The CUNY Graduate Center holds its annual commencement at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, typically in early June. Graduates arrive in full academic regalia, and master’s and doctoral students may rent their regalia from Herff Jones. The rental gowns are dark blue, and while the gown and hood are returned after, graduates keep their headwear (caps or tams) and tassels.

For doctoral graduates, the tam is worn (rather than a mortarboard cap), and its tassel is worn on the left side during the ceremony. At the moment of being hooded on stage, doctoral candidates hand their unbuttoned hood to a faculty hooder, who places it over their shoulders. The hood color varies by degree: for example, Ph.D. hoods are navy, M.A. hoods are white, M.S. hoods are gold, and other doctoral programs use colors like Rhodes blue or pink.

There is no public mention of standardized honor cords or stoles for the Graduate Center in the commencement FAQs or participant materials. The publicly available regalia ordering guide (via Herff Jones) likewise does not list a stole or cord color scheme. Faculty regalia likewise follows traditional academic-dress practice, but detailed color‑codes for faculty hoods and stoles are not documented in public Graduate Center commencement handbooks.

In short, the CUNY Graduate Center’s commencement emphasizes a dark blue gown and hood system, with degree-specific velvet colors and distinctive tam for doctoral students. However, honor cord or stole colors are not publicly standardized based on available institutional documentation.

CUNY Graduate Center Graduation Regalia – Official Academic Dress

Celebrate your achievement at the CUNY Graduate Center with professional academic regalia. Our custom set mirrors the school’s formal regalia worn at commencement.

Key Features:

• Dark Navy Graduation Gown: Elegant, full-length gown in the official dark blue used by the Graduate Center.
• Mortarboard / Tam: Choose between a navy mortarboard (for master’s) or a five-sided navy velvet tam (for doctoral).
• Gold Tassel: Master’s cap comes with a gold wrap-rayon tassel; doctoral tam has a gold bullion tassel.
• Degree-Specific Hood: The hood’s velvet trim signifies your degree: M.A. = white, M.S. = gold, Ph.D. = navy, etc.
• Regalia Rental & Purchase Options: Rent your regalia via Herff Jones (keep your cap or tam + tassel), or buy a permanent doctoral regalia set.
• Pre-Owned Option: When available, gently used doctoral regalia sets are offered in Graduate Center sample sales for reduced cost.
• Honor Cords & Stoles: No fixed color scheme is publicly documented for cords or stoles; check with your program.

Note: To confirm the exact colors of the graduation gown, cap, tassel, honor cords, and stoles for your specific program at City University of New York Graduate Center, 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.