College of San Mateo

The College of San Mateo (CSM) holds its annual commencement ceremony in May, typically at College Heights Stadium. Graduating students check in at 4:00 pm at the tennis courts, and the formal ceremony begins at 5:00 pm, followed by a reception in the Bayview Dining Room. The procession includes faculty, trustees, and the graduating class, celebrating their scholastic achievement in a traditional outdoor setting.

According to CSM’s official commencement program, academic regalia follows classical tradition. Associate and bachelor degree holders wear plain black graduation gowns and black mortarboard graduation caps. The bachelor’s gown is worn closed, while master’s gowns (also black) may be worn open or closed. Doctoral gowns are more elaborate: they include velvet panels on the front and three velvet bars on each sleeve.

CSM also uses academic hoods to signify advanced degrees. The master’s hood is approximately 3.5 feet long; the doctoral hood is around 4 feet. The lining of the hood reflects CSM’s institutional colors, while the velvet trim indicates the graduate’s field of study, using traditional color codes — for example, light blue for education, golden yellow for science, dark blue for philosophy, purple for law, and more.

However, in publicly available CSM materials (including the commencement booklet and faculty handbook), there is no mention of specific honor cord colors or stoles by degree level or discipline. Their regalia policy focuses on cap, gown, tassel, and hood. While standard tassels are used (the program notes that the mortarboard tassel “indicates the wearer’s academic degree”), there is no publicly documented color scheme for cords or stoles associated with honors.

In summary, CSM’s commencement ceremony honors graduates with time-honored academic regalia: black gowns and mortarboard caps for associate, bachelor, and master’s levels; velvet-trimmed gowns and hoods for doctoral graduates; degree-signifying tassels; and discipline-coded hood velvet — but no publicly documented stole or honor cord color chart.

CSM Academic Regalia – Graduation Cap, Gown & Hood Ensemble

Celebrate your College of San Mateo achievement in style with traditional academic regalia designed for your graduation day.

• Graduation Gown: Matte black robe for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral graduates.
• Mortarboard Cap: Classic black square cap to complete your academic attire.
• Doctoral Gown: Features velvet panels down the front and three velvet bars on each sleeve.
• Hood: Silk-lined with CSM’s institutional colors; velvet trim reflects your field of study.
• Velvet Trim by Discipline: Light blue for Education, golden yellow for Science, dark blue for Philosophy, purple for Law, crimson for Journalism, and other traditional academic colors.
• Tassel: Standard tassel indicates your academic degree; no published color-coding for honor cords or stoles.
• Academic Tradition: Elegant regalia that upholds the heritage and dignity of CSM’s commencement.

Order your cap, gown, and hood set now to honor your graduation with traditional academic elegance.

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