The Hooding Ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 3:00 pm at the Koger Center. Tickets are not required, but seating is on first come basis.
Each year a guest of honor is invited to give a brief message to the graduates. Candidates are then presented for the hooding ceremony. The Dean and department chairs present hoods to doctoral candidates; department chairs present hoods to master's candidates.This is followed by the presentation of the annual student awards.
Graduate Instructions for the 2025 Hooding Ceremony
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 3:00 pm, Koger Center
Congratulations, Graduates!
You will need to be at the Koger Center by 2:00 pm on Wednesday. The room where we will gather is located across from the elevator in the Koger Center lobby. Once you get to the robing room, find the chair with your name on it and have a seat. Please do not remove the name card from your chair. If you are unable to find your name, please check with student services staff. Graduates are grouped by academic department and will enter the stage by department, with the exception of doctoral graduates. Doctoral graduates enter first and are grouped in alphabetical order. Be sure to bring your cap, gown, hood, and tassel. Graduates will carry their hoods on stage.
Order your University of South Carolina academic regalia at: https://oakhallcg.com/pages/uscc . For assistance, please contact the University Bookstore in Russell House at 803-777-4160. Items need to be ordered and are not available for immediate purchase, so please order in advance. Last day to order online is April 7, 2025, but it is recommended you order prior to March 31, 2025 to ensure timely delivery. Please pay special attention to the color of your hood and tassel – the color is based on your major and degree. Master’s students’ tassels are salmon pink and doctoral students’ tassels are gold. Master’s hoods are salmon pink and doctoral hoods are dark blue (PhD) or teal (DPT). A list is provided below:
| Degree | Tassel | Hood |
| Doctor of Philosophy | Gold | Dark Blue |
| Doctor of Physical Therapy | Gold | Teal |
| All Master’s Degrees | Salmon Pink | Salmon Pink |
Doctoral graduates not interested in ordering "Fine Quality" regalia may click on the "University of South Carolina Main Campus" link and select "Doctoral Degree Purchase" to order standard regalia.
Master's graduates will be prompted to select their degree from the drop-down menu. In doing so, a color other than salmon pink may populate. For example, golden yellow populates for Master of Science graduates. Be sure to select a master’s option which will provide you with the public health discipline color of salmon pink.
More information posted here
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RegistrationYou must register for your name to appear in the program and to reserve your seat for the day of the ceremony. Even if you do not plan to participate in the ceremony, you may have your information printed in the ceremony program. Deadline: March 7, 2025 |
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InvitationView the 2025 hooding invitation. |
Each candidate for graduation must file an application for graduation.
These applications are due early in the term in which graduation is expected. All students will be required to submit their application for graduation online through Self Service Carolina (SSC). The “Graduation” box is located under the “Student” tab in SSC. Students will be asked to verify their name, address, and academic program information during the application process. Note: Students are typically required to register during the term of graduation.
The Graduation application deadline is:
- Spring 2025 (May 2025) - March 14, 2025
- Summer 2025 (August 2025) - July 2025
- Fall 2025 (December 2025) - September 2025
For general USC Graduation information go to: http://commencement.sc.edu.
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the Office of Graduate
Student Services at 803-777-5031 or sphstsrv@mailbox.sc.edu.
The Graduate School requires that students complete a Program of Study in addition to the other steps that must be taken as part of their degree program. It is the student's responsibility to see that all requirements are met. All necessary forms may be accessed at the Graduate School forms library,
In addition to the Arnold School of Public Health Hooding Ceremony, graduating students may also attend the University of South Carolina's Commencement Exercises.
In case of inconsistency between this page and the Registrar’s "Commencement Ceremonies" page regarding University Commencement or University Doctoral Hooding, the Registrar’s Office is the final authority. The Arnold School of Public Health Hooding Ceremony is a separate event and information will be posted on this page.
The dates are as follows:
No August Commencement or Hooding Ceremonies.
Spring 2025: |
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| Commencement Exercises (Arnold School of Public Health Undergraduate and Masters degree students) |
Friday, May 9, 2025 | 3:00 PM | Colonial Life Arena |
| USC Doctoral Hooding (eligible participants only) | Thursday, May 8, 2025 | 9:00 AM |
Koger Center |