Attire for Participants and Guests

Attire for Participants

The attire for men should include dress slacks, collared dress shirt, and tie (optional) along with clean dress shoes and socks. The attire for ladies should include a dress/skirt or dress slacks, blouse or sweater, and clean, comfortable shoes.

Academic Regalia

All students are required to wear academic regalia for the ceremony which includes the cap, gown, and tassel. In addition, graduate student regalia includes the hood. The gowns worn in the ceremony are black so darker colors look better. Gowns should be lightly pressed according to the directions included in the gown. Discard the white collar enclosed with the gown.

Official MSU academic regalia is available for purchase at the MSU bookstore located on the Beckley campus or online at http://www.cougarshop.org/. Regalia is NOT available for purchase at the venues and must be purchased by the deadline set by the university bookstore.

Attire for Guests

Audience attire varies, however, many choose business casual or business clothing. Men often wear dress slacks or khakis with a collared shirt and ladies often wear a dress/skirt or slacks and a blouse or sweater.

Special Note

Please note that the temperature controls at each MSU commencement venues vary. The Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center (Beckley venue) has an air-conditioning system that is rather noisy. Therefore, the units are turned off during the ceremony and it can get quite warm and humid. We advise dressing in light, breathable fabrics if you will be attending the ceremony.