Dartmouth College

At Dartmouth College, the commencement ceremony is steeped in academic tradition, with students, faculty, and trustees donning formal academic regalia. According to Dartmouth’s Academic Attire for Commencement policy, undergraduates wear a black mortarboard cap and standard gown. Graduate and professional students order their regalia via their respective schools; doctoral candidates wear a green doctoral gown, a tradition at Dartmouth since 1967.

The tassel color follows classic academic dress: for bachelor’s and master’s degrees, the tassel is black, while gold tassels are reserved for doctoral graduates and institutional leaders. Tassels are worn on the right side of the cap by undergraduates and are shifted to the left once the degree is conferred for higher degree holders.

Dartmouth’s academic hoods are richly symbolic, with the silk lining bearing Dartmouth’s college colors, and the velvet trim indicating the wearer’s discipline. For example: Arts, Letters, Humanities use white velvet; Business Administration uses nugget; Engineering uses orange; Medicine is green; Science is golden yellow; Theology is scarlet; and several other disciplines each have their own traditional color.

Regarding cords and stoles, Dartmouth allows a wide variety. The college notes that students may wear cords and stoles representing affiliations with Greek life, first-generation status, Phi Beta Kappa, veterans’ associations, Native American communities, house communities, and more. These accessories are not standardized by color across majors—they reflect the student’s personal or organizational identities rather than fixed academic categories.

In summary, Dartmouth’s commencement regalia system combines traditional academic dress (black gowns, mortarboards, green doctoral robes) with discipline-based hood colors and a flexible, student-driven use of cords and stoles for identity and honor. This maintains Dartmouth’s heritage while allowing personal and community expression at graduation.

Dartmouth College Academic Regalia – Graduation Cap, Gown & Tassel

Official-style Dartmouth commencement attire. Options for undergraduates, master’s, and doctoral regalia, complete with discipline‑specific hood trim and cords/stoles.

Black gown & mortarboard cap for bachelor’s and master’s students. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
Dartmouth green doctoral gown (for Ph.D. graduates). :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
Tassel colors: black for bachelor’s/master’s, gold for doctoral. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}
Academic hood velvet color varies by discipline (e.g., orange for engineering, white for humanities, golden yellow for science). :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}
Cords and stoles: reflect student affiliations (first-gen, veterans, Greek life, etc.) rather than academic major. :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}

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