Commencement Cap and Gown Rental

The below deadlines apply to the May 2025 commencement ceremony. Deadlines for regalia ordering for the May 2026 commencement ceremony will be published in November 2025.

• It is in your best interest to order regalia by April 3, 2025 to pay the discounted cost and to receive your regalia in a timely manner.
• Graduation regalia will be shipped directly to students from Herff-Jones, within 2-3 weeks upon submitting your order, to the shipping address provided on the order.
• If you do not order a cap and gown by April 10, 2025 contact the Office of the Registrar to obtain a “bulk order rental form”, which can be taken to the Marian University Bookstore April 22-25, 2025 to rent regalia from the bulk order shipment. Bulk order regalia will be available for pick-up in the bookstore April 28 - May 2 during regular weekday business hours as posted on their website. Limited quantities and sizes available on a first come, first served basis.
• If you have not arranged your cap and gown rental by April 25, 2025 you will not be able to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. This is a firm deadline.

Regalia is directly shipped to students from Herff-Jones if the online order is placed by the published deadline. Students should promptly verify that all regalia received is correct. Students should work directly with Herff-Jones if any regalia items are missing or incorrect based on the descriptions below for each degree level.

• Associate/Bachelor Regalia: The gown color is midnight blue. The Marian University seal patch will be affixed on the upper left side of the gown. A mortarboard with a navy and gold tassel completes the associate/bachelor regalia. Picture of associate/bachelor regalia
• Master Regalia: The gown color is midnight blue. The Marian University seal patch will be affixed on the upper left side of the gown and the gown sleeves are visibly longer than a bachelor gown. The master hood should display the Marian University blue and gold colors and the appropriate degree color. A mortarboard with a navy and gold tassel completes the master regalia. Picture of master regalia

The degree colors for master hoods are as follows:

• Biomedical Science = Science Gold
• Counseling, Education = Light Blue
• Exercise Science = Sage Green
• Leadership Practice = White

• Doctoral Regalia: The gown color is midnight blue with midnight blue velvet panels braided with gold. The Marian University seal patch will be affixed to both the left and right side of the velvet yoke. Three velvet patches run down the side of each arm sleeve. The doctoral hood should display the Marian University blue and gold colors and the appropriate degree color. A six-sided black tam with a navy and gold tassel completes the doctoral regalia. Picture of doctoral regalia (Note the picture depicts a gold tassel, but the included tassel will be navy and gold.)

The degree colors for doctoral hoods are as follows:

• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine = Kelly Green
• Doctor of Nursing Practice = Apricot
• Doctor of Education = Light Blue

• Regalia ordered online must be returned to Herff-Jones by mail promptly after commencement, using the return label that was provided with your shipment.
• Regalia rented from the bulk order shipment at the bookstore must be returned to the Marian University Bookstore in Alumni Hall immediately following the commencement ceremony.

• Graduates may keep their cap or tam and tassel.

Once cap and gown rentals have been ordered and paid for, they are processed for shipment. Instructions on how to return unused items within 30 days of purchase are included in the shipment package.

You can cancel your entire order, if you choose. Contact our local Herff-Jones Representative at 317.578.8130 for instructions on how to cancel, return, and receive a refund on your order.

Refunds are only available up until the scheduled commencement date. Refunds are not available on or after the commencement date, regardless of attendance/participation at commencement.

All Ed.D graduates are hooded by their faculty committee chair. Marian University faculty members are responsible for their own regalia.

DNP and DO graduates are able to select a guest hooder. If you select a guest hooder (someone whose office is not in the Evans Center) for the Commencement Ceremony, your guest hooder may choose to either rent regalia, wear their own personal regalia, or not wear regalia and dress in business professional attire. 

If you will have a Marian University faculty member hooding you, they will be responsible for their own regalia.

• Click on the “Graduation regalia for faculty, staff, and academic hooding” link to submit orders for your guest hooder. DO NOT order regalia for your guest hooder on the student regalia link posted above.
• The deadline for your guest hooder to order regalia is published on the above-linked page. This is a firm deadline, with NO exceptions. In the rare circumstance that your guest hooder does not order by the deadline, they will not have the option to wear regalia unless they are able to provide their own.
• Graduation regalia will be shipped directly from Herff-Jones, within 2-3 weeks upon submitting your order, to the shipping address provided on the order.

• If you are interested in purchasing your regalia instead of renting regalia, contact the Registrar's Office at regis@marian.edu before the end of February to request a purchase order. Purchase orders will need to be submitted directly to Herff-Jones at least two months prior to the commencement ceremony.
• If you are not attending commencement, but want to purchase the “keep” items that come with the rented regalia, you can purchase Marian graduation accessories by going to https://www.collegegradshop.com/.