Bowling Green State University’s commencement ceremony is a formal academic occasion that emphasizes proper academic regalia — the graduation gown, graduation cap, tassel, hood (for advanced degrees) and associated accessories. According to BGSU’s “Caps and Gowns” page for the Commencement website, the academic regalia policy states that bachelor’s candidates must wear the appropriate black graduation gown and mortarboard cap. The color of the tassel indicates the degree to be conferred.

Bowling Green State University Master’s candidates wear the appropriate black graduation gown and mortarboard cap; however, master’s tassels are black and the hood colours indicate the degree to be conferred via discipline-specific velvet.

Bowling Green State University Doctoral candidates wear “the official University regalia of brown robe, brown tam and the BGSU hood.” The program of May 2025 details that the doctoral gown is trimmed with velvet, the hood lining displays school colours and the cap is a tam.

Bowling Green State University Honor cords, sashes and other ceremonial ornaments may be worn for academic honors, societies or programs: examples include the Honors College medallion, Latin honor cords, and military service cords.

Bowling Green State University While BGSU provides a detailed colour-by-degree list for hoods and velvet trim (for example: Bachelor of Arts = white, Bachelor of Science = gold; Doctor of Philosophy = dark blue) in the program document, it does not specifically publish a standalone colour chart for honor cords and stoles for each discipline in its public regalia guidelines.

Bowling Green State University Faculty regalia follow doctoral-level academic dress conventions with full velvet-paneled gowns, hoods lined in BGSU’s official colours (burnt orange and seal brown) and typically gold tassels for faculty hats.

Bowling Green State University In summary, for BGSU’s commencement you must order and wear the correct graduation gown (black for bachelor/master; brown for doctoral), the correct graduation cap (mortarboard or tam), a tassel whose colour corresponds to degree level, a hood if required, and optionally honor cords or sashes. Ensuring your academic regalia aligns with the ceremony’s visual standards supports both tradition and photo-ready presentation.

Note: To confirm the exact colors of the graduation gown, cap, tassel, honor cords, and stoles for your specific program at Bowling Green State University, you can reach out directly to the college's administration or the office responsible for commencement and student services. They can provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding academic regalia.