College of DuPage

The College of DuPage (COD) holds its annual commencement ceremony in late spring, as described in its official records. In 2025, COD celebrated its 58th Commencement, awarding over 3,100 degrees and certificates to graduates. Graduates dress in traditional academic regalia, including a mortarboard graduation cap, gown, and, for certain degrees, a hood.

COD’s regalia system follows classic academic design: bachelor’s gowns have pointed sleeves, master’s gowns have oblong sleeves, and doctoral gowns are more elaborate. The hood worn by master’s (or higher) graduates features velvet trim that reflects their academic discipline, while the lining showcases COD’s official colors. Tassels are discipline-specific: except for Ph.D. graduates (who wear gold tassels), tassel colors correspond to the student’s field of study. Faculty members wear regalia that reflects the highest academic degree they hold, including caps, gowns, and hoods trimmed in the discipline color.

COD also assigns honor cords and stoles for graduating students involved in honor societies. Examples include:

Gold stoles for members of Phi Theta Kappa;
Red & blue cords for Alpha Mu Gamma (language studies);
Gold cords for Psi Beta (psychology);
Apricot cords for Alpha Delta Nu (nursing);
Maroon, green & gold cords for Omega Lambda Nu (radiologic sciences);
Royal, gold & white cords for Tau Upsilon Alpha (human services);
Purple stoles for Lambda Epsilon Chi (paralegal studies).

In sum, College of DuPage’s commencement and academic regalia system reflects both time‑honored tradition and meaningful symbolic color-coding: graduates wear a graduation gown paired with a cap, and discipline‑specific tassels, while honor society affiliations are denoted through cords and stoles. Faculty regalia aligns with the highest degree earned, making COD’s graduation ceremonies deeply rooted in academic heritage and visual coherence.

College of DuPage Graduation Cap & Gown Set

Commemorate your achievement at the College of DuPage with this official academic regalia set. Includes a graduation gown, Oxford-style mortarboard cap, and a discipline‑specific tassel. Honor cords and stoles are also aligned with COD’s regalia policy to highlight honor society membership.

Graduation Gown: Traditional black academic gown in line with COD commencement standards.
Graduation Cap: Oxford-style mortarboard cap for ceremony use.
Tassel: Color-coded by academic discipline (e.g., golden yellow for science, apricot for nursing, orange for engineering, etc.).
Honor Cords & Stoles by Society:
- Gold stole: Phi Theta Kappa
- Red & blue cords: Alpha Mu Gamma
- Gold cords: Psi Beta (Psychology)
- Royal, gold & white cords: Tau Upsilon Alpha (Human Services)
- Purple stole: Lambda Epsilon Chi (Paralegal Studies)
- Apricot cords: Alpha Delta Nu (Nursing)
- Maroon, green & gold cords: Omega Lambda Nu (Radiologic Sciences)
- Green & purple cords: Kappa Delta Pi (Education)
- Red, white & blue cords: SALUTE Veterans Society
- Royal blue & gold cords: Delta Alpha Pi (Disability Honor Society)
Academic Hood (Master’s): Velvet‑trimmed hood with COD’s official lining and discipline color.
Faculty Regalia Option: Gown, hood and cap available to match faculty’s highest degree and field of study.
Multiple Sizes: Gown available in a variety of sizes to fit all graduates.

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