Graduation ceremonies

Below is a guide to the winter and spring ceremonies that will recognize you for your academic accomplishments. This page is updated as information becomes available, so check back for updates.

May 2021 Commencement and convocations

The University of Illinois is monitoring the unfolding situation of coronavirus (COVID-19) and any potential impact on university events. Presently, the university has not yet made a decision about Commencement for May 2021. The central campus COVID-19 web resource is a good starting point for the latest information about the virus and its effects on university operations and plans.

May 2020 Commencement and convocations

May 2020 Commencement and departmental graduation ceremonies took place in a digital format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we were unable to celebrate in person, the College of LAS sends its congratulations to Class of 2020 and encourages you to watch the following video.

Unit celebrations

Many units throughout the College of LAS held virtual celebrations for Spring 2020:

• Anthropology
• Astronomy and Physics
• Communication
• Earth, Society, and Environment, School of
  Atmospheric Sciences; Earth, Society, and Environment; Geography; Geology
• Economics
• English and Creative Writing
• History
• Integrative Biology, School of
• Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, School of 
  Classics, Comparative and World Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures, French, Germanic Languages and Literatures, Interdisciplinary Studies, Linguistics, Religion, Russian, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, Teaching English as a Second Language, Translation and Interpetation
• Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of
• Mathematics and Statistics (including Math-Computer Science and Statistics-Computer Science)
• Psychology
• Sociology

Winter Convocation

LAS hosts a collegewide ceremony in December to recognize students earning a bachelor's or master's degree in August or December of that year. Students have the option of participating in the LAS Winter Convocation ceremony or in the university-wide commencement and LAS departmental ceremonies held in May. There is no university-wide commencement ceremony in December.

The 2020 LAS Winter Convocation ceremony will not take place as scheduled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Diplomas will be mailed and graduates will be invited to participate in future in-person ceremonies when it is safe to gather again. The College of LAS intends to recognize December graduates with a virtual celebration.

Doctoral hooding ceremonies

Please see the Grad College's website for information.