Academical dress

What to wear at a graduation ceremony

Dress for graduation consists of two components:

dark clothes, as outlined below; and
the correct Cambridge academical dress, according to your current status and the degree or degrees to be received.

Degrees are conferred at Congregations of the Regent House, which are formal occasions; accordingly, an appropriately formal standard of dress is required and enforced at ceremonies. If you do not observe it, you may not be able to graduate on the day at your chosen ceremony. A University Constable will check your dress on arrival at the Senate-House and will adjust it if necessary. Your Praelector or other Presenter is able to offer advice if required.

Dark clothes

One of the following:
- black,(2) plain, formal trousers; or
- black,(2) plain, formal skirt (of adequate length for kneeling); or
- black,(2) plain, formal, long-sleeved dress.
With trousers or skirt: a white, plain (i.e., no lace, frills, patterns or ornaments), formal, collared, long-sleeved shirt or blouse that can be buttoned or fastened at the neck.
With trousers (and optionally with skirt): a white bow tie and white academic bands.
Either:
- with trousers: black, unpatterned socks; or
- with skirt or dress: black or skin-toned, unpatterned tights or stockings.
Black, formal shoes or black, plain, formal ankle boots (sc., no sandals, sling-backs, open-toed shoes, work-boots or trainers); any stitching and laces to be black; with no ostentatious buckles or ornaments.
The following are permitted but entirely optional:
- a black belt, plain and unornamented;
- a jacket and/or waistcoat exactly matching trousers or skirt to make a suit;
- a black cassock, worn over dark clothes, with either clerical collar and white academic bands or white bow tie and white academic bands; and
- plain religious head-covering.
The following are not permitted:
- weapons of any kind (even where normally part of national or service dress: accordingly, no sgian dubh is to be worn with Highland dress, for example);
- conspicuous jewellery, hair accessories or other ornamentation; and
- pins or other ornaments, other than small lapel pins depicting the University or college arms that are attached to clothing (not to gowns); and
- any item to be carried inside the Senate-House, other than (optionally) a square cap (mortarboard) worn as part of academical dress.

National or religious dress or uniform

Under certain conditions, and with advance written permission from the Proctors sought by the Praelector or other Presenter, national or religious dress, or UK service (armed forces, emergency services, etc.) dress uniform, may be worn instead of dark clothes.

Note that:

the proposed national or religious dress or uniform must be such as would be considered appropriate at a graduation or other occasion of similar formality; and
national or religious dress or uniform must be worn correctly and must not be combined the “dark clothes” described above; and
it must be practical for the national or religious dress or uniform to be worn underneath a gown and hood.

(2) While black is the model for “dark clothes”, fabric that is very nearly black and makes no obvious contrast with a black gown is acceptable.

Note that only Cambridge academical dress may be worn at graduation: gowns, hoods and caps from other universities are not permitted.

Undergraduate candidates and affiliated students (including BTh graduands, unless already Cambridge graduates):

Undergraduate gown of your College.
Hood of the highest degree to be received.

Postgraduate candidates (including for higher degrees such as LLD, ScD, LittD, etc.):

If already a Cambridge graduate before the ceremony:
1. Gown of the highest Cambridge degree already held (note that graduands who already hold a Cambridge doctorate wear the black, undress gown, not scarlet).
2. Hood of highest Cambridge degree already held.
If not already a Cambridge graduate:
1. BA status or (if aged 24 or over) MA status gown.
2. Hood of the highest degree to be received.

Candidates for any degrees by incorporation from Oxford or Dublin, or for the MA under Statute B.II.2:

Gown of the degree to be received.
Hood of the degree to be received (note that those incorporating as Doctors wear the black, undress gown, not scarlet).

Square caps (mortarboards)

A square cap (mortarboard) is entirely optional. Graduands may wear one outside the Senate-House before and after the ceremony but must take it off and carry it (preferably in the left hand) inside the Senate-House.

Pinning hoods to gowns

As long as it is done correctly and unobtrusively, hoods may be pinned to gowns (but not to the clothing underneath, as this causes problems with movement, especially kneeling). Please see the following guide for assistance on how to pin a hood onto a gown.