College of the Mainland

At the College of the Mainland (COM) in Texas, commencement is a structured and meaningful celebration of student achievement. Graduates apply for graduation through WebAdvisor, and once approved, pick up their cap and gown, cords, and stoles at the campus bookstore during designated “cap‑and‑gown fitting” dates. The college provides regalia at no charge.

During the ceremony, the graduation cap (mortarboard) is worn level, and the tassel starts on the right side and is switched to the left when officially graduated — a classic academic tradition. COM encourages respectful decoration of the cap’s flat top but prohibits dangling decorations. Dress code for graduates is formal: no jeans or tennis shoes.

COM confers academic honors based on GPA: students who earn a 3.5–3.79 GPA graduate Cum Laude (Honors), and those with 3.8–4.0 earn Highest Honors. Graduates meeting the honors threshold receive honor cords and medallions when they pick up their graduation credentials. The college also awards a Military Honor Cord to veterans with an honorable discharge.

COM’s student handbook and catalog do not clearly define specific stole colors or discipline-based regalia colors (for example, by academic program), and there is no detailed, publicly posted color chart for stoles. This suggests that stoles—and other adornments—may be more flexible or managed via student organizations, rather than strictly color‑coded by college-wide academic divisions.

On the faculty side, academic regalia follows traditional styling: faculty wear full gowns, hoods, and caps based on their highest- earned degree (though COM’s public pages do not detail the color scheme of faculty hoods).

In short, COM’s commencement is built around classic academic regalia — cap and gown, traditional tassel movement, honor cords for academic achievement, and optional stoles. Yet, unlike some institutions, COM does not explicitly standardize stole colors or tassel‑cord color coding by department or discipline in its publicly available documentation.

COM Academic Regalia – Cap & Gown with Honors Cord

Official regalia set for College of the Mainland graduates: includes a mortarboard cap, formal gown, and honor cord for GPA distinction.

Cap & Gown: Standard black cap (worn level) and gown for COM commencement
Tassel: Fixed on the right side until the degree is conferred, then switched left
Academic Honors: Cords awarded for Cum Laude (3.5–3.79 GPA) and Highest Honors (3.8–4.0)
Veterans Recognition: COM honors its veterans with a special Military Cord for those with honorable service record
Stole Policy: No institution-wide stole color is publicly defined; COM’s regalia is kept simple
Cap Decor Guidelines: Decorations should be tasteful, flat, and not hang off the cap
No Regalia Fee: Cap, gown, and cords are provided at no charge to graduates

A perfect regalia set for COM students who value tradition, simplicity, and recognition of academic achievement.

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