Please call the bookstore at 609.544.5540 with any questions regarding cap and gown orders.

Watch this short video for a quick and easy tutorial from Roscoe!

Cords are not distributed for Latin honors. Please visit the campus bookstore to exchange the blue and gold tassel that accompanies the cap and gown for the gold honor tassel. Your honors will be printed on your diploma, which you will receive in the mail after final grades are processed. If you are part of any honor societies, please contact them directly regarding obtaining honor cords and whether they provide them or offer them for purchase.

Please follow campus signage and directions from Campus Police to designated parking areas.

Mobility-impaired guests may be dropped off at the Trenton Hall circle. Golf carts are available to transport these guests to desired campus locations.

All graduates should head to C Street (the road between Lions Stadium and the Recreation Center) to Graduate Check-In to line up for the graduate processional. Graduates should line up 30 minutes prior to their ceremony.

The gates will open to guests 30 minutes prior to each ceremony. Guests are asked not to congregate outside of the stadium and to wait until the gates are open to enter.

There is no assigned seating; seating is first come, first served. Once guests have taken their seats, we ask that they remain seated for the duration of the program.

Guests in need of accessible seating can be dropped off at Trenton Hall, where drivers will transport them via golf carts to Lions Stadium. Graduates will need to complete an Accessible Seating Form to request guest tickets to the accessible seating area.

We recommend that graduates whose guests require American Sign Language interpretation request seating by completing an Accessible Seating Form.

In accordance with Lions Stadium security guidelines, we ask that all bags, packages, and containers not exceed 12”x12”x6”. Medically necessary items will be admitted.

Yes, service dogs are permitted at commencement. Emotional support animals and family pets should remain at home.

Yes, a livestream of each ceremony will be available via a link on the college’s homepage on May 21-22 or via this website. Recordings of the ceremonies will also be available in the days following the ceremonies.

Double majors may attend more than one school ceremony if their majors are part of two schools.

Dual education majors may attend the School of Education ceremony and the school ceremony for their content area.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Special Education, and Urban Education majors who are receiving their bachelor’s degree in 2026 as part of a five-year master’s program may attend BOTH the school ceremony for their content area AND the School of Education ceremony.

Secondary Education majors will attend the school ceremony for their major and may also attend the School of Education ceremony.

Yes, guests are permitted to take photos/videos during the commencement ceremonies. We ask that guests be respectful of others and not obstruct their view of the event.

Yes, professional photos taken by an external vendor will be available for purchase following commencement. Visit Lors Photography to place your order.

For the safety of all guests, please leave your personal drones at home.

Yes, the TCNJ bookstore in Campus Town will offer extended hours during the two-day commencement celebration and will have alumni gear, diploma frames, and other gifts for grads on hand. On May 21-22, it will be open 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

Your commencement ceremony will take place outside in Lions Stadium, rain or shine. However, in the event of severe weather, your ceremony will be moved to the Recreation Center at the originally scheduled time.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences/School of Business graduates only: Because of space constraints and the size of your graduating class, you are allotted only two guest tickets each if your ceremony is moved indoors. Severe weather guest tickets must be ordered in advance and are required at the door. Please order online now; view instructions.

Guests without severe weather tickets may view a simulcast of your ceremony in the Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall in the Music Building. All ceremonies will also be livestreamed on the commencement website.

Severe weather notifications will be shared on the TCNJ commencement website and the tcnj.edu homepage.

Yes. Guests may view live simulcasts of the commencement ceremonies in the Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall in the Music Building.

Tickets are not required for the outdoor Lions Stadium ceremonies unless you are requesting space in the accessible seating area.

We ask that graduates limit your guests to five attendees each.

The commencement ceremony is an outdoor event. Guests and graduates are encouraged to dress for the weather and to wear comfortable shoes, as the bleachers and stadium turf can get hot. High heels are strongly discouraged.

Plan to meet your family/guests at the campuswide reception in the Brower Student Center or at an academic celebration if your department or school announces that it is holding such a celebration after your stadium ceremony. Please contact your department/school directly for more information about those celebrations. We encourage students and their guests to determine their meetup location in advance and head directly there after the stadium ceremony.

Yes, a reception in the Brower Student Center will feature complimentary refreshments on both Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.–8 p.m. All are welcome!

Certificate recipients do not participate in commencement. You will receive your certificate in the mail after final grades are processed.

Show some Lions love by ordering a personalized brick in Alumni Grove. Bricks are available in two sizes: 4”x8” ($160) and 8”x8” ($370). Each brick order includes a keepsake mini brick. Class of 2026 graduates and families receive 15% off until June 30, making the discounted prices $136 and $314.50, respectively.

If you placed an order before February 16, it will be installed by commencement; mini bricks can be picked up at commencement or mailed. Bricks ordered February 17–June 30 will be installed in October, with mini brick replicas sent by mail.

Your tax-deductible brick purchase directly supports the TCNJ Alumni Association’s efforts to keep Lions connected through meaningful events, active alumni chapters, professional networking, and cherished TCNJ traditions like Homecoming and Alumni Weekend.

If you purchased a brick by February 16, it will be installed in the Alumni Grove (between the R. Barbara Gitenstein Library and Eickhoff Hall) in time for commencement. Orders placed February 17–June 30 will be installed in the fall. Find your installed brick easily via the Alumni Brick Locator.

In an effort to be fiscally and environmentally sustainable, the college will provide a digital-only commencement program on May 21-22. Download the digital program book, which contains a full list of graduates’ names, by scanning the QR code displayed at the stadium during commencement or by visiting the commencement website beginning May 21.

If you would like a printed version, you can order a keepsake commencement program online for $10 (including shipping) through June 5. Programs will print and ship over the summer to ensure the most accurate list of graduates; we anticipate a mid-July ship date.

Those who attend a school-specific commencement ceremony in Lions Stadium will receive a one-page printed schedule of events.