Doctoral Candidates

Graduation Information for Doctoral Candidates  (Please read carefully)

Congratulations to all 2024 soon-to-be graduates! The faculty and staff of the School of Engineering and Applied Science are proud of your hard work and accomplishments! To make your graduation day go smoothly, here is some information about SEAS and GW events.

Commencement and School Celebration Ticket Distribution

No paper tickets will be distributed this year. Beginning April 1, 2024 graduates must register themselves and their guests online to attend the SEAS Graduation Celebration, Commencement on the National Mall and other related events taking place the week of commencement. Be on the lookout for an email from

To register, you must have applied to graduate and complete the online mandatory graduation survey. Hearing your thoughts and opinions will help GW know how to improve for future generations.

You MUST REGISTER BY APRIL 22^nd to be able to have your name professionally recorded with accurate pronunciation. Please look out for emails from [email protected] to your GW email address with important information.

During registration you may register as many as 6 guests.  You may request to be put on a waitlist for additional tickets. Please be considerate and do not ask for more than you will actually need. 

Regalia (Cap and Gown) Ordering Information

Graduates are required to wear regalia (cap & gown) for all graduation ceremonies. 

Doctoral regalia can be purchased online until April 2^nd. Regalia rentals are also available for doctoral candidates. You can keep your regalia, unless you have rented it.

Please note that all SEAS D.Eng. should choose “Doctor of Engineering” from the drop-down menu to be provided an ORANGE hood and Ph.D. should choose “Doctor of Philosophy” to be provided a BLUE hood.

SEAS Hooding Ceremony

The School of Engineering and Applied Science Hooding Ceremony will take place at the Dorothy Betts Theatre, Univ. Student Center, First Floor, 800 21st Street, NW on Thursday, May 16, starting at 4:00 pm. After the SEAS Hooding Ceremony there will be a reception for graduating SEAS graduate students, friends and family, and SEAS faculty and staff at the Science & Engineering Hall (800 22nd Street, NW) in the Lower Level 1 beginning at 5:00 pm.

Doctoral candidates should report in cap and gown to the Univ. Student Center Great Hall at 800 21st Street, NW starting at 3:00 pm for check-in and line-up. Your guests should go directly to the Betts Theater at 3:30 pm.

Seating in the Betts Theater is first-come, first-served, so encourage your guests to arrive early for optimal seating. This is especially important if one of your guests has special needs. Individuals with ADA needs for themselves or their guests should notify the SEAS Dean's Office at [email protected].

The SEAS Hooding Ceremony is a formal cap & gown event. Please be sure to wear your cap & gown (also called regalia) to the Celebration.

At the SEAS Hooding Ceremony your name will be called and you will walk across the stage, receive the dean's personal congratulations, and be formally hooded by the dean and your advisor.  A professional photographer will be taking a photo of each graduate as you shake the dean's hand or are hooded. You will provide them with your contact information on the card with your name and they will email you about buying the photo.

Pre-register and receive 20% off your photos

Celebration Etiquette:

Graduates are reminded that graduation is a joyful as well as solemn event. We ask that you express excitement in ways that will not prevent others from hearing the speakers and enjoying the ceremony. Cell phones should be turned to their silent operating modes to help ensure that all guests can hear and enjoy the graduation activities.  All students, out of respect for their fellow graduates, are asked to stay through the end of the ceremony and leave as part of the student recessional.

Please encourage your guests to use Metro if at all possible. If parking on or near campus is your only option, please factor in additional time to locate a parking spot. The availability of campus parking is extremely limited and not guaranteed. Guests may be redirected to seek parking in other public locations further away from the campus. The University parking garages are wheelchair-accessible. Please review the GW Parking Services website https://business-services.gwu.edu/parking for additional information.

Invitations for Family Members Overseas

Letters of Invitation can be used by current students to invite friends or family members to the United States.  Students must have applied for graduation to request a letter of invitation for the graduation ceremony.  The request must include the proper spelling of each visitor's name and his or her relationship to the student requesting the letter. 

For more information, and to request a letter of invitation, visit the Office of the Registrar's website.

• Click on the “Request for Certification Services” link
• Under "Request Type", select "Letters We Can Write"
• Under "Letters We Can Write", select "Invitation Letter"

Questions about any of the events in connection with the SEAS Celebration, Hooding, or any of the graduation weekend events should be directed to:

• [email protected] for on-campus doctoral candidates

• [email protected] for Off-Campus/Online doctoral candidates

Visit the commencement website for more information.