Show pride for your alma mater with Winthrop jewelry! Purchase your official Winthrop
ring, stackable rings or collegiate tag as a lifelong reminder of your Winthrop experience.
Shop the website with our exclusive partner, Jostens, or call 800/854-7464. Save $50 when you design
and purchase your college class ring on Jostens.com and use promo code ALUMNI50 at checkout. Promotion applies to standard college jewelry catalog offering
only and excludes any other products. Offer excludes: Sarah Chloe, locket, bracelet,
keepsake jewelry boxes, nursing pins, watches, military academy rings, and high school
jewelry. Limit one promo code per order. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.
Not valid on prior purchases. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Valid only for
online orders shipped to U.S. addresses.
Jostens will be on campus in the lobby of the DiGiorgio Campus Center the following dates for spring semester ring days. During ring days, students and alumni are invited to visit the Jostens table to try on rings and place ring orders. Visit the Jostens website anytime to place a Winthrop ring or jewelry order.
Grad Finale is your one stop place for all things Commencement! The event is held
each February for May graduates and October for December graduates. It is hosted by
the Student Alumni Council and the Alumni Association. Students are invited to the Winthrop Bookstore where they receive information on graduation status, alumni benefits, purchase class
rings, graduation announcements and regalia. Campus departments at the event include
Annual Giving, Career Development & Internships, Graduate School, Jostens, Oak Hall, Records and Registration, Student Financial Services, Technology Services, West Center and the Winthrop Alumni Association.
Spring Grad Finale will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 3-6 p.m. in the Winthrop Bookstore Commons in the DiGiorgio Campus Center. Register for spring 2023 Grad Finale before you arrive.
When the official Winthrop ring design was adopted in 2003, the university also began
honoring our ring recipients with the Official Ring Ceremony. Students who have purchased
a Winthrop ring are invited to attend the Ring Ceremony where they will be presented
with their official Winthrop ring. Family and friends are invited to join. The 2023
Ring Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. in Richardson Ballroom, located in the DiGiorgio Campus Center.
In its more than 135-year history, Winthrop has undergone several name changes; however,
the word “Winthrop” has been incorporated in each name change. You may note signage on buildings or other
structures that reflect the different designations. Winthrop College was adopted as
the name in 1920 and remained until 1992 when Winthrop achieved University status.
The official name was changed to Winthrop University in 1992.
Winthrop College graduates have a deep affinity for the name “Winthrop College” and
we honor and recognize that with the Winthrop College ring. The official Winthrop
Ring was modified with “Winthrop College” to continue the tradition of all Winthrop
graduates being linked by a common ring. Place your order for a Winthrop College ring
on Jostens website.
Winthrop students have worn class rings for years, but the tradition of a single ring
began in 2002 when the Alumni Association and the Student Alumni Council proposed
the establishment of a single ring that would best represent our University; a ring
easily identified and symbolic of Winthrop.
Prior to the official Winthrop ring, several designs existed, which were used to create
the current design that was adopted in fall 2003.
In 2002, a committee composed of students, alumni, faculty and staff from Winthrop
University and the Alumni Association, was charged with determining the design and
establishing the criteria in order to be eligible to wear the official ring. In 2003,
students began wearing the official Winthrop ring.
The Winthrop ring can only be worn by those completing 54 credit hours, achieving
Junior or Senior status, graduate students who have completed at least 18 hours at
Winthrop University or those holding a Winthrop degree.
It is made of a material that is considered valuable throughout the world. Whether
white or yellow, gold is considered a treasure on all continents in all cultures.
May the gold in this ring serve as a reminder that a Winthrop education is also a
valuable treasure.
In the midst of that gold is a circle of black onyx topped with the official Winthrop
seal. The onyx preserves the tradition of earlier rings, which was often etched with
the official seal. The seal was approved by the Board of Trustees in 1900, and it
was based on the great seal of the state of South Carolina. You might need a magnifying
glass to see all the symbols on the seal, but there is a Palmetto Tree, which was
one of the symbols incorporated from the South Carolina seal. Crossing the center
of the shield diagonally is a band resting on two books, and on this band are three
small lamps signifying learning, knowledge, and wisdom.
The only date clearly visible when the ring is worn is the year 1886. The graduation
date is inside the ring, not displayed on the outside. The tradition of the ring seeks
to unite all Winthrop graduates regardless of when they attended this institution.
All who wear the ring have been a part of what we know today as the Winthrop Experience.
That experience began in 1886, so that is the date displayed for all to see. Inside
the ring are the Latin words “Veritas Cum Libertate,” (Truth with Liberty) which is
the official motto of Winthrop.
The Winthrop ring should be worn proudly with all the honor and pride it deserves.
Respect the history and tradition that it symbolizes and allow it to serve as a reminder
of the wonderful Winthrop Experience you have participated in.