Cornell College

Cornell College holds its commencement ceremony each spring, typically on a Sunday at 10 a.m. in the Richard & Norma Small Athletic & Wellness Center (SAW Arena). Graduating seniors pick up their mortarboard graduation cap and graduation gown from the campus bookstore in advance, and arrive in full academic regalia for the processional. After the ceremony, graduates receive their diplomas and exit to family celebrations.

Cornell’s academic regalia reflects traditional medieval scholarly dress, connecting modern graduates to centuries of academic heritage. The hood worn by master’s (or higher) graduates is draped ceremonially around the neck; its silk lining reflects the granting institution, and the velvet border indicates the field of study: for example, dark blue for philosophy, yellow for science, white for arts, orange for engineering, and others.

Importantly, Cornell College’s publicly‑available commencement materials explicitly note that students may wear cords or stoles “provided by some organizations and honor societies.” But the college does not provide a standard set of honor cords, stoles, or tassels based on academic honors; instead, graduates are encouraged to wear respectful regalia consistent with their own honor society or affiliation. There is no publicly available handbook or catalog on Cornell’s site that defines specific stole or cord colors for summa, magna, or cum laude, or for particular disciplines.

For faculty regalia, Cornell requires teaching faculty and administrators to participate in commencement and processions “appropriately attired in academic regalia.” However, Cornell’s published resources (catalog and commencement program) do not list a fixed college-wide color scheme for faculty hoods, tassels, or stoles by department.

In summary, Cornell College’s commencement emphasizes a traditional academic regalia aesthetic: black gowns, mortarboard caps, and heraldic hoods, while cords or stoles are left to honor societies, and detailed color‑coding for cords or faculty hoods is not standardized in publicly released Cornell documents.

Cornell College Academic Regalia Gift Set

This Cornell College graduation cap, gown & tassel bundle makes a perfect gift for any graduate — designed for traditional commencement style.

• Full Academic Regalia: Black gown, mortarboard cap, and standard tassel — everything needed for Cornell College graduation ceremonies.
• Flexible Honor Apparel: Wear any respectful cords or stoles from honor societies — Cornell College does not enforce fixed color schemes.
• Graduate Hood Compatible: Compatible with velvet‑bordered academic hoods in Cornell’s discipline-specific colors.
• First‑Generation Recognition: First-gen grads often wear purple & white cords to celebrate their achievement.
• Professional Quality Fabric: Lightweight, breathable, and structured to look sharp in photos and on stage.
• Discipline Color Guidance: Cornell’s hood velvet border colors follow academic traditions — e.g., orange for engineering, dark blue for philosophy, yellow for science, white for humanities.

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