Graduation & Commencement Services

Please make sure that you have applied for graduation a minimum of one full semester prior to your anticipated graduation term. The graduation application is now accessed only through your Student Center in WINS. Please refer to the WINS How-To page for further direction. If you have questions regarding your degree requirements, please contact your college. The deadline for students to appear in the commencement program for the December 2024 term is October 17, 2024. Students who apply after this date will not be included in the program. Please note that a graduation fee of $65.00 will be added to your account during the semester you plan to graduate. If you need to change your graduation term, please contact the Registrar’s Office. Master and DBA students contact Graduate Studies.

The December 2024 conferral date for degrees is December 13, 2024. All academic requirements must be completed by December 13. Any incomplete grades or transfer work must be completed and received by January 24, 2025. Questions regarding your degree requirements should be directed to your college or advisor. Master and DBA students should contact Graduate Studies.   

Diplomas will be mailed out at the end of February 2025 to the address you provided on your graduation application. Updates to your diploma mailing address are made through WINS. Please make any updates prior to January 31, 2025.

Please make sure that you have applied for graduation a minimum of one full semester prior to your anticipated graduation term. The graduation application is now accessed only through your Student Center in WINS. Please refer to the WINS How-To page for further direction. If you have questions regarding your degree requirements, please contact your college. The deadline for students to appear in the commencement program for the May 2025 term is Friday, March 14. Students who apply after this date will not be included in the program. Please note that a graduation fee of $65.00 will be added to your account during the semester you plan to graduate.

The May 2025 conferral date for degrees is May 16, 2025. Diplomas will be mailed out at the end of July 2025 to the address you provided on your graduation application. If you should need to update your diploma mailing address, please do so by logging into WINS prior to June 30, 2025.

Tickets can be picked up from the One Stop Office in Room 129 of the University Center (inside the Warhawk Connection Center) beginning April 28, 2025. The last day to pick up tickets is May 16, 2025. We will also have a Will Call Box Office open the morning of commencement for students to pick up tickets. The Will Call box office will open at 8:00 am and will be located in the Williams Center on the 2nd floor.

• How to Apply for Graduation
• Apply for Graduation
• Dual Degree Policy
• Loan Services Exit Interview
• Alumni Benefits

Attend Salute to Grads on Wednesday, March 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is a one-day-only promotion to receive your cap and gown free of charge with the purchase of a diploma frame.

Associate and Bachelor degree Students:

• Order your cap and gown before May 9 at University Bookstore or through the link below. Tassel color is based on your major. The cost is $50 with tax.
• Academic Honor cords can be picked up at the University Bookstore.
  • Honors are based on your UWW Whitewater cumulative GPA the term prior to graduation. Students must have earned a minimum of 48 UWW units to qualify for academic honors. Academic honors may change after final grades are collected and processed. Honor cords are $12.00 plus tax.
•  Master and DBA students are not eligible for honor cords.

Masters degree Students:

• Order your cap, gown, and hood before May 9 at the University Bookstore or through the link below. Hood color is based on your major. The cost is $82.70 with tax.

Links:

• Cap and Gown Purchase
• Request Stole or Cord Apparel for Commencement

Salute to Grads is similar to the involvement fairs or job fairs held on campus. It gives graduating students an opportunity to make arrangements for all their needs before graduation. The event is held in March for the spring graduation and October for the winter graduation.

Salute to Grads provides an opportunity for you to order your cap and gown, purchase personalized invitations and thank you cards, diploma frames, and class rings. A photographer may be available to take your photo in full graduation regalia, which is provided for the photoshoot.

There will be representatives from the following campus offices: Financial Services (loan repayment and paperwork to get your $100 deposit back), Career Services and Alumni Center, University Bookstore (cap and gowns), and Registrar's Office. If you have any questions about Salute to Grads, please contact the University Bookstore at 262-472-1280.

Each student receives seven (7) commencement wristbands to distribute to their guests. Wristbands can be picked up April 28 through May 16 at the One Stop Office in Room 129 of the University Center (inside the Warhawk Connection Center) between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. M - F. Photo ID is required to pick up wristbands.

