Southern Miss wants degree candidates to enjoy this milestone for years to come. Barnes & Noble @ Southern Miss will host Grad Fest for degree candidates to have the convenience of taking care of all of their graduation needs at one time and place. Students may purchase and receive regalia on this day, order invitations, class rings, and visit with other campus representatives. While this event is not mandatory, students are encouraged to receive their regalia early by coming to enjoy Grad Fest on the following dates: 

Hattiesburg Campus (Barnes & Noble): Monday, February 24, 2025 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or Tuesday, February 25, 2025 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

USM Gulf Coast Campus (Barnes & Noble): Thursday, February 20 2025 from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

If students are not able to attend Grad Fest, regalia (caps and gowns) may be ordered from Barnes & Noble at Southern Miss during regular business hours for Spring 2025 beginning February 26, 2025. A late fee will be charged for all orders placed after March 24, 2025.

Please note:  All orders placed in-store after Grad Fest will be available for pick-up at your campus Barnes and Noble Bookstore on Tuesday, May 6 – Wednesday, May 7, 2025, from 8:00am - 5:00pm (Hattiesburg Campus) and 9:00am – 5:00pm (Gulf Coast Campus).

ONLINE REGALIA ORDERING AND PICK UP
Caps and gowns may be ordered online at https://gradsupply.com/usm/ beginning Wednesday, February 26, 2025. The deadline to order your cap & gown for the Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony is Monday, March 31, 2025. A late fee will be charged for all orders starting Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Students are allowed to keep their regalia (cap, gown and tassel) after their ceremony and have the option to pick up in store or have items shipped to them.

In-store pick up for online orders will take place at your campus Barnes and Noble Bookstore Tuesday, May 6 – Wednesday, May 7, 2025, from 8:00am - 5:00pm (Hattiesburg Campus) and 9:00am – 5:00pm (Gulf Park Campus).  If you choose ship-to-home, your order will ship to you for arrival the week of date April 16, 2025.

• Undergraduate Regalia – $57.76 incl. tax (includes cap, gown, and tassel)
• Master’s & Specialists – $106.98 incl. tax (includes cap, gown, hood and tassel)
• Doctoral Tam Package - $140.15 incl. tax (includes deluxe tam w/gold bullion tassel and gown)

o   Graduate School provides Doctoral hoods for their degree candidates.

Caps and gowns may also be ordered in store at Barnes and Noble on both campuses starting February 26, 2025.

Hattiesburg Barnes and Noble    (601) 266-4381

Gulf Park Barnes and Noble        (228) 214-3479

*Orders must be picked up from the campus where the order is placed. Please contact your campus bookstore to arrange a pick up time if you are unable to pick up during the designated pick up dates. 

MASTER'S AND SPECIALISTS HOODS
Master's and Specialists hoods are purchased from Graduate Supply House, Inc. Click here to view the various academic hood colors (disciplines) so that you may choose the appropriate hood color to order.

DOCTORAL HOODS
Doctoral students should not buy a hood. The cost of the hood is included in your doctoral graduation fees. The Graduate School will provide you with your hood at Commencement check-in on the day of Commencement. Your regalia is yours to keep. Seating cards for doctoral students will be distributed at check in by the Graduate School on the day of commencement.

 VENDORS FOR DOCTORAL REGALIA PURCHASE
Graduate Supply House 
Oak Hall Cap & Gown

You may choose any other vendor, as long as your gown is in accordance with USM standards - black doctoral with black velvet stripes OR black doctoral with color velvet stripes to match your hood. (Hood is provided by the Graduate School.)  When ordering custom regalia, orders must be placed by March 1st each Spring semester and October 31st each Fall semester.

Below is a quick reference for information on the color of your velvet stripes if you choose the Deluxe Regalia.

Ph.D.	Navy Blue
D.M.A.	Pink
D.N.P.	Apricot
Ed.D.	Light Blue
Au.D.	Rhodes Blue

UNIVERSITY ISSUED HONOR CORDS
To give distinction to student honor achievements, the University offers honor cords for undergraduate candidates (and approved petitioners) that have a current cumulative Southern Miss GPA of 3.5 or higher.  A black and gold honor cord can be purchased for $15 March 17, 2025 - May 9, 2025. All students who qualify for honor cords are notified via Southern Miss email. Students may opt to have their honor cord mailed to their home or can visit either campus for purchase and pickup.

