Dress Code, Regalia Ordering, and
Cord Information

For those who selected to participate in the commencement ceremony:

You will be sent an access code to your sentara.edu email address. This code is one time use only and is unique to you. Do NOT share your code.

Your regalia package includes your gown, hood, cap, and tassel. Regalia packages will ship directly to the college. The fee for regalia is included in your graduation fee, which was paid at the beginning of Summer 2024.

SCOPE Members & Active/Veteran Military Cords: If you are an active member of our military or a veteran (thank you for your service!) or if you are a member of SCOPE, you have the option to purchase cords at the same time you submit for your regalia. The cords are $11.50 each and must be paid for at the time you submit for your regalia. Cords will ship directly to the college.

**If you are a board member for SCOPE, the college will provide a cord for you.**

If you are member of SNSA or Sigma Theta Tau, please scroll down for information on how to purchase member cords.

For step-by-step instructions on how to submit for your regalia package and/or purchase cords, please click here.

Click here to order your regalia package.

The deadline to order is June 14, 2024. There are absolutely NO exceptions.

Regalia has arrived! Please see the schedule below for your pick up date/time. You do not need to turn in your student ID badge to pick up your regalia. 

MENP = After you finish your proctored exam on Monday, July 15th, please stop by the Office of the Registrar (Office 101) to pick up your regalia package.
MSN-CNL = please check your email 

NOTE: If you would like another person to pick up your items for you, please email their name to registrar@sentara.edu. Unless they are a fellow student, they will need to provide photo ID. 

Graduates must be in proper academic regalia (cap, gown, hood, and academic tassel) to participate in the Commencement & Pinning Ceremony. The degree that students earn from Sentara College of Health Sciences is represented by the academic gown and hood worn at Commencement. The tassel is worn to the right side of the cap prior to the degree being conferred and on the left side after the degree is conferred.

Your regalia gown should hit below your knee to mid-shin.

The following are PERMITTED: dress pants/skirts/dresses, dress shoes (black/navy preferred), cultural heritage stoles, GPA honor cords, veterans' cords, and Sentara College's organizations' membership cords (e.g. SNSA, SCOPE). For your own safety, we strongly recommend shoes with no heel as you will be walking up and down a steep incline/decline in the auditorium.

The following are PROHIBITED: unapproved graduation accessories or gown and/or hood alterations.

Please use the guidelines below if you choose to decorate your graduation cap. To have your cap reviewed, please contact Mrs. Brioso-Ang at vbrioso-ang@sentara.edu, to set up an approval day/time. 

Failure to follow the guidelines below will result in the removal of the cap. Graduates will be provided with a replacement cap (limited supply). If none are available, you will be denied the ability to walk in the commencement ceremony.

• Only the flat, top area of the cap may be decorated. 

• Only the tassel that comes with the cap is allowed to dangle or hang from the cap. Bows, flowers, chains, letters, etc. are strictly prohibited.

• Decorations must be flat to the surface of the cap. 3-D creations are prohibited. Nothing can be raised more than 1/2 inch off the top of the cap. 

• The cap’s decoration cannot contain advertisement, symbols, abbreviations, initials, words, slogans, patches, or pictures that refer to drugs or controlled substances, illegal activity, tobacco, alcohol, weapons, politics, anything of a sexual or inappropriate nature, or anything that advocates disruptive behavior detrimental to the safety and welfare of others. 

• There should be no language or imagery that can directly/indirectly be interpreted or inferred to be obscene, vulgar, or lewd. 

• Loose glitter on the cap is NOT permitted. The use of glitter glue is permitted. 

• The cap CANNOT make/emit noise or light up. Bells, horns, blinking or steady lights, or anything that emits disruptions or distractions during the ceremony are strictly prohibited.

Considerations for decorating your cap:
Thank a parent, grandparent, significant other, professor, advisor, or friend; recognize the field or job you are entering, a branch of the military that you serve or served in, inspirational quotes, symbols, or powerful sentiments.

Honor cords will be available after all grades have been posted and all GPAs have been calculated.  Those receiving an honor cord will be notified via their sentara.edu email with instructions on when and how to pick up.

Honor designations will be awarded to graduates based on the following scale (cumulative GPAs are not rounded):

• • • Summa Cum Laude -- 3.86 - 4.00

    • Magna Cum Laude -- 3.66 - 3.85

    • Cum Laude -- 3.50 - 3.65

Those with a 4.00 GPA will receive a red cord and those with a 3.50-3.99 GPA will receive a gold cord. The red and gold cords will be provided by the college and are yours to keep.

**If you are an officer for the Sentara Nursing Students' Association, the college will provide a cord for you.**

If you are not an officer and would like to purchase your own cord, you are welcome to do so through the National Student Nurses Association's (NSNA) website. Click here to order your member cord. The member cords come in a package of 5. You can get together with your fellow classmates to split the cost.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Shipping times may vary. It is important to order as soon as possible to better ensure delivery by the end of the term.

  • If you'd like to know more information on shipping times, contact NSNA directly.

• Please have cords shipped directly to your home.

• If you order through NSNA and have any issues with your order, please contact them directly as we do not support orders through their site.

• Purchasing a cord is not required.

If you are a member of the STTI Honor Society - Chi Kappa Chapter (Sentara College's chapter), you are welcome to purchase an honor cord and/or stole.

Click here to purchase the honor cord.

Click here to purchase the stole.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Shipping times may vary. It is important to order as soon as possible to better ensure delivery by the end of the term.

  • If you'd like to know more information on shipping times, contact STTI directly.

• Please have cords/stoles shipped directly to your home.

• If you order through STTI and have any issues with your order, please contact them directly as we do not support orders through their site.

• Purchasing a cord/stole is not required.

"Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions, and values" (International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2020). Sentara College of Health Sciences recognizes the rich diversity of the college's student body and embraces representation in the form of approved stoles.

Graduates may wear approved cultural heritage based stoles (see information below). The only customization permitted is "Class of 2024." No other customization is permitted (no logos, designs, pins, or other wording can be on the stoles).

Please read the instructions on how to design your stole FIRST. Incorrectly ordering your stole will result in the inability to wear it at the commencement ceremony.

1. Click here for instructions on how to design your stole and place your order.

2. Stoles are $55.00 each (shipping/tax not included).

Click here to purchase your stole.