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Academic Regalia

Leadership & Advocacy News Item 

Academic Regalia

  • Written by Eugene Sullivan, the “Academic Costume Code and Ceremony Guide” summarizes the academic costume code and gives an overview of the use of gowns, caps and hoods in academic ceremonies. The following guide is reprinted from American Universities and Colleges (15th edition, Walter de Gruyter, Inc.,1997).

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  • Academic Costume Code

    The origins of academic dress date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, when universities were taking form. The ordinary dress of the scholar, whether student or teacher, was the dress of a cleric. With few exceptions, the medieval scholar had taken at least minor orders, made certain vows, and perhaps been tonsured. Long gowns were worn and may have been necessary for warmth in unheated buildings. Hoods seem to have served to cover the tonsured head until superseded for that purpose by the skull cap.

  • Academic Ceremony Guide

    In response to numerous requests from institutions, the Committee on Academic Costumes and Ceremonies prepared the following academic ceremony guide.

  • Historical Overview of the Academic Costume Code

    The origins of academic dress date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, when universities were taking form. The ordinary dress of the scholar, whether student or teacher, was the dress of a cleric