Central Washington University (CWU) organizes formal commencement ceremonies in Ellensburg for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduates must register, and “official CWU regalia (cap, gown, and hood for Master’s/EdS)” is required to participate. For graduate students, the School of Graduate Studies integrates a hooding ceremony: faculty mentors place hoods on graduates, symbolizing their academic achievement, and everyone wears full academic regalia.

Undergraduates wear a standard cap and gown: their mortarboard cap, black gown, and a tassel. According to CWU’s ceremony guidelines, the tassel starts on the right side, then moves to the left once degrees are officially conferred. CWU’s honors tassels are color‑coded by GPA: cum laude (GPA 3.50‑3.69) earn a red tassel, magna cum laude (3.70‑3.89) a silver tassel, and summa cum laude (3.90‑4.00) a gold tassel.

CWU’s official university colors are crimson, black, and white. In the commencement program, you’ll see design elements and tassel sides backed by crimson and black.

As for honor cords and stoles, CWU does not centrally issue a universal cord for honors; instead, individual departments, honor societies, or student organizations handle cords and stoles. For example, Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) sociology honors members receive blue AKD cords.

Faculty participating in commencement wear traditional academic regalia; while CWU requires them to don academic gowns and hoods, publicly available guidance does not provide a detailed, publicly documented color‑chart for discipline-specific velvet trim or hood colors.

CWU (Central Washington University) Academic Regalia – Cap, Gown & Tassel Package

This regalia set meets CWU’s official graduation requirements: includes black gown, mortarboard cap, honors tassel, and optional hood or honor cord.

• Gown: Black academic gown required for participation in CWU commencement.
• Cap: Standard square mortarboard to complete your graduation look.
• Tassel: Honors tassel options: red (cum laude), silver (magna), gold (summa).
• Hood for Graduate Students: Includes hood for Master’s / EdS graduates, used in CWU’s hooding ceremony.
• Honor Cords / Stoles: Acquire cords or stoles from your department or honor society; CWU itself does not centrally issue them.
• Faculty Regalia: Full regalia package for faculty with gown and hood; trim varies by academic discipline.

Note: To confirm the exact colors of the graduation gown, cap, tassel, honor cords, and stoles for your specific program at Central Washington 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.