Earlham College

Earlham College holds its annual Commencement ceremony in May, honoring graduates with a formal procession and presentation of letters. The college requires students to order their cap, gown, and tassel from its official Herff Jones vendor; the “Graduation Regalia” package is free but must be ordered before the deadline.

According to Earlham’s official Commencement program, the academic regalia tradition is rooted in medieval traditions: gowns, mortarboard caps, and hoods help visually distinguish the institution, degree level, and field of study. The hood’s lining indicates the institution (Earlham), while the velvet trim’s color width reflects the degree level (bachelor, master, doctorate) and its color represents the academic discipline.

Earlham provides a detailed discipline‑color key for faculty and academic regalia. For example, Science is Golden Yellow, Education is Light Blue, Engineering is Orange, Philosophy is Dark Blue, Arts & Humanities is White, Medicine is Green, Social Work is Citron, and more. These colors apply to the velvet trim on hoods or the academic robe.

However, there is no public mention in the Earlham student handbook, commencement program, or catalog of specific tassel colors for students, nor standardized honor cords or stoles in particular colors tied to honors or societies. The official regalia order package only includes a gown, cap, and tassel. Honor cords, stoles, or other accessory colors do not appear in publicly available handbooks or commencement documentation. In short: Earlham College adopts a traditional black academic gown and mortarboard cap, uses discipline‑based velvet colors for faculty/hoods, but does not publicly define tassel, honor cord, or stole color schemes.

Earlham College Academic Regalia Package – Cap, Gown & Tassel

Designed for Earlham College graduates following their commencement tradition — elegant black gown, cap, and tassel as defined by the institution.

• Graduation Gown: Jet-black matte gown, matching Earlham’s commencement gown requirements. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
• Graduation Cap: Traditional black mortarboard cap, aligned with Earlham’s academic regalia protocol.
• Tassel: Included standard tassel — Earlham’s Herff Jones package provides a tassel but does not designate specialty or department colors. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}
• Honor Cords & Stoles: Not publicly standardized at Earlham; no official color chart for cords or stoles in the commencement document or catalog.
• Faculty / Hood Colors: Velvet-trimmed hood colors represent academic disciplines: Dark Blue (Philosophy), Golden Yellow (Science), Orange (Engineering), Scarlet (Theology), Light Blue (Education), Drab (Business), etc. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}
• Degree Level Marker: Width of the velvet trim increases with degree level (Bachelor → Master → Doctorate). :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}
• Ordering: Available through Herff Jones on the Earlham College cap‑and‑gown order portal. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}

*Please note: While this regalia package is aligned with Earlham College’s commencement guidelines, the college does not publicly define student tassel colors, honor cord colors, or stole colors in its official commencement program.*

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