Winter Graduation

All graduating students must apply to graduate to attend Campus Commencement and receive their diploma. Students who do not apply to graduate will not see their name in the program. The deadline to apply to graduate and have your name appear in the Winter 2026 Commencement program is October 23, 2026.

Students wishing to have their name listed in the commencement program with diacritical marks can email commence@chancellor.wisc.edu and request for those marks to be included.

Visit the student center’s instruction page and the Office of the Registrar’s webpage for detailed instructions on how to apply to graduate.

Academic attire (also known as regalia or cap & gown) is required to participate in Campus Commencement. To ensure academic regalia is reflective of the appropriate degree, graduates should place their order through the University Book Store. Review the University Book Store’s December Graduation Timeline for additional instructions and deadlines.

CAPS & TASSELS

Undergraduates wear a black mortarboard cap with the School of Nursing tassel color, apricot. First degree candidates wear the tassel on the right side of the cap until the degree has been conferred. Second degree candidates wear the tassel on the left side.

GOWNS

Undergraduates wear a gown made of black material with a closed front and long, pointed, open sleeves.

HOODS

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. This price and ordering process is in addition to the chosen academic attire (cap & gown) package.

Diplomas

Diplomas will be mailed to the student’s designated Diploma Address in their MyUW Student Center 6-8 weeks after Commencement. Students should update their Diploma Address in MyUW to ensure items are sent to the correct address. The Diploma address can be the same as a student’s home address, but there must be an address listed in Student Center with an address type of “Diploma.”

To avoid a delay in receiving their diploma, students should verify they do not have any holds on their account that will prevent the diploma release. These holds will be marked as “Hold Records.”

Review the Office of the Registrar’s comprehensive list of frequently asked questions regarding diplomas.

Student Name on Diploma

When applying for graduation, students may select whether they want their name in use/preferred name or legal name printed on their diploma. If a student does not complete an application for graduation, their diploma name will default to the legal name on record. 

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. 

Questions can be directed to the Office of the Registrar directly.

Diploma Covers

At Winter Commencement, all candidates will receive a diploma cover when they walk across the stage. The Office of the Registrar has diploma covers available for pickup for students who are unable to participate in regular commencement events. Check their location and office hours before visiting.

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 during the spring semester. Alumni who do not purchase a pin the spring semester of/after their graduation can order a pin any year as long as they place the order within the designated time frame.

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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.

Review UW-Madison’s full Graduation Checklist.

All graduating students must apply to graduate to attend the Campus Commencement. Students who do not apply to graduate will not see their name in the program. The deadline to apply to graduate and have your name appear in the Winter 2026 Commencement program is October 23, 2026.

Students wishing to have their name listed in the commencement program with diacritical marks can email commence@chancellor.wisc.edu and request for those marks to be included.

Visit the student center’s instruction page and the Office of the Registrar’s webpage for detailed instructions on how to apply to graduate.

Doctoral students should visit the Graduate School’s website for additional information about completing their Doctoral degree.

DNP & PhD students must submit a Final Warrant Request.

Degree conferral date will appear on a student’s official transcript approximately three to four weeks after graduation.

Contact the Graduate Advising Manager, Lynaye Stone, with any questions regarding eligibility to graduate.

Academic attire (also known as regalia or cap & gown) is required to participate in Campus Commencement. To ensure academic regalia is reflective of the appropriate degree, graduates should place their order through the University Book Store. Review the University Book Store’s December Graduation Timeline for additional instructions and deadlines.

CAPS & TASSELS

Doctoral candidates wear an 8-sided black tam with a gold tassel on the left side.

GOWNS

Doctoral candidates wear a gown with an open front, bell-shaped sleeves, and velvet trim in the form of crossbars on

HOODS

Doctoral Candidates are hooded during their School of Nursing Graduation. There is no hooding ceremony during Campus Commencement; candidates wear the hood throughout the Commencement ceremony.

The hood hangs to the back from the neck. A cord on the hood is fastened to a button on the front of the candidate’s clothing, or with a safety pin to the candidates clothing. To avoid wearing the hood inside out, make sure that the velvet facing of the hood is visible under the chin and lies flat over the shoulders.

DNP: DNP hoods have a wide velvet edging in the School of Nursing color, apricot. There are wide panels at either side of the hood and a fully exposed Wisconsin-cardinal color lining.

PhD: PhD hoods have a wide velvet edging in the Doctor of Philosophy color, blue. There are wide panels at either side of the hood and a fully exposed Wisconsin-cardinal color lining.

Diplomas

Diplomas will be mailed to the student’s designated Diploma Address in their MyUW Student Center 6-8 weeks after Commencement. Students should update their Diploma Address in MyUW to ensure items are sent to the correct address. The Diploma address can be the same as a student’s home address, but there must be an address listed in Student Center with an address type of “Diploma.”

To avoid a delay in receiving their diploma, students should verify they do not have any holds on their account that will prevent the diploma release. These holds will be marked as “Hold Records.”

Review the Office of the Registrar’s comprehensive list of frequently asked questions regarding diplomas.

Student Name on Diploma

When applying for graduation, students may select whether they want their name in use/preferred name or legal name printed on their diploma. If a student does not complete an application for graduation, their diploma name will default to the legal name on record. 

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. 

Questions can be directed to the Office of the Registrar directly.

Diploma Covers

At Winter Commencement, all candidates will receive a diploma cover when they walk across the stage. The Office of the Registrar has diploma covers available for pickup for students who are unable to participate in regular commencement events. Check their location and office hours before visiting.

Review UW-Madison’s full Graduation Checklist.