Congratulations Class of 2026!

The commencement checklist provides the steps a student must take, in advance, to participate.

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Step 1

Order Your Cap And Gown (Regalia)

Online ordering for your academic regalia (cap & gown) is opening soon! You should wear your regalia at both the Arching Ceremony on campus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 and the Commencement Ceremony at Prudential Center on Thursday, May 14, 2026.

• The Bachelor’s package (for undergraduates) is $86.00 and includes a black cap & gown, degree color tassel, zipper pull, and Ramapo stole*. * Note the stole does not ship to home and will need to be picked up at Grad Fair or the Bookstore.
• The Master’s package (for graduate students) is $98.00 and includes a maroon cap & gown, degree color tassel, zipper pull, and hood.
• The Doctoral packages (for doctoral students) there are two options for doctoral gowns. For more information and to place your order, email tking@ramapo.edu.

This year you have the choice of ordering your regalia with free shipping to campus to pick up at the Grad Fair on Thursday, April 16, 2026.  Or you may have it shipped directly to your home (S&H fees apply).

 

Order Dates:

Now through March 13 – Accepting regalia orders for in-person pick-up at the Grad Fair on April 16 or Bookstore after April 16. Accepting Doctoral regalia orders to be shipped home

Now through April 17 – Accepting regalia orders to be shipped home (Masters & Bachelors)

Order your Regalia today

For questions related to regalia (cap & gown), please email bookstore@ramapo.edu.

 

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Step 2

Submit The Graduation Application

NOW (no later than April 1st)

In order for your name to be listed in the Commencement program you must submit your graduation application by Wednesday, April 1, 2026*.

The online graduation application is accessible after you meet with your advisor for a degree audit and access to the application is approved. View instructions on the application process. A graduation application is required to earn your Ramapo degree regardless of participation in Commencement and related events. Participating in Commencement does not guarantee graduation.

We strongly advise that you schedule your degree audit meeting with your advisor before Spring Break!

*Graduates submitting their application after April 1st will not be listed in the Commencement Program.

For questions related to your eligibility to graduate, your graduation application, and/or the processing of your diploma, please contact the Office of the Registrar directly at grad@ramapo.edu.

ATTENTION: Graduation Application Due: April 1!

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Step 3

Visit and Share the Commencement Website

For all Arching/Hooding & Commencement details visit ramapo.edu/commencement

Share with family and friends!  The Arching and the commencement ceremony will be live streamed here.

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Step 4

Attend Grad 45

On March 30, we celebrate the RCNJ Class of 2026 and the eve of our countdown: Grad45-Forty Five Days Until Commencement! Join your peers from 7 – 9 p.m. in Friends Hall as we start the official countdown clock to commencement, record a video message for the JumboTron at the Prudential Center, enjoy food, build the official class playlist and more. The first 100 graduates in attendance will enter into a raffle for free Ramapo swag.

Questions? Email commencement@ramapo.edu.

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Step 5

Register for Arching & Hooding Ceremonies

The Arching Ceremony is open to all graduates (bachelors, masters, and doctoral). Registration will open on April 1. There is no cost to attend but an RSVP by the graduate is required by May 2.

Hooding Ceremonies are a special recognition for graduates receiving a final master’s or doctoral degree. As with Commencement, all faculty and students wear academic regalia at Hooding. All candidates are individually recognized and hooded at the Hooding Ceremony. The Hooding Ceremony is for graduate students and their guests only and does not replace Commencement. The Commencement Ceremony, held the next day, includes graduate and undergraduate students and is the official conferring of degrees.

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Step 6

Stop by The Grad Fair

11 a.m. – 4:30  p.m at the Alumni Lounges (SC 156-158) on April 16, 2026.

Class of 2026, Grad Fair is the one day only, one-stop shop to get everything you need for Arching & the Commencement ceremony.

At the Grad Fair you can pick up your cap, gown and stole. You will also be able to obtain ceremony information, take a picture and record a greeting for the JumboTron, get entered to win multiple raffle prizes (graduation photo package, diploma frame, and more)!

The following are some of the resources available: Regalia Pick-up (pre-ordered) and Stoles, RSVP to Arching & Hooding, Photos and Video Recordings (see below for more), Take your Senior Survey, Support the Senior Legacy Drive, Pick Up your Reader Card, Financial Aid Office, Ramapo Bookstore, Balfour Class Rings, etc.

For those graduates unable to attend the fair, stoles and shipped to store regalia can be picked up from the Bookstore starting April 17th. For after hour pick up please email bookstore@ramapo.edu to request it be available at the CSI Office across the hall from the bookstore.

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Step 7

Join the Senior Legacy Drive

We’re not just leaving Ramapo College; we’re leaving a legacy! As graduating seniors, you can unite to leave your legacy at RCNJ. With your gift of $20.26 or greater to the Fund for Ramapo College, you will receive this year’s commemorative senior t-shirt or you can choose your very own legacy package.

Parents and friends, if you would like to make a gift in your graduate’s name, a portion of the gift will benefit the 2025-26 Fund for Ramapo College. Parents are also welcome to purchase a graduating senior parent shirt this year.

Get a head start and pre-order your legacy package today!

Senior Legacy Drive

For more information, contact: Andrea Buser ’06, andreab@ramapo.edu, (201) 684-6819

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Step 8

Cap Decorating

Design a cap that reflects your journey!  More details to be shared in the coming weeks.

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Step 9

Take the Senior Survey

We want your feedback!  Take a moment to take the senior survey once it goes live later this Spring!

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Step 10

Arching Day

Ramapo College will host Class of 2026 graduates and guests for the time-honored tradition of Arching on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The Arching Ceremony begins at 4:45 p.m. and is held at the Arch.

Arching ceremonies mark both the beginning and ending of the Ramapo College experience. On their first day as Ramapo students, the Class of 2026 students processed up Mansion Road and through the Arch where they were greeted by our College President. On May 13, 2026, graduates of the Class of 2026 will process through the Arch and down Mansion Road as it is lined with cheering families, friends, faculty, and staff. This signifies the completion of the Ramapo experience.

More Information on Arching Day

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Step 11

Commencement

The RCNJ Commencement will take place at the Prudential Center on Thursday, May 14. Doors will open 7:30 a.m. and the processional will begin at 8:40 a.m.

All degrees are officially conferred at the Commencement Ceremony.

More Information on the Commencement Ceremony