Graduation Attire, Built to Order

Graduation hood colors are the part of academic dress most people misread, and the part that varies most between the US, UK and Australian systems.

In the US convention, codified by the American Council on Education, the hood lining carries the institution's own official colors — divided by a chevron where a university has more than one. The velvet edging carries two separate messages: its color names the discipline (arts, science, law, divinity and so on), while its width names the degree level, at two inches for a bachelor's, three for a master's and five for a doctorate. Hood length follows the same ladder — three feet, three and a half feet, four feet.

The UK and Australian systems are not built on that ladder. Each university designs its own academicals from the gown, hood and cap patterns available to it, which is why two institutions can dress the same degree quite differently. Patterns that recur without being rules: a bachelor's hood edged or lined in white rabbit fur, a master's hood lined in colored silk, and a doctoral hood cut in scarlet cloth. Practical consequence for buyers: there is no universal hood color chart. A hood has to be specified from the institution's own convention, not chosen from a general palette.

All hoods here are made to order. We match lining, chevron and velvet trim to your institution's reference, return lab dips within 48 hours, and supply a pre-production sample for written approval. Shell and trim are Pantone-matched to the gown. Minimum order is 50 units per style and color. If you need the full set rather than the hood alone, see cap and gown sets.

What do the colors on a graduation hood mean?

Two different things, and it depends on the convention. In the US system the lining and chevron show the institution's colors, the velvet edging's color shows the discipline and its width shows the degree level (2, 3 or 5 inches). In the UK and Australian systems the shape, trim and lining follow the awarding body's own scheme instead. Neither is universal, so a hood is specified from the institution's own reference.

How can I tell a hood from a stole?

A hood drapes over the shoulders and down the back — it has a shape and a lining. A stole is a flat panel worn around the neck and hanging at the front, usually carrying the school name or crest. See stoles and sashes for the flat version.

Can you reproduce the hood design for a specific university?

Yes. Send the institution's hood reference, or a photograph of an existing hood, and we match the lining, chevron and velvet trim color before cutting.