Commencement
Regalia
Students will place an online order for their cap and gown through our regalia provider following instructions from the commencement coordinator. Please place your order before November 11th to ensure your regalia arrives in time for the ceremony. Questions can be directed to caps-sem-gs-commencement@bethel.edu.
Press your gown with a cool iron before commencement. Your cap is to be worn level, not tilted to the side or to the back, with the tassel on the right side. Bethel-approved honor cords, medallions, and nursing pins are the only ornamentation to be worn on top of your gown.
Students may choose to wear a heritage stole at commencement to celebrate their cultural heritage (e.g. African, Latinx, Native American, Asian). Stoles must be no wider than 5 inches and no longer than 72 inches from end to end. The heritage stoles should not include words or numbers. Bethel does not provide heritage stoles; students can order them from a number of vendors.
Veterans and active duty military may also wear stoles. Stoles must be no wider than 5 inches and no longer than 72 inches from end to end. Stoles may include the name of the branch of service and the official symbol of their branch of service. No additional words, numbers, badges or patches may be included. Bethel does not provide veterans’ stoles; students can order them from a number of vendors.
Recommended attire is dark formal dress clothes for under your gown and dark dress shoes.
Commencement Lineup
There is no rehearsal for the commencement ceremony. Instead, you will receive important instructions at graduate lineup. Please arrive at the RC Gym at least 45 minutes prior to your ceremony wearing your regalia. You will be assigned to a specific row and place in line. Shortly before the ceremony start time marshals will lead you from the RC Gym into Benson Great Hall. If you’d like to arrange for accommodations due to the lengthy walk or the use of stairs, please contact the commencement coordinator at caps-sem-gs-commencement@bethel.edu.
You will be seated with others in your program in the center section on the main floor of Benson Great Hall. At the end of the ceremony, marshals will dismiss the platform personnel, faculty, and then graduates. Guests will be dismissed after the graduates and directed to meet you in the Brushaber Commons for the reception.
Diploma and Academic Requirements
Your diploma will bear your legal name (your name on the date of commencement). There are no exceptions. If you plan to change your name shortly before commencement, contact the Office of the Registrar. You will receive a diploma cover at commencement. You will NOT receive your actual diploma. When you have met all academic requirements and other obligations to the university, the Registrar will post your degree to your transcript and mail your diploma to your permanent address. Allow 4 weeks for mailing after your degree is posted.
Obligations include:
- Final Payments
- Library charges
- Parking Fines
- Loan Exit Counseling (if applicable): About 1 month before you graduate, the Office of Financial Aid will send you details about your borrowing history, repayment options, and specific exit instructions. In the meantime, you can visit the National Student Loan Data System, which will provide you with information on your federal student loans.
Photography and Videography
Photography and videography are permitted in Benson Great Hall for brief timeframes. Guests should quickly return to their seat after taking photos of their graduate to free up the aisle for other guests. Tripods are not allowed; monopods are permitted. The ceremony will be live streamed and that recording will be available on our Facebook Page or YouTube Channel about an hour after the ceremony.
Announcements
Formal commencement announcement cards are available for purchase in-person or online in the Campus Store. They are sold in packages of 10 for $19.99
Questions?
Email caps-sem-gs-commencement@bethel.edu with any questions.