Instructions for Candidates

115th Annual Commencement Exercises
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Stan Sheriff Center

All graduates who want to participate in commencement must register by May 1, 2026. Please be advised that registering for the ceremony is not the same as filing a degree application.

Venue and Report Time

9:00 a.m. Morning Ceremony:

College of Arts, Languages & Letters

College of Natural Sciences

College of Social Sciences

College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resilience

Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge

Interdisciplinary Studies

School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology

Ceremony: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (estimated end time) – Stan Sheriff Center

Candidates arrive by 8:00 a.m. to Stan Sheriff Center loading dock area (see map below).

3:30 p.m. Afternoon Ceremony:

College of Education

College of Engineering

John A. Burns School of Medicine

School of Architecture

School of Nursing & Dental Hygiene

Shidler College of Business

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

Ceremony: 3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (estimated end time) – Stan Sheriff Center

Candidates arrive by 2:30 p.m. to Stan Sheriff Center loading dock area (see map below).

Prior to Commencement

All graduates who want to participate in commencement must register by May 1, 2026.

Commencement Instructions Part 1: Prior to Commencement

PhD students: Prior to registering, please notify your sponsor that you will be participating in commencement. Your sponsor is responsible for hooding you during the ceremony. You must select a sponsor who will attend the ceremony with you. The sponsor is normally the chairperson of your committee. If they are not available to attend, a member of your committee should be selected. If no one from your committee is available, please contact the Commencement Office at uhm.commencement@hawaii.edu.

Print your Name Card by logging into the commencement registration site. Follow the instructions on your Name Card to submit your selfie to help our photographer match you with your commencement photos. Be sure to bring your printed Name Card to the ceremony, as you will hand it to the name reader when you cross the stage. Digital copies will not be accepted.

All candidates must have a cap and gown (and hood for advanced degrees - see below) in order to participate. You can purchase these from the Mānoa Bookstore. Alteration of gowns is prohibited (i.e., shortening the length). Cap decorating is permitted; however, we ask that you refrain from decorating your cap with items that will obstruct the view of your fellow candidates.

Advanced degree candidates: In addition to your cap and gown, please obtain the appropriate hood in advance from the Mānoa Bookstore.

Master’s, LLM, DArch, DNP, EdD, JD, and MD candidates are to wear their hoods to the ceremony.
For PhDs only - You will carry your hoods. Your sponsor will hood you on stage. Dissertation titles will also be read aloud during the ceremony.

Note: Purchase your regalia early. The bookstore cannot guarantee the availability of all sizes, hood and tassel colors after March 20, 2026.

Prices: (*All subject to change)
Gown prices: Undergraduate $75.95, Master’s $85.95, Doctoral $104.95*. Note: Gowns requiring special sizing must be ordered by March 20, 2026. Special sizing orders after this date will be assessed a service charge for air freight.
Hood prices: Master’s $75.95, Doctoral $94.95*
Tam: $50.95

Bookstore Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

For more information, call the bookstore at (808) 956-6884.

A demonstration video from Herff Jones on how to wear the cap and gown is available here:

We strongly recommend participants view it before commencement day.

Day of Commencement

Commencement Instructions Part 2: Day of Commencement

Caps and gowns should be worn at all times. Gowns should be fully zipped. The cap should be worn squarely on the top of the head. The front of the cap, which has the shorter point, should be centered directly over your nose. Tassels on your caps should hang on the right of your cap until after the symbolic conferring of degrees. Advanced Degree Candidates: Tassels on your caps should hang on the left of your cap.

Assemble at the Stan Sheriff Center loading dock under the tents by 8:00 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 2:30 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. Please refer to your name card for your designated lineup location. Signs will be posted along a rope originated from the loading dock gate entrance. Please check in with your school/college student marshal once you find your sign, then line up in double-file lines behind the appropriate sign for your degree and college (see Loading Dock map above). Friends who wish to sit side by side during the ceremony must line up one behind the other or they will be separated.

Traditionally, flower lei are not presented or worn until after the ceremony.

Note: Large bags (purses, backpacks, duffles, etc.), placards or signage, balloons, beach balls, pets (excluding service animals), and children will not be allowed on the arena floor. Please plan accordingly or make prior arrangements with your guests attending the ceremony. The clear bag policy does not apply to UH Mānoa commencement exercises.

Procession

The student procession into the arena will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 3:00 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony under the direction of your faculty marshals. All graduates will be seated facing the stage. Refer to the floor map below for additional seating details.

**Subject to change. Layout will vary depending on number of graduates registered to participate.

Ceremony

All candidates except PhD: The faculty marshal will ask you to rise when your school/college is called. Follow your school/college student marshal in a single file line to the side of the stage. You will take your first photograph on the arena floor and receive your diploma cover before going on stage. Give your printed Name Card to the name reader (ensure that it is folded in half) before you cross the stage. As your name is read, proceed to the center of the stage, shake hands with the President/Interim Provost, and have your second photograph taken to capture the moment. Then, return to your seats on the arena floor down the center ramp. Once all candidates have returned to their seats, the President will ask you to stand, shift your tassel to the left as a symbol of graduation, and then be seated.

