How to Plan a Nursing Pinning Ceremony: Timeline, Program and Pins

What a pinning ceremony is

Graduation confers the degree. Pinning marks entry into nursing. The ceremony is usually held the day before or the same day as commencement, in a smaller room, with faculty presenting each graduate with the school's pin. Most programs include the lighting of a lamp and a recitation of the Nightingale Pledge, both tied to Florence Nightingale, whose lamp became the profession's symbol. The pin itself descends from the Maltese cross worn by the hospitaller orders; a short history of the nursing pin covers how the lamp, the cross and the school seal ended up on it.

Three things make it different from any other award a school hands out. The pin is worn on the uniform for the rest of a career, so it has to survive daily wear. Every graduate receives the same pin, so the design belongs to the school, not to the class. And the date is fixed by the academic calendar, so the order cannot slip.

The ten-week timeline

Count backward from the ceremony date. The weeks below assume a mid-December ceremony; shift them for May.

The step that takes longest is not production. It is the approval of the design inside the school. If the pin is new, or the school is changing its seal, the design usually passes through the program director, the dean and sometimes a marketing office. Start there, not with the quote.

Order-by dates for a December 2026 ceremony

These dates deliver pins by Friday, December 4, a week ahead of ceremonies held December 10 to 18. They already account for Veterans Day (November 11) and Thanksgiving (November 26), which remove two business days from the schedule.

Past both dates? Put your ceremony date in the quote form and we will tell you what is still possible.

Who places the order

Three arrangements are common, and the quote is the same for all of them.

• The program orders and includes the pin in the ceremony fee. The most common arrangement. One purchase order, one delivery, one design on file for every future class.
• Class officers order on behalf of the cohort. Typical when the school does not fund the pin. Collect the headcount early, because the price per pin drops at 100, 200 and 300 pieces and a late add-on costs more than ordering the round number up front.
• The student buys individually. Only practical when the school already has a stock pin. If your program does not, the first two arrangements are the way to create one.

What goes on the pin

A nursing pin carries more text than almost any other lapel pin, and all of it has to stay legible at three quarters of an inch to one inch across.

• The school name, or its initials when the full name is long, around the rim.
• The credential the program confers: RN, BSN, LPN, ADN or MSN. This is the line that changes between programs at the same school.
• A symbol in the center: the lamp, the school seal, a caduceus or a cross. The seal usually needs approval from the school's marketing or brand office, so ask early.
• A year or founding date if the school wants one. Most programs leave the class year off so the same pin serves every cohort.
• Optional engraving on the back: the graduate's name or a serial number. It adds a step, so decide before the quote.

Two colors, a metal finish and clear lettering hold up better than five colors and a gradient. If the school seal has fine detail, our artists will simplify it for the size and send a proof before anything is made.

Construction for a pin worn every shift

A pinning pin is worn on scrubs, near a badge reel, under gloves and gowns, and through hundreds of washes of the uniform around it. That rules out the cheapest options.

• Hard enamel is the standard choice. The enamel is polished flush with the metal, so there are no recesses to catch on fabric or hold dirt, and the surface reads like jewelry at a ceremony.
• Die struck, with no enamel at all, is the traditional look: a single metal in gold, silver or antique finish, with the design raised and recessed. It is what most pins from before the 1980s look like, and it suits a school that wants its pin to match older alumni.
• Soft enamel costs a little less and works for a class pin or a fundraiser, but its recessed color is a poorer fit for daily wear.

Ask for a locking backing rather than the standard butterfly clutch. A lost pin is the most common complaint we hear from nursing graduates, and the locking clutch is a small upcharge that prevents it. The full list of backings is on our pin extras page.

What it costs

Published PinProsPlus prices per piece as of September 21, 2026, artwork and U.S. shipping included. Nursing pins are usually 3/4" or 1".

For a cohort of 40, an order of 100 one-inch hard enamel pins costs $326, or $8.15 per graduate if the program absorbs it, and the remaining 60 pins cover the next class at no new cost. For a cohort of 100, the same pin is $3.26 each. Every size and quantity is on the full price list, and you can order custom nursing pins for pinning ceremony from the nursing pins page.

If your cohort is smaller than 100

The published price list starts at 100 pins. If your program graduates 30 to 60 students, put the exact count in the quote form and we will quote it. Most programs order the round number and keep the balance for the following cohort, because the design does not change from one class to the next.

Order of the ceremony

A pinning ceremony runs 45 to 60 minutes. The order below is the one most programs use.

1. Processional and welcome by the program director.
2. A short address by a faculty member or an alumnus.
3. The pinning. Graduates come forward one at a time. The pin is placed by a faculty member, or by a nurse the graduate has chosen: a parent, a mentor, a preceptor. Reading each name aloud is the part families remember.
4. The lamp lighting, with each graduate holding a small lamp or candle.
5. The Nightingale Pledge, recited together.
6. Closing remarks and recessional.

Have the pins unpacked and sorted before the ceremony starts. If the backs are engraved with names, sort them in processional order. If not, one open tray at the front of the stage is enough.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a nursing pin cost?

At our published prices, a one-inch hard enamel pin costs $3.26 each at 100 pieces, $2.68 at 200 and $2.08 at 300. Artwork and shipping inside the USA are free.

What is the difference between graduation and a pinning ceremony?

Graduation confers the degree and is run by the university. Pinning welcomes the graduate into nursing and is run by the nursing program, usually in a smaller ceremony with the lamp lighting and the Nightingale Pledge.

Who pins the graduate?

Traditionally the faculty. Many programs now let the graduate choose the person who places the pin, often a nurse in the family or the preceptor from a clinical rotation.

What is the last day to order pins for a December ceremony?

For delivery by Friday, December 4, 2026, approve final artwork by Tuesday, November 10 on the standard schedule, or by Wednesday, November 18 with the 10-day rush option.

Can each pin have the graduate's name on it?

Yes, by engraving on the back. Tell us in the quote form and send the list of names with the final artwork.

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Can we reuse the design for next year's class?

Yes. Ask for a reorder and we quote it from your original artwork, so there is no design stage to repeat. Programs that leave the class year off the pin reorder the identical piece every term.

Start with a quote

Tell us the number of graduates, the size you have in mind and your ceremony date. You will have a price within one hour and a proof to approve after that. Get a pin quote.

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