The Hooding Ceremony is a small, personal event for students who completed their Ph.D. program during the previous year, or plan to finish during the upcoming summer quarter. It is an informal event at which students, their families and their advisors celebrate this momentous transition. Faculty advisors share their most vivid memories of the student. Students recount their adventures of graduate school and have the opportunity to recognize those individuals who provided emotional and intellectual support during their training.
Students receive their doctoral hoods from their advisor who assists the student in donning the regalia for the first time. If you have a Ph.D.-level family member in attendance, you are welcome to invite them to help in your hooding. This is a chance for you to celebrate your amazing accomplishment with family, friends and faculty whether or not you plan to attend the larger, more formal but less personal University Graduation Ceremony. The hooding festivities continue with a no-host brunch.
The Hooding Ceremony for the 2025 Ph.D. graduating cohort is scheduled for an in-person celebration on Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 9-11am in the Walker Ames room.
The format is quite simple. There will be a short welcome speech from the Director of Graduate Training and a slightly longer one from the Department Chair or from the Director of Clinical Training. Then each graduating student will be called to the front individually, along with his or her advisor. The advisor will have a chance to speak briefly about her/his experience with the student. Then the advisor (and any Ph.D.-level friend or family member) places the hood over the graduate’s head - a fairly tricky maneuver creating the opportunity for even more amusing stories. At that point the new Ph.D. will have a chance to say a few words about the graduate school experience, give thanks to those who helped along the way, tell funny stories, etc.
Think of the OSCARS and exchange the gold statue for an odd-looking piece of cloth. Advisors do not have to wear academic regalia, but they miss out on the fun if they don't do so. Ask faculty who attended previous Hoodings and most will tell you that the gowns definitely add to the experience. The UW pays for faculty apparel rental when faculty agree to participate in the UW graduation ceremony at the stadium. If you wish to participate only in the Psychology Hooding Ceremony, you willl rent or purchase the hats and gowns. See https://www.washington.edu/graduation/ and click on "Academic Attire" (for PhD grads) or "Faculty and Marshals" (for faculty).
If your advisor is not available, you may ask another faculty person to be your hooder. The Chair of the Department and The Director of Graduate Training would also be more than willing to help out.
The UW's Commencement website:
Please visit the Commencement website in early May, as the link to request parking passes (which you will need even if you only attend the Department's Hooding), tickets to the stadium, and hooding robe rental will become active then to place your order: https://www.washington.edu/graduation/
Office of Ceremonies
206-543-2592
commence@uw.edu
Parking Information:
Campus parking for all graduation events occurring two weeks before Commencement, between 6 a.m.- 9 p.m., will require a parking permit. This includes Commencement and all School, College, departmental, and student group graduation events.
Graduates will be able to pre-purchase parking permits ($17.75) when they register to participate and order their caps and gowns (May 4 – May 22). If you wish to guarantee parking in a particular lot, it is recommended that you pre-purchase a permit, since some lots may sell out. Day-of-event parking permits will cost $1 more and will require that you stop at the gates to purchase the permit.
In order to fairly distribute parking spaces, the Registration/Order Form will limit each student to a reasonable number of parking permits for the particular event he/she is attending. Graduates will receive their permits when they pick up their orders. Students may purchase additional permits (if available) at this time. Depending upon availability, it may be possible to exchange one parking permit for a permit on a different day or in a different lot.
Once purchased no refunds will be available for parking permits.
Learn more: https://www.washington.edu/graduation/parking-2/
Contact:
Please contact Catherine Zeigler at czeigler@uw.edu if you have any additonal question or concerns.