A Guide on Academic Regalia Rules

GradShop.com is America’s leading manufacturer of quality and affordable graduation accessories and apparel. Since our expertise is on Graduation stuff, we feel obliged to give you an overview and some basic background about the Graduation ceremony itself. It is better to fully understand this certain event and not just go along with it just because it is the common practice, getting to know some Academic Regalia rules will double the pride and prestige we will feel during Graduation day! It also serves as a guide on what you should wear during the ceremony that is appropriate for your degree and academic standing. GradShop will give you, our customers, some guide on Academic Regalia rules. However, it may have slight differences because schools have their own specific guidelines too, but we will only touch on the generalities to avoid confusions. Please also remember that these guidelines are based on American academic institutions and may not be applicable to your country.

The Graduation gown is basically the staple outfit for every candidate. The sleeves vary depending on one’s degree, a bachelor’s degree has pointed sleeves and the gown is prescribed to be worn closed. The master’s has an oblong sleeve and their gown may be worn open or closed, the doctorate degree can also be worn open or closed but it has bell-shaped sleeves.

The color of the graduation gown and other trimmings represents a certain field of study. It may differ from school to school and country though, but in America, white is generally associated with the Arts and Humanities, Maize for Agriculture, Drab for Commerce, Business and Accountancy, Lilac for Dentistry, Copper for Economics, Light Blue for Education and so on. For a complete list of colors and their representation, we suggest you to visit the American Council of Education since they are the ones responsible for laying down basic guidelines on Academic Regalia Rules for most American Universities.

The Graduation hood also differs in length. For the bachelor’s it should only be three feet long while the Master’s degree should have it three and a half feet long, doctorates have it four feet long. It is also recommended to wear plain or dark colored clothing under the gown to blend it with the color of your Graduation gown.

So you see, your Graduation attire is not just some traditional humdrum, it actually represents one’s academic achievement. It actually seems like the higher educational attainment you get, the more complicated your Graduation outfit looks. Yet no matter what your educational achievement is, be it the bachelor’s degree, master’s or doctor’s degree; the important thing is that you survived and graduated. Our life as a student does not end there anyway, because no matter what academic achievement we will get, we will surely remain a student of a great teacher called life, and that remains for the rest of our lives. Our academic achievement is just a reward of our pursuits for a better understanding of the world we live in and of course, the drive to improve one’s life.

That ends our guide on academic Regalia rules from the GradShop. If ever you need some further assistance with regard to your Graduation attire, don’t hesitate to contact us and talk to one of our gown specialists.

The GradShop wishes you all a happy Graduation and a fruitful life ahead!