Commencement

If you have any questions, please contact commencement@etown.edu.

Visit our Around the Region page to explore the area surrounding Elizabethtown College and discover exclusive discounts from local businesses for College affiliates. Information is available on accommodations, dining, and entertainment.

Class Rings can be purchased through Balfour. A selection of Elizabethtown College class rings is now on display in the College Store and can also be purchased online through Balfour. Contact Etown's Balfour Representative Tina Stenman for assistance with ordering class rings.

All regalia items including caps, gowns, hoods, tassels, and additional accessories can be purchased online. Orders are due by Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

Diploma Frames can be purchased through the College Store in-person or online. More options and personalization can be purchased through Church Hill Classics.

Yard signs can be ordered online through the Etown College Store.

Personalized Commencement Gifts can be ordered through Print Services and should be ordered by April 9, 2026, to be sure they are received by Commencement. Print Services offers the following:

• Personalized Commencement Shirts
• Personalized Commencement Stickers
• Personalized Commencement Gifts

Elizabethtown College Print Services is offering personalized Commencement Announcements and Graduation Party Invitations. These must be ordered by April 9, 2026, to ensure they are ready prior to Commencement.

Yes, live closed-captioning services will be available for those in attendance at both the Commencement ceremony and Baccalaureate and can be accessed by scanning a QR code that will be made available at the events.

As part of the College’s commitment to sustainability, the 2026 Commencement program will be provided in digital format only at the ceremony. The digital program will be available in early May. It can be viewed, downloaded, shared on any device, or printed at home (either in full or by selected pages).

Each graduate will receive a complimentary commemorative program by mail following the ceremony.  Additional copies of the commemorative program will be available for purchase through the College's Print Services Department and will be mailed following the ceremony.

All graduates are required to have full regalia including a cap, gown, and tassel to participate in Commencement, which can be purchased online. The deadline to purchase regalia is April 1, 2026. Garments under regalia should be business casual or business attire. Shoes should be comfortable; shoes with with spiked heels are not recommended.

Families are encouraged to arrive in time to attend Baccalaureate on Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m.

You can arrive for Baccalaureate as early as 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8.

Vehicles transporting guests needing special accommodations may enter Alpha Drive and drop off passengers at the top of The Dell. The drive will be barricaded, and vehicles must stop and request access from Campus Safety personnel stationed at that location.

On the morning of Commencement, Alpha Drive will be open — for drop-offs only — until 9:30 a.m.

After dropping off passengers, vehicles should:

• Follow Alpha Drive to the stop sign at Mount Joy Street
• Turn left onto Mount Joy Street
• Continue to Cedar Street
• Turn left and park in the lot behind Myer Hall

Vehicles with appropriate tags may also use any designated accessible parking spaces on campus.

If the ceremony is relocated to Thompson Gymnasium, guests needing accommodations may be dropped off behind Thompson Gymnasium, and vehicles may park in nearby lots as indicated on the campus map.

Graduates are asked to notify the College in advance if any guests require mobility accommodations by emailing commencement@etown.edu.

Tickets are not required if the ceremony is held on The Dell. Family and friends may sit in designated seating areas (first come, first served) or bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit in shaded areas. Reserved seating on The Dell is limited to graduates and guests needing special accommodations. Seating provided by the College is not shaded.

Each graduate may claim three guest tickets. Tickets for traditional graduates will be distributed at the rehearsal. SGPS students will receive their tickets via mail.

If you are unable to pick up tickets during the rehearsal, May 7, 2026, please contact the Office of  Registration and Records.

Tickets are only required if the ceremony is moved indoors. Due to limited seating in Thompson Gymnasium, additional tickets are not available. Overflow seating will be provided in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center and Gibble Auditorium for guests without tickets.

Indoor viewing locations for the Commencement livestream will be available in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. If the ceremony is moved indoors to Thompson Gymnasium, Gibble Auditorium will also be available as a viewing location.

The ceremony typically lasts approximately two hours.

Portable restrooms will be available near Myer Residence Hall. ADA-accessible restrooms will be available in Royer Residence Hall. Please note, all other residence halls will be closed. Restrooms will also be available in the Baugher Student Center.

• The Marketplace: Complimentary full breakfast, 6:30 – 9:30 a.m.
• The Jay's Nest: Open 7 – 10 a.m. (Made-to-order options unavailable; convenience items available).
• The Blue Bean Cafe: Open 7 – 10 a.m.
• Light Reception: Held on the BSC Patio following the ceremony if the ceremony is held on The Dell.

The list of candidates for graduation in the Commencement program is compiled before final grades and graduation clearances are finalized; inclusion does not constitute evidence of graduation. Latin Honors and Honors in the Discipline are officially noted only on transcripts and diplomas.

The Commencement ceremony and Baccalaureate will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.

Diplomas will be mailed within one week after final grades have been finalized.

Graduates participating in Commencement must depart college housing by 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

Non-graduating students must depart 24 hours after their last in-person final or by 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, whichever comes first.

Students must adhere to this schedule unless approved by Residence Life for a late stay.