You may also request an alternative person to pick up your tickets from the Registrar's Office. Please email graduation@uww.edu with the first and last name of the individual for whom you would like to pick up your tickets. They must bring a valid photo ID to pick up the tickets.

Wristbands may be picked up before the ceremony at Will Call, on the second floor of Williams Center, on Saturday, May 17 between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Photo ID is required to pick up wristbands.

State law and university policy prohibit you from selling your commencement wristbands. Students selling their commencement wristbands are subject to persecution and disciplinary actions.

REMEMBER: Distribute your wristbands to your guests before the ceremony. Your guests must wear their wristbands to be admitted into the Kachel Fieldhouse for the ceremony. All guests aged two or over must have a wristband. Without a wristband, children under two must sit on someone’s lap during the ceremony.

Graduating Students: Connect with the Center for Students with Disabilities regarding any accommodations you need to participate in the ceremony. Contact Sara Vogt at 262-472-4711 before April 4.

Guests: There is seating scattered throughout Kachel Fieldhouse to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters, and it is available on a first-come basis.

Guests must provide mobility devices; UWW does not provide wheelchairs or walkers. Handicapped parking is available for those with a state permit. Drop-off access is available on the north side of the Williams Center in parking lot 11, Schwager Drive entrance.

Empire Photography will take photos as students cross the stage and shake the Chancellor’s hand and after they exit the stage with their diploma cover.  Guests will not be permitted to come forward to take photos.

Students may provide their information prior to the ceremony. Link forthcoming. Information provided will not be sold or used for spam.

If students have issues accessing their photo galleries, please contact customer support at Customerservice@empirephotos.com or call 608-257-2941.

10:00 a.m. Ceremony (College of Arts and Communication, College of Business and Economics)

Students, if you haven’t picked up your cap and gown, please pick it up at the bookstore before entering the Williams Center. The bookstore opens at 8 a.m.

Please arrive at the Williams Center by 9 a.m. and report to GYM 1 on the second floor of the Williams Center. Please pick up your reader card (card with your name) from your college table. Master students should go to the Graduate Studies table and line up for the processional.

The ceremony lasts approximately 2.5 hours, and graduates will need to stay for the entire ceremony. Students will recess out of the fieldhouse, so make prior arrangements on where to meet your student and family.

All guests must be seated by 9:45 a.m. The doors close at 9:45 a.m. for the processional and will not open until after the national anthem. Only water is permitted in the fieldhouse. Strollers, balloons, and other large items must be checked prior to entering the fieldhouse. Water and flowers are available for purchase in the main hallway of the Williams Center.

The ceremony will be broadcast live via UWWTV. A link is available on the Commencement website. Seating is available for guests without a wristband to watch the ceremony live in Timmerman Auditorium located in Hyland Hall.

Guests must provide their own mobility devices, UWW does not provide wheelchairs or walkers. Handicapped parking is available for those with a state permit. Drop-off access is available on the north side of the Williams Center in parking lot 11, Schwager Drive entrance.

3:00 p.m. Ceremony Ceremony (College of Education and Professional Studies and College of Letters and Sciences)

Students, if you haven’t picked up your cap and gown, please pick it up at the bookstore before entering the Williams Center. The bookstore opens at 8 a.m.

Please arrive at the Williams Center by 2 p.m. and report to GYM 1 on the second floor of the Williams Center. Please pick up your reader card (card with your name) from your college table. Master students should go to the Graduate Studies table and line up for the processional.

The ceremony lasts approximately 2.5 hours, and graduates will need to stay for the entire ceremony. Students will recess out of the fieldhouse, so make prior arrangements on where to meet your student and family.

All guests must be seated by 2:45 p.m. The doors close at 2:45 p.m. for the processional and will not open until after the national anthem. Only water is permitted in the fieldhouse. Strollers, balloons, and other large items must be checked prior to entering the fieldhouse. Water and flowers are available for purchase in the main hallway of the Williams Center.

The ceremony will be broadcast live via UWWTV. A link is available on the Commencement website. Seating is available for guests without a wristband to watch the ceremony live in Timmerman Auditorium located in Hyland Hall.

