Academic Regalia

If you plan to walk at the EVMS Legacy Ceremony, you must wear proper regalia (gown, hood, tassel, mortarboard or tam). Graduates have the option to request in-store pick up at the VHS Bookstore or ship their regalia to a home address. The cost of regalia as well as direct shipping costs to the location of your choice is covered; however, you must place the order on your own.

The regalia ordering deadlines are as follows:

• The ordering deadline for Bookstore pick up is Monday, March 24^th.
• The ordering deadline for ship-to-home orders is Friday, April 18^th.

It typically takes 2 to 4 weeks to receive regalia, so if you select the ship-to-home option, we recommend that you place your order early to ensure it arrives in time for the ceremony. Orders placed after the deadline may incur expedited shipping fees at the graduate’s expense and are not guaranteed to arrive prior to the ceremony. Additionally, for our international students - shipping may be delayed to international addresses. Please do not wait until the deadline to place your order. 

Class of 2025 - Order your Regalia

Graduates are responsible for bringing regalia to the ceremony on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Staff will be on site to assist with donning regalia, but please make note of some general recommendations below:

Before the Ceremony

• When your regalia arrives, immediately remove regalia from its packaging and ensure that all items are included (gown, hood, tassel, mortarboard or tam).
• Iron or steam regalia to remove wrinkles prior to the ceremony.

Hoods

Master’s level candidates will wear their hoods as they process into the arena. All Doctoral candidates will carry their hoods over the left arm and will be hooded on stage. To wear:

• Front: Place the narrowest part of the hood over the graduate's head - velvet facing up, black cord facing down.
• Back: Turn the inside satin panels to face outward.

Mortarboard (Master's)

Your cap should be worn so that the mortarboard is parallel with the ground, with the tassel placed to the left.

Tam (Doctoral)

The tam should be worn with one of the corners facing forward, bringing a point between your eyes. Adjust the top of the tam to have a slight tilt to the right. The top should have a slight puff to it.

Tassel

Should be worn to the left (Note: there is no turning of the tassel from right to left for Master's and Doctoral level graduates).

View a quick video for how to properly wear Master's & Doctoral regalia.

Master's candidates

All Master’s level candidates will wear their hoods as they process into the arena.

Doctoral candidates

All Doctoral (Ph.D., D.H.Sc., D.M.Sc., Ed.D. and MD) candidates will carry their hoods over the left arm and will be hooded on stage.

Doctor of Medicine (MD) candidates have the opportunity to be hooded on stage during the ceremony by family members who meet the Doctoral Hooding Commencement Policy. Those who are eligible will submit a request for approval through the registration site. Upon approval, eligible graduates will be contacted with all necessary information about your (and your family member’s) role in the Advanced Degree Ceremony. If you have any questions, please email VHS Special Events.

Graduates are permitted to wear up to two national honor society cords and/or one national honor society stole with their academic regalia, if they were:

• Identified, presented or provided by a program,
• Earned or awarded while at EVMS, and
• Approved for wear at the EVMS Legacy Ceremony.

The approved cord(s) may be worn with the graduate’s academic regalia, with hood worn over the cord(s). The approved stole may be worn with the graduate’s academic regalia, with stole worn over the hood. No other embellishments to the academic regalia including cap, gown, tam or hood shall be permitted.

Listed below are the approved honor cords & stoles for graduates:

• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AΩA)
• Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health
• Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS)
• Military Cords
• Pi Alpha Honor Society
• Student Government Association Executive Committee
• Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society

Learn more about approved Honor Societies and Cords.