history on the School of Nursing Alumni page.

J. Brandt Recognition only manufactures the UW-Madison nursing pin once a year; if you do not order the pin during the spring semester before your graduation but decide you would like to order in the future, you can contact the School of Nursing Advancement Manager and they will provide you with a timeline and details on ordering a pin.

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Celebrate your UW Madison nursing degree with a custom nursing pin! Ordering is quick and easy following the instructions below.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 @ 5:30pm CT
SET A REMINDER – LATE ORDERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

1. Visit: https://jbrandt.com/student-customer-login/
2. Enter Customer Code: 18481
3. Make your pin selection!
4. After you “Add to Bag,” review your order and “Checkout” (or “Keep Shopping”)
5. Type in your email address. You may set up an account, but it is not necessary.
6. Complete Shipping & Billing details with your personal information.
7. Complete payment details and place order! You will receive an Order # on the screen after you submit your payment. If you don’t receive this your order might not have processed.

Pins will ship to your desired shipping location to arrive in early May! Pins are non-refundable and non-returnable because they are custom products. Orders may only be canceled prior to the order deadline.

Undergraduate Students

Guest tickets are REQUIRED for a seat in Shannon Hall. All graduating BSN students are guaranteed up to 3 guest tickets to the ceremony if desired. Graduating students must claim their allocated guest tickets through the RSVP survey.

After all graduates have claimed their desired number of Shannon Hall guest tickets, any remaining guest tickets will be placed in a ticket pool and be distributed to graduates as additional tickets based on priority needs. Guests without a ticket are welcome to attend the BSN Graduation Reception prior to the ceremony and will be able to watch the ceremony via livestream in Memorial Union’s Great Hall.

Child tickets: Per Memorial Union’s policy, each guest entering Shannon Hall MUST have a ticket, regardless of age. If you are hoping to have children attend who would be sitting on an adult’s lap in Shannon Hall, please reach out to Morgan, mlewis7@wisc.edu, for further information.

Following the ceremony we will take a class photo on the Memorial Union Terrace. Based on previous years, the photo will get done and graduates will be free starting at 6pm. If making plans for dinner following the ceremony please plan accordingly.

The ceremony will be livestreamed to the School of Nursing YouTube page so support people who are unable to attend in person are able to watch the ceremony from anywhere!

Graduate Students

Guest tickets are REQUIRED for a seat in the Auditorium. All graduating Doctoral students are guaranteed up to 6 Auditorium guest tickets if desired. Graduating students must claim their allocated guest tickets through the RSVP survey.

After all graduates have claimed their desired number of Auditorium guest tickets, any remaining guest tickets will be placed in a ticket pool and be distributed to graduates as additional tickets based on priority needs. Guests without a ticket are still welcome to attend the Hooding Ceremony and will be able to watch via livestream in viewing rooms throughout Cooper Hall.

Child tickets: Children who will be sitting on an adults lap do not need a ticket to enter the Auditorium; however, children without an Auditorium ticket should not occupy a seat even if seats are open when they enter the Auditorium – this is to ensure ushers and other guests know which seats are open for guests who do have a ticket.

Viewing Room for Children: We will have a room set up in Cooper Hall where children AND their required adult supervision can watch the ceremony via livestream. Some fun activities will be provided as well.

The ceremony will be livestreamed to the School of Nursing YouTube page so support people who are unable to attend in person are able to watch the ceremony from anywhere!

Guest Documents

Event Invitations

2026 BSN Graduation Invite
2026 Doctoral Hooding Invite

Accessibility Requests

Graduates are able to request accessibility accommodations for themselves and guests through their RSVP survey. If accessibility needs arise after the RSVP deadline, reach out to academic.affairs@nursing.wisc.edu with your request – please include the accessibility need and which event it is for, including if the request is for someone with a ticket or for someone who will be in a live-stream viewing room.

Parking

Many campus parking lots will be free during Commencement weekend, and a complimentary shuttle with wheelchair-accessible buses will be available on Saturday, May 9 to transport graduates and guests around campus. A map of free parking locations will be posted on the Commencement-Parking & Shuttles page as graduation approaches. Guests with accessible parking needs can utilize ADA stalls in any of the free lots as long as they have an ADA hang tag or ADA plate from any state.

Commencement

Commencement parking accessibility and ceremony accommodation information can be found on the Commencement-Accessibility page.

When you leave the university, you will lose access to these core IT services: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Box, Qualtrics, and Zoom Workplace. Review DoIt’s Leaving the University – Access to IT Services article for more information, recommended steps to take before graduation, and access timelines. Students are encouraged to reach out to the Help Desk with any questions.

Continuing as Faculty or Staff at UW upon graduation?
If  you will be converted to faculty or staff status immediately upon graduation, or are already working in an employment position that will not end following your graduation, you will continue to be eligible for the same IT services as when you were a student.

Undergraduate Students

2026.03.11_BSN Graduation Update & Reminders
2026.02.12_Student Graduation RSVP
2026.02.05_BSN Graduation Update & Reminders

Doctoral Students

2026.03.11_Doctoral Graduation Update & Reminders
2026.02.12_Student Graduation RSVP
2026.02.05_Doctoral Graduation Update & Reminders

Faculty & Staff

2026.02.12_Fac-Staff Graduation RSVP & Faculty Guide

Campus Communications

Check out the Campus Commencement site for the latest communications!