Guests must provide their own mobility devices, UWW does not provide wheelchairs or walkers. Handicapped parking is available for those with a state permit. Drop-off access is available on the north side of the Williams Center in parking lot 11, Schwager Drive entrance.

 General Diploma Information

• The University of Wisconsin Whitewater’s diplomas are 8.5” x 11”.
• Diplomas will be mailed to your Diploma address that is listed in your student WINS account. If you need to update your address:
  • Log into WINS.
    
  • Click on USER PROFILE > PERSONAL INFORMATION.
  • Verify the information and update accordingly.
  • Click SAVE.

• Degree clearance will begin after grades are reported to the Registrar’s Office. Once degree clearance has ended, it will take approximately four weeks for diplomas to be mailed out.

• Students will be notified that the diploma has been mailed through their UWW email address.

• Your diploma will NOT be mailed out if you have certain types of holds on your academic record. Once holds are cleared, your diploma will be released for mailing. 
• UWW diplomas list the student’s diploma name (from WINS account), degree earned and any applicable Honors earned. *Majors are not listed on the Diploma. Majors will appear on transcripts, to order please click the link.
• Diploma Covers are handed out to students that attend the commencement ceremony. If you did not attend the ceremony but would like to request a cover, please contact graduation@uww.edu and we will send one in the mail. 
• Commencement Programs are available after the commencement ceremony for those individuals who are requesting extra programs or did not attend and would like to receive one. Please come by the Registrar’s Office to pick up or contact graduation@uww.edu to receive it by mail. 

Certified Electronic Diplomas

A certified electronic diploma is an official, portable, and secure PDF version of your diploma that can be shared with employers, agencies, licensing boards, educational institutions: anyone who needs to verify your achievement.

Certified electronic diplomas are available, for $15.95, to students whose UW-Whitewater degree was awarded May 2021 or after. For student degrees awarded December 2020 or earlier, a certified electronic diploma is available to order for $60.00. 

Your CeDiploma gives you:

• Instant proof of education — An official, portable, and verifiable electronic version of your accomplishment.
• Unlimited downloads for life — Easily share, as many times as you like with family, friends, credentialing boards, recruiters
• The quickest way to connect on LinkedIn — A great advantage with your job search

For additional information or to validate the Certified Electronic diploma.

Reorder a Diploma

To request a replacement diploma, visit CeCredential Trust. Once the request is received, UW-Whitewater will review the order within 2-3 business days to ensure that it is eligible for fulfillment and you will be notified via email if approved. If the request is approved, the order will be placed. Please allow 2-3 weeks plus mail time after the request approval for delivery of the diploma.

The cost is $55.00 for the replacement diploma. While express processing is not available, options for express shipping will be offered during the order process.

All diplomas, regardless of your degree or when you earned it, will be printed on 8.5” x 11” paper.

Sample Diploma

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a special certification applied by the Wisconsin Secretary of State to your original or replacement diploma. An apostille is sometimes required by employers outside of the United States to verify the authenticity of your diploma. For more information about apostilles visit the Wisconsin Secretary of State website.

Do I need an apostille on my diploma?

Check with your employer to verify whether you actually need an apostille. Each country is different and many are accepting just your official transcript or a certified copy of your diploma as proof of your degree.

Fees

The State of Wisconsin charges a fee of $10 per document for apostille, payable by check or money order. If expedited services are requested it is $35 per document. Express mailing to the state is available by selecting FedEx Rush Domestic on the Replacement Diploma Request form.

How do I request an apostille on my diploma?

If in fact you need to have an apostille on your diploma, it must be notarized before being sent to the Wisconsin Secretary of State. Please scroll down to reorder diploma found under Diploma in the Graduation and Commencement section on the Registrar’s Office web site.  Click on Replacement Request.  In the request select notarization under reason and indicate it is for an apostille in the explanation box. 

Please mail the  Apostille Request Order Form along with payment to the Registrar's Office at the address below, under "Contact Us". Please read the instructions carefully to ensure you have included everything needed to have the document returned to you from the state.  The Registrar's Office will notarize your diploma and then send it to the Wisconsin Secretary of State for apostille, who in-turn will send it to the mailing address you provide.