What Do Graduation Gown Colors Mean? A Quick Guide to Regalia Traditions

Every graduation season brings the same questions about the gown itself: what does the color mean, why does the hood have a different lining than the gown, and why does one classmate's tassel look different from another's. These are regalia traditions, not something Bear Grips Pro Shops produces, since our catalog covers custom-printed apparel like tees, hoodies, and hats rather than academic gowns. Here is a quick guide to what the traditions generally mean, followed by where to find the one piece of graduation apparel every graduate actually keeps: the class shirt.

What Gown Color Usually Signals

In most US academic traditions, gown color and style track degree level rather than the individual graduate's field:

• Bachelor's gowns are typically simple, closed-front, with pointed sleeves, most often in the school's official color or black.
• Master's gowns usually have longer, closed sleeves with an arc cut near the bottom.
• Doctoral gowns are typically the most elaborate, open in front, with bell-shaped sleeves and velvet panels down the front, often in the school's color.

Exact styling varies by school and country, so the specific details always come from the individual program or regalia provider, not a universal standard.

Hoods, Sashes, and Stoles: What Each One Represents

• The hood drapes over the shoulders and back, often lined in the school's colors, with a velvet trim color that traditionally corresponds to the graduate's academic field.
• Sashes are frequently used to represent cultural heritage, first-generation graduate status, or membership in an honor society, and vary widely by school and organization.
• Stoles serve a similar recognition purpose, commonly awarded for honors, club leadership, or program completion, and are usually provided by the organization awarding the honor rather than the school's regalia office.

Because these vary so much by school and organization, a graduate should always confirm the specific meaning with their own program office rather than assume a national standard applies.

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Tassel Color and the Cap-to-Cap Flip

Tassel color is typically either the school's official color or a color tied to the graduate's degree or field of study, again set by each individual school. The tradition of moving the tassel from one side of the cap to the other during the ceremony marks the formal moment of graduating, done all together at the direction of the presiding official.

Where Gowns Come From vs the Class Shirt Every Graduate Keeps

Gowns, hoods, sashes, and stoles are typically ordered through the school's bookstore, a dedicated regalia and rental company, or a program office, sized to individual measurement standards specific to that provider. Bear Grips Pro Shops does not produce that regalia. What a class, program, or friend group can build together is the custom shirt, hoodie, or hat that gets worn the week of the ceremony, in the class photos, and for years afterward, unlike the rented gown that goes back the same day. See our graduation apparel guide for the pieces every class actually keeps, or our guide for what guests and family wear to the ceremony itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bear Grips Pro Shops sell graduation gowns or hoods?

No. Our catalog covers custom-printed apparel such as tees, hoodies, and hats. Gowns, hoods, and stoles come from the school's own bookstore or a regalia provider.

Is gown color the same at every school?

No. While there are common patterns tied to degree level, exact colors and styling vary by school, so always check with the specific program.

What does a stole represent?

Stoles are typically awarded for honors, club leadership, or program completion, and the exact meaning depends on the organization that awards it.

What is the one piece of apparel graduates keep the longest?

Most graduates keep a class shirt or hoodie far longer than the rented gown, since the gown usually goes back to the school or rental company after the ceremony.