Commencement
Commencement

Lancaster Ceremony Details

Tassel

Saint Joseph’s University contracts with Tassel to support Commencement. All students must RSVP via Tassel and will receive instructions and deadlines via email for how to RSVP and provide their name pronunciation. It is important that you adhere to these deadlines to ensure your information is displayed and pronounced correctly at Commencement.

Guests of graduates must present tickets to enter the ceremony. Each graduate is allotted six (6) tickets for Commencement. Graduates must RSVP to attend Commencement to claim their tickets; an email will be sent with instructions in early April.

Ceremony Details

  • Graduates must arrive by noon at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square/Lancaster County Convention Center. The downtown area gets congested, so be sure to allow plenty of time to find parking and enter the venue. Graduates are to wear their cap and gown to the Commencement Ceremony. Please press/steam your gown once you remove it from the packaging.

    Upon arrival at the Marriott, Commencement volunteers will direct the graduates to the Registrar’s table to pick up their Graduate Name Card (organized alphabetically by last name) and prepare for the ceremony. Note: There is no secure area in which to leave personal belongings (e.g., purses, jackets etc.), so please plan for that accordingly.

    Faculty marshals for the school will lead the procession to the graduate seating area, beginning at approximately 2 p.m. Graduates should process with their hood draped over their left arm.

    Please visit the Guest section for information on guest arrival and other important details.

  • At the appointed time in the program, the dean will present the degree candidates from the school to the president, who will officially confer degrees on the candidates. Following this conferral, the dean will instruct the graduates to "don their hoods." This is the time for graduates to put on the hood they have carried with them.

    Upon direction from the faculty marshals and staff ushers, graduates will approach the stage for the presentation of degrees. Graduates must have their Graduate Name Card with them at this time. Each name will be read individually. Students should proceed to the stage, shake hands with the president as a photo is taken, receive a diploma tube and pin, exit at the opposite end of the stage, and then take a second photo before returning back to their seats.

  • Following the Benediction, the stage party and faculty will lead the academic procession to conclude the ceremony. Graduates and guests are asked to remain seated until the stage party has fully exited, which will signal the conclusion of the Commencement ceremony.

Graduate Salute

Graduate Salute will be held on April 17, 2026, in the Cooper Atrium from noon-5 p.m. This is your opportunity to pick up your regalia in person and have your graduation portrait taken. Note: Regalia must be purchased online prior to March 2 to pick up at Graduate Salute. 
 

More Information on Graduate Salute

Caps & Gowns

Caps and gowns are available for purchase online for $58.00 for associate degrees, $89.00 for bachelor’s degrees and $94.00 for master’s degrees. Doctoral graduates have two options to choose from: a Doctoral Degree Package with a Tam for $180.00 or a Doctoral Degree Package with Cap for $125.00. Please place your order online before the cut-off dates below based on location:

  • Lancaster location: In order to have your regalia shipped to the University’s Lancaster location, you must place your order online by March 2, 2026.
  • Home: If you want to have your cap and gown shipped directly to your home, you must order by April 16, 2026.

If you have placed your order by March 2 and chosen to have your regalia shipped to the Lancaster location, you can pick up your cap and gown on campus on April 17, 2026, in the Cooper Atrium Lounge from noon-5 p.m during Graduate Salute. If you are unable to pick up your cap and gown on that date, more information will be provided to you about how you can pick up your cap and gown from the Lancaster location. Please note that if you order a cap and gown to ship to the Lancaster location, that is where you must pick it up from. Caps and gowns will not be shipped to a graduate’s personal address if the graduate has selected to pick them up at the Lancaster location during Graduate Salute.

If you miss the order cut-off dates for Lancaster pickup, or shipping to your home, regalia will also be available for purchase in the bookstore on the Hawk Hill campus from April 17 through Commencement.
 

Class Rings, Announcements and Diploma Frames

Class rings, graduation announcements and diploma frames are available for purchase in the University Bookstore. Graduates can also purchase their ring, announcements or frame online. Shipping time for class rings is approximately six to eight weeks.

Diplomas

Approximately six weeks after Commencement, you will receive your diploma through the mail. It is delivered to the address you selected when you applied to graduate. Saint Joseph’s University bachelor's and master's degree diplomas are 20 inches wide and 16 inches high and in Latin, and will be mailed with a generic English translation; your information will not be displayed on the translation. These diplomas do not have an English version available. Associate degree diplomas are 12 inches wide and 10 inches high and in English. 

Why is the date on my diploma different from my Commencement date? 

All students who graduate in a given term are awarded on the same date. The date on the graduation application, and ultimately, the date on your diploma and transcript, reflect the date in which your degree is awarded and not necessarily the date of your specific ceremony.

Photography

Ceremony photography will be provided by Melissa Kelly Photography. Please visit the gallery website or text SJU2026 to 90738 to sign up for graduation photo communications via text. Photos will be available to view and purchase on or before May 30. For more information, please email admin@melissakelly.com.

Cap and Gown Photo Session 

You will have the opportunity to purchase a photo session of yourself in your cap and gown with Melissa Kelly Photography during the Graduate Salute on April 17, 2026, from noon-5 p.m. Sign up in advance by visiting the appointment site and clicking on your preferred time slot. Photo sessions are available in 10-minute increments. 

If you would like a picture in your cap and gown, please make sure you arrive in time to pick up your cap and gown on site prior to your appointment time. Ironed and steamed gowns will be available to use for portraits, but graduates will need to supply their own primary major hoods, caps and tassels from their regalia pack. Once proofs are ready, you will be emailed information on how to view your photos and select a photo package for purchase.

Guest Information

  • All guests attending the ceremony are required to present a ticket for entry — be sure your graduate shares the graduation tickets with you before the event. Small children who will be sitting on an adult's lap do not require a ticket.

    Please note that doors close at 1:55 p.m. and all guests must be seated. Any guests arriving after 1:55 p.m. will be asked to wait in the concourse until the processional is complete and graduates are seated. 

  • The following items are prohibited:

    • Noisemakers
    • Laser pointers
    • Blow horns
    • Balloons
    • Large signs
    • Coolers
    • Glass beverage containers
    • Weapons of any sort
    • Other distracting, noise-making devices that could interfere with the integrity of the event.
    • Strollers may be limited based on space and seating. Umbrella strollers are recommended.

    Large bags are not permitted in the venue (unless it’s a diaper bag or medical necessity). Lastly, we ask that guests and graduates refrain from standing on chairs or rushing the stage area to try to get a picture; we have professional photographers for that purpose.

  • For a complete list of garages and lots in the area, please visit the Lancaster Parking Authority website. The closest parking garage to the event location is Penn Square Garage (25-51 East Vine Street), Steinman Park Garage (35 S Prince Street), Mifflin Street Lot (146 East Mifflin Street), E. King Street Garage (150 East King Street) or Prince Street Garage (111 N. Prince Street). 

    On-street parking is also available and is monitored by the Lancaster Parking Authority. For more information, visit their website here, which lists rates, operating hours and acceptable payments. Please note that parking in Lancaster City does fill up quickly, so make sure to allow yourself enough time to find a place to park.

  • Seating will be available for those guests requiring special accommodations. If you or your guests are in need of handicapped seating, please fill out this form.