Frequently Asked Questions

WHERE DO I GET MY CAP & GOWN?

Academic dress is required for the college commencement ceremony. Pricing and ordering information is available online.

AM I ELIGIBLE FOR UNIVERSITY HONORS?

Latin Honors are awarded to undergraduate students only and are determined by the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and will appear on UIC official transcripts.

Cumulative point average falls within the following honors categories:

  • Summa cum laude: 3.90 and above
  • Magna cum laude: 3.75 to 3.89
  • Cum laude: 3.50 to 3.74

Latin Honors awarded solely on grade point average earned at UIC.

Students eligible for Latin Honors will receive an e-mail notification from the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs. The College of Nursing is not responsible for determination or notification of these Honors.

UIC will reserve the right to make permanent adjustments to the list of students receiving Latin Honors based on final semester grade point average.

Students eligible for honors will receive a cord that should be worn during the ceremony. Honors cords will be distributed at the Honors College Convocation and at the Grad Finale Ceremony. Honors cords for students on the Urbana and Springfield campuses will be distributed by staff at their campuses.

WILL I RECEIVE A CORD TO WEAR AT THE CEREMONY?

Only those receiving Latin Honors will be provided a cord (see above.) Organizations outside of the university may provide cords for participants; please contact the appropriate leadership for individual organizations for details.

WHAT NAME WILL BE ON MY DIPLOMA?

Your name as it appears in your my.uic.edu account as of the last day of classes will appear on your diploma.

If you have a change of name that you would like to appear on your diploma, please complete the Current Student Diploma Name Change form to request changes to your name.

If you have any questions, contact the UIC Records Office at (312) 996-4381. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHAT DATE WILL MY DEGREE BE CONFERRED?

There can oftentimes be confusion between graduation and commencement, which are two separate events. Graduation is the completion of all degree requirements as recorded on the official transcript. Commencement is the ceremony that celebrates the completion of a degree. To determine conferral dates, please consult the UIC Registrar’s Office.

For those needing certification for exams, please note that the university has several procedural steps that take additional time for completion. For this reason, please allow four to six weeks after the last day of class for final certification processing.

WHEN WILL MY DEGREE BE CONFERRED?

The university has several procedural steps that take additional time for completion. For this reason, please allow four to six weeks after May 13 for final certification processing.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY DIPLOMA?

Diplomas will be mailed two to three months after graduation. The printed diploma will be delivered to your active mailing address, unless you have created an active diploma address in the my.UIC portal. Addresses can be updated from the Personal Information menu. Any changes to the delivery address of the diploma after the last day of classes should be reported to the Records Office at 312-996-4381. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WILL PHOTOS BE TAKEN AT THE CEREMONY?

Photography services will be provided by GradImages. An individual photograph will be taken of each graduate as they receive their diploma cover and after they leave the stage.

WILL THERE BE A WEBCAST OF THE CEREMONY?

The College of Nursing ceremony will be broadcast online. To access the webcast, please visit the UIC Commencement website at the designated time of the ceremony. Viewers will need to click on the link for the College of Nursing. Details on ordering a copy of the ceremony are available on the UIC Commencement website.

WHAT IF I OR ONE OF MY GUESTS NEEDS ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS?

Accessibility accommodations should also be noted on the RSVP form that all graduates are required to fill out. Special needs/hearing-impaired guests may obtain seating assistance from any Credit Union 1 Arena staff the day of the ceremony.

IS THERE A REHEARSAL FOR COMMENCEMENT?

No. There is no rehearsal for the commencement ceremony.

ARE TICKETS REQUIRED FOR GUESTS?

No tickets are required for guests. Due to limitation of available seating, however, we recommend that you do not invite more than 4-5 guests. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis.