Commencement

Doors to the Great American Hall in the Hershey Lodge open at 12:15 p.m.

ADA guests are asked to enter through the Red Room of the hall, closest to the escalators and elevator for entry slightly earlier.

The Penn State College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony will be taking place at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

Students, faculty and guests can use general parking at the Hershey Lodge

Commencement will be located in the Great American Hall, a combination of the Red, White and Blue Rooms. View a map to the conference hall.

Each program (MD, PA, and Grad) will host a hooding event before Commencement. This provides a personalized experience for students to be hooded by a person of their choosing, including (but not limited to) a faculty member, advisor, classmate or loved one.

During each hooding event, there will be brief remarks from program leadership, a student speaker and hooding as a group. Hooding events will last no more than 30 minutes and are optional to attend. Family members are welcome to join students at this event.

Once event concludes, guests must exit the Great American Hall so staff can reset the room for Commencement. Saving of seats is not permitted and items left behind will be removed.

Physician Assistant Hooding Event

Thursday, May 14, 2026 | Doors: 6:00 p.m. | Start: 6:15 p.m.

Englewood Hershey

Medical Hooding Event

Saturday, May 16, 2026 | Doors: 8:30 a.m. | Start: 9:00 a.m.

Great American Hall, Hershey Lodge

Graduate Hooding Event

Saturday, May 16, 2026 | Doors: 10:00 a.m. | Start: 10:30 a.m.

Great American Hall, Hershey Lodge

Dr. Michael Kupferman

Chief Executive Officer for Penn State Health

No decorating of regalia/mortar boards and no political signs or flags will be permitted within the venue by students and/or their guests.

Tickets are not required for the Commencement ceremony.

Jostens is the college’s contracted vendor for announcements and regalia. All students who participate in the ceremony are required to purchase a full regalia set which includes a cap or tam, tassel, gown and hood. You can place your order directly through the Jostens website. Please note that your order can take up to five weeks to ship. Please order early! We are not responsible if you order late and cannot get regalia.

Cost

Master Regalia Set: cap, gown, hood and tassel - $52.50 + tax + $12.45 (Shipping)
Doctor Regalia Set: tam, gown, hood and tassel - $92.65 + tax + $12.45 (Shipping)
Express shipping is an additional $20.00 on top of the standard shipping.

How to Order

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to order regalia from the Jostens website:

1. Select Student Ship to Home from the Collection drop-down menu

2. Select Masters or Doctorate

3. Click Gown Fit

4. Input Height --> Input Weight --> click Next

5. Click Major/Curriculum

6. Under Major/Curriculum, select one of the following, then click Continue:

   • Medicine (MD)

   • Philosophy (PhD)

   • Masters of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)

   • Masters of Science (MS)

   • Masters Public Health (MPH)

   • Masters of Professional Studies in Homeland Security (MPS)

   • Click Add to Cart and continue to checkout

Regalia should be ordered NO LATER than Friday, April 3, 2026.

For MD/PhD graduates who require two hoods, you will need to call Jostens Consumer Contact Center directly to order the additional hood. Contact: 800-854-7464, 1 or 2 for language preference, x15014.

Prior to graduation day, graduates should take the regalia out of their bag to ensure the correct set has been sent and to eliminate visible creases.

Hood (Colors)

As part of the regalia set, graduates will have an academic hood, which will be placed on them during the ceremony, after receiving their diplomas. The hood color represents the university and degree/discipline. All Penn State hoods will have an inner lining of blue and white; the velvet trim will be represented as follows:

• Medicine (MD) – Green

• Philosophy (PhD) – Royal Blue

• Masters of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) - Green

• Masters of Science (MS) – Gold

• Dr/Ph Public Health (MPH)– Salmon

• Masters of Professional Studies in Homeland Security (MPS) – White

The Jostens system will automatically apply the corresponding hood color based on the degree selected. Students will not need to select a color.

Penn State Regalia (Fine Quality Option)

Graduates also have the option of purchasing the official Penn State University fine quality, custom doctoral regalia. For more information, please visit the Jostens website for Penn State.