Students wishing to purchase and pick up honor cords in HATTIESBURG may do so in the Registrar’s Office, Kennard-Washington Hall Room 110 Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m starting Monday, March 17, 2025.

Students wishing to purchase and pick up honor cords on the GULF COAST CAMPUS may do so in the Student Services One Stop, Gulf Coast Library, room 101 Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m starting Monday, March 17, 2025.

Students wishing to have their honor cords mailed can request and purchase using our Honor Cord Request Form.  The link for the online purchase will be available to students beginning Monday, March 17, 2025.

A student’s Latin designation shown in the Commencement program is based upon the student’s cumulative USM GPA at the end of the term preceding the graduation term. The official distinction on a student’s diploma and final transcript may differ, depending upon the student’s final semester’s grades.

REQUESTS FOR COMMENCEMENT STOLES/CORDS FOR ON CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS
A commencement stole is a decorative vestment worn by students who are members of various organizations for the purpose of denoting outstanding achievements in academics and used to indicate membership in a professional organization. All commencement stoles worn at graduation must be approved through the Office of the University Registrar.

Organizations must complete the online application along with submitting a supplemental formal letter addressed to the Academic Regalia Subcommittee of the Executive Commencement Committee by February 1 for Spring commencement and September 1 for Fall commencement. The letter will need to address justification for requesting cords and will need to include the academic requirements for joining the organization. The committee will only consider commencement stoles/cords that are associated with academic excellence. Along with attaching the formal letter to the online application, the organization must attach a picture of the stole/cord they’re wishing to purchase when submitting the application.

Please address memo to:
Academic Regalia Subcommittee of the Executive Commencement Committee
ATTN: Dana%20Berry
118 College Drive #5166
Hattiesburg, MS 39406

All questions regarding organizations applying for a commencement stole or cord should be directed at our Graduation%20Listserv or to Dana%20Berry.

Students may choose to have their photos made in advance of graduation through Southern Miss Photo Services. Call 601.266.4149 to set up an appointment in Hattiesburg. 

Find out more about commencement photos on our Day of Commencement page

An undergraduate student who wishes to make petition to walk in a ceremony for which he/she is not an actual degree candidate, should complete the Commencement Ceremony Petition.

The Graduate School allows students to attend a Commencement Ceremony only for the term in which they are graduating (excluding summer graduates who are allowed to participate in the Fall Commencement Ceremony following their summer graduation). For questions please contact the Graduate School at (601) 266-4369 or email Document%20Specialists. 

Students who graduate in the summer may walk in the Fall Commencement Ceremony.

IMPACT ON GRADUATION
It is important to understand that your privacy status could impact your graduation in several ways:
   •  Your name will not appear on the RSVP Confirmation page
   •  Your name will not appear in the Commencement Program
   •  We will not be able to confirm your degree to potential employers

DIRECTORY INFORMATION
The University of Southern Mississippi has designated the following items as Directory Information, subject to public disclosure in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974:
   •  Address                           •  Dates of Attendance
   •  Student Name                 •  Classification
   •  Telephone Number         •  Degree(s) Earned
   •  E-mail Address                •  Previous Institutions Attended
   •  Major                                •  Class Rank

Directory Information pertaining to students of The University of Southern Mississippi is never knowingly provided to any requester for commercial purposes. Students must request the University not to release Directory Information; however, the consequences of that action should be considered before making the decision to do so.
   •  The enrollment of students who request to withhold Directory Information cannot be verified to any outside source such as potential employers, colleges, universities, or medical insurance 
      companies.
   •  The names of students who request to withhold Directory Information will not appear in any 
      official university publication distributed to the public, such as a commencement program. 
   •  The names of students who request to withhold Directory Information will not be provided to 
       the media when releasing academic recognition announcements (President's List or Dean's
       List).

Please understand that academic information will be kept completely private for you with or without the privacy status. However, for students who request privacy of their public information, directory information that is normally considered public is also kept private. Directory information includes: name, address, birth date, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, major and most recent previous educational institution attended.

Students who know they will not graduate the semester for which they have applied but will graduate a subsequent semester must complete a new degree application (via their SOAR account) and obtain all necessary signatures. The completed form should be submitted to your Dean's Office for processing.