• • Wednesday, May 13: Ramapo College will host Class of 2026 graduates and their guests on campus for the time-honored tradition of Arching Day! The Arching Ceremony will begin at 4:45 p.m. Other special recognition programs take place on campus throughout the day.
    • 9:00 a.m.: Nursing Pinning & Hooding Ceremony (Bachelors, Masters & Doctoral)
    • 11:00 a.m.: Rites of Passage Ceremony (Bachelors)
    • 1:00 p.m.: Academic Achievement Ceremony (Bachelors)
    • 2:30 p.m.: Social Work Hooding Ceremony (Masters)
    • 3:00 p.m.: Teacher Education & Special Education Hooding Ceremony (Masters)
    • 3:00 p.m.: MBA/Accounting Hooding Ceremony (Masters)
    • 3:00 p.m.: Data Science/Computer Science/Applied Math & MFA Hooding Ceremony (Masters)
    • 3:00 p.m.: Photo Opportunities and Music in the Grove
    • 4:30 p.m.: Organization/Line-up of Graduates, Faculty, Staff, and Guests
    • 4:45 p.m.: Arching Ceremony along Mansion Road (Bachelors, Masters & Doctoral)
    • 4:45 p.m.: Farewell Reception begins

• • Thursday, May 14: The Ramapo College Class of 2026 Commencement Ceremony will be held at Prudential Center in Newark. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. The ceremony will begin with the academic processional at 8:40 a.m.
    • 6:00 a.m.: Marshals Arrive at Prudential Center (see transportation options below)
    • 7:15 a.m.: Faculty & Staff Processing Arrive at Prudential Center (see transportation options below)
    • 7:30 a.m.: Prudential Center Doors Open for Graduates and Guests
    • 8:40 a.m.: Processional Begins (Ceremony is estimated to be 2.5 hours long)

• MARSHAL: Marshals take on organizational and operational responsibilities during the events, without which the ceremonies would not be possible! Roles are assigned by the Commencement Planning Committee based on prior years’ experiences and individuals’ interests and talents. Training sessions will be held in May for marshals. You may need to work with your supervisor/unit head to adjust your schedule (s) during the week of May 11 in anticipation of the total amount of time you will be expected to spend at these events. Managers will work with you to arrange for flex time, but compensatory time will not be earned.

• PROCESS: Traditionally, faculty and those that teach process. If you process, you will wear academic regalia (see Ceremony Attire below) while watching the ceremony and cheering for our graduates. At Arching, you will line Mansion Road. At the Commencement Ceremony, you will be seated on the arena floor and may then move to congratulate graduates after they cross the stage. In addition, you may choose to start “the wave” or choreograph a flash mob performance. Information will be provided prior to the events with instructions on when to arrive, what to bring, and where to line up.

• MARSHAL: Your attire for Arching will be a Ramapo shirt. Your attire at the Commencement Ceremony will be a Ramapo shirt, a black Bachelors robe, or all black, depending on your assignment.

• PROCESS: If you process, you will wear academic regalia. If you do not own regalia, you may request rental regalia to wear.  The college will rent regalia for anyone who processes at Commencement as well as for anyone who processes at both Arching and Commencement. You will receive an email with details on when and where to pick up your regalia.

• SHUTTLE: Transportation from the College will be available to Newark and will leave at approximately 5:00 a.m. (for marshals) and 6:15 a.m. (for those processing) and will return to the College at the conclusion of the ceremony. You must sign-up for this transportation option when completing the Service Form.

• DRIVE: Parking at the Prudential Center is limited and expensive. The College encourages faculty and staff to carpool to ensure ample parking for our graduates and their families and to help minimize traffic in the area. When completing the Service Form, you are asked the town you are traveling from to help facilitate a carpool among colleagues. Please note this information will only be used for this purpose and will be kept confidential otherwise. Employees will not be reimbursed for parking should they choose to drive to the Prudential Center without a carpool.

Due to limited availability we may not be able to accommodate all requests, priority will be given to those carpooling to Prudential.

• MASS TRANSIT: Prudential Center is easily accessible by NJ Transit trains, PATH, and Light Rail service and is located just two blocks from Newark Penn Station.