The Graduation Gown Lending Project (GGLP):
Graduation can be a very exciting moment for many of our students, but for some, the cost of buying a graduation gown is another expense that impedes them from fully experiencing the culminating moment of their academic achievement. The Educational Opportunity Program has created the "Graduation Gown Lending Project" to support first generation and low income UC Berkeley students with free rental of graduation gowns.
Conceived by EOP Peer Academic Counselors, this project was created to help alleviate some of the hardships of graduation expenses. We appreciate any and all gown or monetary donations. With your help, we can ensure low-income students experience the special graduation day they have worked so hard to earn.
Program History:
The Graduation Gown Lending Project (GGLP) launched in Spring 2013 just in time for end-of-year commencement ceremonies. Thanks to generous gifts and donations from the University Section Club, EOP Alumni, and many community supporters, we were able to initiate the program and sustain it for many years.
Following the pandemic, we returned to campus in 2021 with damaged inventory and limited capacity to relaunch the program, which unfortunately required GGLP to be paused. In 2024, we were proud to relaunch the program and serve over 260 students during the Spring 2024 commencement season. Today, we continue to partner closely with the Cal Student Store to rent gowns directly for low-income undergraduate students.
Each semester, we receive a large number of gown rental requests, and we are excited to continue expanding the program to ensure more students can fully participate in this important milestone.
Application Process:
The Graduation Gown Lending Project is a service that is only offered to students that are EOP.
Students will be notified within two weeks of applying if they were accepted or not.
Spring 2026 Application:
The Graduation Gown Lending Project applicatiion for Spring 2026 is now closed and has reached full capacity. We appreciate everyone who applied and will reopen the Fall 2026 application at the start of the fall semester.
The GGLP has been featured in the UC Berkeley Newscenter and the SF Chronicle.