Commencement

 

Purchase or rent academic regalia (caps, gowns, and hoods)

Caps, gowns, and hoods will not be available at the Giant Center. Refer to our What to Wear section for clothing guidelines and links to online ordering of your regalia.

 

 

 

 

Important notes about filing your intent to graduate

• Please review the Graduation Requirements policy to ensure your eligibility to attend commencement.
• Programs that contain a list of graduating students are distributed at the ceremony. If your intent to graduate is activated after the student information has been sent to the printer, your name will not appear in the program.
• Your correct home and local addresses are needed for pertinent graduation information, including diplomas. Confirm and/or update your address on LionPATH at this time.

Graduation Fair: have your questions answered

Upcoming Grad Fairs:

• Tuesday, March 21; noon to 6pm

Alternate Commencement Sites

Commencement Ceremony Instructions

General Information

• The ceremony will start promptly at 9:30 a.m. and lasts approximately 2½ hours.
• Don’t forget to print a Giant Center Parking Pass (PDF) for yourself and your guests.
• There are no rehearsals for the ceremony. Students will receive complete instructions at the Giant Center on the day of commencement.

What to Wear: Academic Regalia and other clothing guidelines  

Information for All Participants

Uniforms of the armed forces are the only apparel other than academic regalia that is officially recognized and permitted.

• Due to the formality of this occasion and safety concerns, please wear appropriate footwear; flip flops, clogs, very high heels, and loose fitting shoes are not recommended.
• It is requested that men wear slacks and a dress shirt with a tie. For women, slacks with a blouse or a dress is appropriate.
• Baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral caps and gowns differ from each other, as do the caps and gowns from other educational institutions. Please check your regalia for accuracy and quality before the day of the ceremony.
• Remember to steam your gown before commencement to remove wrinkles from packaging.
• Penn State Academic Honor Cords:
  Undergraduate students graduating Summa Cum Laude will receive a blue and white cord; those graduating Magna Cum Laude will receive a blue cord; and those graduating Cum Laude will receive a white cord. Students will receive email notification from the Registrar’s Office on how to receive their honor cords. The levels were determined by a student’s cumulative GPA at the end of the previous semester. If students earn a higher level once final grades are received, they can contact the Registrar to retroactively receive the appropriate honor cord. Please note that graduate students do not earn honors. In American higher education, Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude are unique to undergraduate education. 
• Military honor cords:
  Undergraduate and graduate students who have honorably served, are serving, or are commissioned to serve in the U.S. military will be awarded an honor cord to wear at their commencement ceremony in recognition of their duty and sacrifice. The red, white and blue cords will be given to eligible graduating students, including associate degree recipients, in the following groups: active duty, reserve and National Guard service members; veterans; and graduates receiving a commission through Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and official U.S. Armed Forces recruiting programs. Students will receive email notification from the Veterans’ Affairs/Financial Aid Office on how to receive their honor cords.
• Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Society Legacy Cords
  In honor of the college’s 50^th anniversary, the Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Society provides legacy cords to graduating students whose parents and/or grandparents are Penn State Harrisburg graduates. Celebrate your graduation and recognize your family ties by wearing the gold, blue, and white cord.  Cords may be picked up at Grad Fair. Students are requested to provide their parents’/grandparents’ names, year of graduation, and degree(s) earned.  
• National Honor Society Recognition:
  Members of nationally-recognized honor societies, who achieved their membership as a Penn State Harrisburg student, are permitted to wear ornamentation during the ceremony in the form of cords and/or pins only. Ribbons, scarves, stoles, sashes and medallions are not permitted. Graduates with these outstanding academic achievements will not be recognized in the commencement ceremony or printed program.
• All other ornamentation is not permitted.
  All ornamentation (including pins, cords, ribbons, scarves, stoles, sashes, medallions, etc.) representing other honorary societies, nationalities, fraternities, sororities, etc., is not permitted. Exceptions to this include students in the Penn State Harrisburg Honors Program, the Schreyer Honors College, and national honor society members, as mentioned above.
• No regalia (caps, gowns, and hoods) will be available at the ceremony.

Especially for Undergraduates

• Undergraduate academic regalia is a blue gown with wide sleeves and a blue mortarboard cap with a tassel, worn on the right front edge. You will move the tassel to the left edge after crossing the stage.
• Regalia sets must be purchased.
  Order undergraduate regalia online at Jostens.com for pickup at the Bookstore.

For Graduate Students

• Master's degree regalia sets must be purchased.
  Order master's regalia online at Jostens.com for pickup at the Bookstore.
   
• Doctoral regalia sets may be purchased or rented.
  An in-person fitting is required for doctoral regalia. Contact the Bookstore for details.
   
• Graduate regalia is a black gown with pointed sleeves, a separate hood, and a black mortarboard cap with a tassel, worn on the left front edge of the mortarboard.
• Candidates should carry their hoods over their right arms during the processional. See the Hooding Instructions (PDF).

Arrival Time

Registration

Graduation Processional

After registering and receiving your marching card(s), go to the student processional area. Penn State Harrisburg staff will guide all graduates through each portion of the ceremony.

• All cell phones must be turned off as soon as you enter the student processional/seating area. Please refrain from cell phone use before and during the ceremony.
• Students must be seated in their assigned seats by 8:30 a.m. to receive processional instructions.
• The student processional will begin at 9 a.m. and the ceremony will start promptly at 9:30 a.m.
• Any student suspected to be under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance will be subject to arrest and will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony.
• Smoking is strictly prohibited, both inside and outside the Giant Center.
• Do not leave any personal items or valuables unattended at any time during the ceremony, especially in the student assembly area.

Students must remain seated on the Giant Center floor until the conclusion of the ceremony. When you are led out of the arena, you may meet your guests on the main concourse or outside the building. 

Guest Seating

Special Accommodations 

Reserved Parking

Reserved Seating

Closed Captioning 

Live Streaming

Penn State Harrisburg will offer a live stream of the commencement ceremony for the benefit of our students' family members who may not be able to attend the ceremony in person. The stream will be available on our LiveStream channel starting at 9:00am.

     new.livestream.com/pennstateharrisburg

Faculty Instructions

Faculty wishing to participate in the commencement ceremony should plan to arrive at 9:00 a.m. Park in the area designated for the faculty/platform party. Look for Entrance 3, which will be marked with a lighted sign. Use the elevator to go down to Level 1, and proceed to the faculty assembly room (Room 102). Please dress in academic regalia for the ceremony. Event staff will be present to assist and position faculty in the academic processional.

Commencement Dates

Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the appropriate semester.

Photos and Flowers

Photos

Flowers

Distinctions, Diplomas, and Transcripts

Distinction Requirements

Distinction at graduation shall be awarded to those baccalaureate degree candidates of the graduating class according to the following rule. The top 12 percent of the baccalaureate degree candidates from any college shall be eligible to graduate with distinction if they have achieved at least a grade-point average of 3.50, based on at least 60 credits at the University. The 12 percent should be divided into two percent "With Highest Distinction," four percent "With High Distinction," and six percent "With Distinction."

Diplomas

Transcripts

 

Contact Us

Please call 717-948-6029, fax 717-948-6370, e-mail rsvp@psu.edu, or stop by the Office of Marketing Research and Communications (W-101 Olmsted), if Penn State may assist you in any way.