Penn State New Kensington Commencement — Cap, Gown, Tassel & Regalia Guide

Penn State New Kensington requires all participating graduates to wear full academic regalia for commencement. Baccalaureate and associate degree candidates must wear a traditional gown and mortarboard cap with tassel. Caps and gowns must be ordered from the campus Bookstore by the specified deadline (March 31 for spring commencement).

For undergraduates, the official regalia is a blue gown and blue mortarboard, paired with a white tassel. The tassel is worn on the right front edge of the cap until the degree is officially conferred, at which point graduates move it to the left. Graduates are required to show up in their regalia — no gowns or caps will be provided on-site at the ceremony.

Honor cords and stoles are permitted only when officially issued or approved by the University. At New Kensington, cords from recognized honor societies — such as Lambda Pi Eta, Phi Zeta Gamma, Psi Chi, and Tau Alpha Pi — are allowed. Student-athletes receiving academic honors may be provided approved stoles. Graduates awarded academic distinction, or eligible veterans, may receive approved cords. Other decorative stoles, sashes, ribbons, or non-approved accessories are not allowed.

The commencement day follows a strict check-in and lineup schedule; graduates are advised to check their regalia for accuracy in advance, steam the gowns to remove wrinkles, and wear business or business-casual attire under the gown. Diplomas are mailed after degree verification — not distributed at the ceremony.

Notably — there is no publicly available official handbook or PDF on the New Kensington campus site that defines discipline-based tassel, hood, stole, or sash color schemes for academic fields, nor any documented master’s or doctoral-level regalia color guide. Therefore, any retail or listing claim of specific hood colors, field-based stoles, or doctoral regalia for New Kensington is speculative and not grounded in published policy.

• Blue gown and blue mortarboard cap with white tassel — official undergraduate regalia.
• Tassel on right until degree is conferred; move to left when prompted.
• Caps, gowns and tassels must be ordered via Penn State New Kensington Bookstore (order by March 31).
• Official honor cords allowed from recognized societies (e.g. Lambda Pi Eta, Phi Zeta Gamma, Psi Chi, Tau Alpha Pi), plus stoles for PSUAC-honored student-athletes, distinction graduates, and eligible veterans.
• No unofficial stoles, sashes, ribbons or decorative accessories permitted.
• Graduates must arrive in regalia; no cap/gown provided at ceremony.
• Diplomas are mailed post-completion; gown should be steamed before ceremony; business or business-casual attire recommended under gown.
• No public documentation found for discipline-specific tassel/hood colors, master’s or doctoral regalia color schemes at New Kensington.

Note: To confirm the exact colors of the graduation gown, cap, tassel, honor cords, and stoles for your specific program at Pennsylvania State University New Kensington , you can reach out directly to the college's administration or the office responsible for commencement and student services. They can provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding academic regalia.