SSW Graduation Celebration 2025 & Frequently Asked Questions

The Social Work Graduation Celebration is an annual event held on campus at the UW in Seattle.  It’s a grand event – most graduates wear regalia, awards are presented, a prominent keynote address is shared, and each graduate is individually presented to the audience as a recipient of a UW social work degree (BASW, MSW, or PhD). Graduates from all SSW programs are honored. This is a smaller, more personal and very popular event in which the majority of our graduates participate.  Learn more about the event on your canvas page.

• The School of Social Work Graduation Celebration 2025 will be held on Thursday, June 12th, 2025 at 7pm at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on campus.
• Eligible students include those who graduated in Autumn 2024 or Winter 2025, Spring 2025, or projected to graduate in Summer 2025.  
• Students will have to arrive an hour prior to the event.  More details will be provided closer to the celebration.
• Tickets are not required for guests to attend. 
• Make sure to read the Graduation Celebration FAQs below for details on the event, regalia, and other logistics, but here are a few highlights:
  • Thoroughly read all email communication you receive regarding the SSW Graduation Celebration event, including “day of” information that will be shared just before the event.  If you feel you’ve missed a communication, we will be linking the announcements below so they are easy to find. Students who graduated in Autumn or Winter will be sent all of the same communications.
  • We will ask in our RSVP how you’d like your first and last name to appear in our SSW graduation program.  If we don’t hear from you, we will use your preferred first name and legal last name as it is noted in our SSW Database (what appears on your practicum evals, etc.)
  • Wearing regalia (cap, gown, hood) is optional for those participating in the Graduation Celebration. The School of Social Work has a limited number of caps and gowns available to borrow on a first come-first served basis. You may request to borrow in the Graduation RSVP survey. Students who would like to purchase regalia should order through the UW Commencement website: http://www.washington.edu/graduationLinks to an external site. 

Comments