Q: What is Ring Ceremony?

Ring Ceremony is the event where students are presented with their class ring.

The ceremony is an important and symbolic moment for any Longwood student, and it involves a two-part process:

First, the day before the ceremony, staff from the alumni office place all rings in the traditional locked chest designed and decorated by members of CHI, Princeps and CAHOOTS. The trunk remains in the Rotunda overnight under the watchful eye of Joanie, where they are imbued with Longwood spirit.

Second, the day of the ceremony, students are presented with their rings by a Longwood faculty or staff speaker and a representative of the Alumni Board.

Q: When is Ring Ceremony?

Ring Ceremony will be held in March of every year.

Q: Who is invited?

Juniors and seniors who purchase a Longwood class ring, plus their guests, are invited to Ring Ceremony. E-invitations are emailed out in February.

Q: Can I get my ring/my student's ring before the ceremony?

We receive the rings just a day or two before the ceremony, so we’re unable to mail or distribute them in advance.

If you’re unable to attend the Ring Ceremony, you or your student may pick up the ring in the Office of Alumni and Career Success(Maugans G03) beginning the first business day after the ceremony.

If you cannot attend Ring Ceremony, you or your student can pick up the ring in the Office of Alumni and Career Success (Maugans G03) starting the first business day after the ceremony.

Q: I don't know my ring size; what do I do?

There are four ways to find your ring size:

  1. Go to a jewelry store and ask them to size you.
  2. Print out Balfour's Ring Sizing Made Easy guide and size yourself at home.
  3. Visit the Balfour table when they are on campus and have them size you. Balfour is on campus periodically through the fall and early spring, so be sure to check the weekly email to see when they’re in.
  4. The Alumni Office, located in the Maugans Alumni Center, has ring size gauges available.

No matter which option you pick, make sure the finger you are sizing is the finger you plan to wear your ring on.

Q: What are the options? How expensive is the class ring?

There are five different ring styles and seven metal options to choose from, as well as the option to engrave the inside of your ring.

All selections, except engraving, affect the total cost of your ring.

Balfour also offers a payment plan that allows you to divide your purchase into three payments.

You can build your ring at Ballfour's Longwood page

Q: Why is the deadline to order two months before the ceremony?

Each ring is custom-made and unique to each student. We work with Balfour each year to coordinate the deadline based on their processing times and the date of Ring Ceremony.

Q: What if I want to order from a company other than Balfour (e.g. Etsy, Walmart, Jostens, Amazon, Herff-Jones, etc.)?

Only Balfour is authorized to use the Longwood University name and seal on class rings. While other companies or private vendors may offer similar designs, they are not permitted to use Longwood’s official marks.

Only students who order an official Longwood class ring through Balfour will automatically receive an invitation to participate in Ring Ceremony.

If you are gifting your student a class ring that is not purchased through Balfour and would like your student to participate, please email alumni@longwood.edu so that we can extend an invitation.

Q: I missed the deadline to order and my ring won't be ready by Ring Ceremony. Can I participate in next year's ceremony?

Absolutely! We always request a list of students who have ordered rings after the deadline so we can invite them to the next year's ceremony.