Grinnell College

Grinnell College’s commencement ceremony reflects a strong commitment to tradition, academic excellence, and community. According to its 2025 Commencement program, the ceremony includes a formal procession and a benediction, and graduates move their tassels from right to left in symbolic recognition of degree conferral. The event typically takes place on central campus, though in May 2025 it was held indoors due to severe weather.

Academic regalia at Grinnell follows the Intercollegiate Code: students wear traditional black graduation gowns (three styles depending on degree) and square mortarboard caps, paired with tassels that may be black, gold, or a colour appropriate to certain disciplines. The 2022 Commencement program notes that graduates wear a “special stole with a scarlet field,” reflecting Grinnell’s institutional colours, and may add pins or patches honoring their academic, team, or organizational achievements.

Graduate students (e.g., master’s or doctoral) also use coloured hoods: Grinnell’s hoods are black on the outside, lined in scarlet (the College’s official colour), with velvet binding that indicates the graduate’s area of study (for example, white for liberal arts). For honorary doctorate recipients, the velvet matches their field (e.g., purple for law).

Regarding honor cords or stoles for academic honors, Grinnell’s publicly available commencement documentation does not clearly define a GPA-based honors cord system. Honor cords are not mentioned in the Commencement program, suggesting that academic honors may not be signified by standardized cords or that they are handled outside the regalia guidelines.

Faculty participating in Grinnell’s commencement wear full academic regalia, including gowns, hoods, and caps. While the institution confirms these classic regalia pieces, there is no public, discipline-specific colour code for faculty hoods or tassels on the Grinnell site.

In short: Grinnell College’s commencement features black graduation gowns and mortarboard caps, optional black or gold tassels (or disciplinary colours), scarlet stoles for graduates, and hoods for advanced degrees. Honor cord and stole colour details are not clearly standardized, and faculty regalia follows traditional academic dress without a publicly posted colour guide.

Grinnell College Graduation Regalia — Cap, Gown & Tassel

Celebrate your Grinnell College commencement with this officially styled academic regalia set. It includes a black graduation gown, mortarboard cap, and tassel, following the school’s traditional ceremonial dress code.

Academic Regalia: Black gown, cap, and tassel in black, gold, or discipline color. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
Scarlet Stole: Signature stole with red/scarlet field worn by graduating undergraduates. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
Graduate Hood: Lined in scarlet, bound in velvet color per academic discipline (e.g. white, blue, green). :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}
Faculty Gown & Hood: Faculty wear traditional black regalia; discipline colors follow Intercollegiate Code (not publicly charted). :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}

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