PhD Candidates: You and your sponsor will be led, single file, to either side of the stage. Name reading and hooding will take place alternately on stage right and stage left. Give your printed Name Card to the name reader (ensure that it is folded in half), and stand on the place-marking in front of the podium. You will be hooded by your sponsor and the faculty marshal as the name reader announces your name and dissertation title. Your first photograph will be taken here. You will proceed to the center of the stage, shake hands with the President/Interim Provost, and have your second photograph taken to capture the moment. You and your sponsor will return to your seats on the arena floor down the center ramp.

The commencement ceremony is a special rite of passage, honoring you and your fellow candidates who have all worked hard to reach this moment. Please honor your fellow candidates, who have also worked hard for this moment, by treating them with dignity and respect.

After the Ceremony

Commencement Instructions Part 3: After Commencement

Meet your guests by the appropriate alphabetical sign (corresponding to the first letter of your last name) on the following fields for the Lei Reception:

A – K: Clarence T. C. Ching Complex
L – Z: Les Murakami Baseball Stadium

While giving lei is a Hawaiʻi tradition, we ask that you encourage family and friends attending the commencement to support our campus’ waste reduction efforts towards a zero-waste future by taking the following actions before you arrive on-campus:

Leave the plastic clamshell containers at home.
Carry your lei and makana (gifts) in reusable bags.
Make lei from plants growing in your garden instead of purchasing them from the store.

To preserve our newly renovated athletic fields, potentially damaging shoes (i.e., stiletto heels, metal cleats, etc.), streamers, and confetti are prohibited. Please also pass this information on to your guests.

Everyone will be asked to clear the fields by 12:30 p.m. for the morning ceremony and 7:00 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony.

Diplomas

The conferring of degrees at the ceremony is provisional and is contingent upon the successful verification that degree requirements have been met by the Office of the Registrar and your school/college.

Diplomas are not distributed at the ceremony. Instead, diplomas will be mailed to the mailing address on record ten weeks after the end of the semester. Graduates who anticipate a change of address should verify/update their address in their myUH account.

Graduates are also advised to continue checking their UH email address for updates and reminders regarding the mailing of diplomas.

For further information, please visit the Office of the Registrar website.

Photographs

A photographer will take your photo as you hold the diploma cover or are hooded on stage and shake hands with the President/Interim Provost. After commencement, you will receive an email message from the photographer with a link to view your proof online at https://www.pmoh.com/ (if you opted in during commencement registration). You may purchase additional photographs at that time.

FAQs

Who is eligible to participate?

Any prospective spring or summer 2026 graduate who has filed a degree application is eligible and encouraged to participate in the commencement ceremony.

Please consult with the Student Academic Services office of your school/college for instructions on filing a petition to graduate.

How do I order commencement announcements?

Personalized graduation announcements are available at the bookstore. Minimum order: 20 cards. You may place your order online at https://www.bookstore.hawaii.edu/manoa/

Do my guests need tickets?

Tickets will not be issued. All guests are welcome to the ceremonies on a first-come, first-seated basis. To help ensure that each graduate has guests present to share in this moment inside the Stan Sheriff Center arena, graduates are asked to limit their party to five (5) individuals. Additional guests are welcome to watch a live webcast of the ceremony at Les Murakami Baseball Stadium.

Gates open at 7:45 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 2:15 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. Guests planning to watch in the Stan Sheriff Center arena are strongly encouraged to arrive early, as the doors to the Stan Sheriff Center will close once capacity is reached.

How do I arrange for my name to be called at the ceremony?

When you register online, you will be prompted to print your name card. Please fold the sheet in half and bring it with you to the ceremony. Present the card to the name reader as you cross the stage.

How do I ensure that my honor society memberships are listed in the program?

Approximately three months before the ceremony, notify the faculty advisers of your honor societies that you are a candidate for graduation.

Do I get a stole or cord for graduating with cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude distinctions?

No, stoles or cords are not issued for graduating with distinction. However, you will be recognized during the ceremony and the distinction will appear on your diploma and transcript.

How can I get an extra copy of the printed program?

Graduates will receive a printed program at their seats, and guests will receive an abbreviated copy upon entry. For additional copies (while supplies last), you may request one beginning Monday, May 18, after the ceremony concludes at this link: go.hawaii.edu/TaD.

How do I register if I am off-island and without internet access?

Contact the Commencement Office at (808) 956-GRAD or in writing at:

Commencement Coordinator
2500 Campus Road
Hawaiʻi Hall 209
Honolulu, HI 96822

You may also order your cap and gown by phone (808) 956-6884. Orders for special-size gowns must be placed by March 20, 2026.

Questions? Please email uhm.commencement@hawaii.edu or call (808) 956-GRAD.