According to the HCC academic catalog and student handbook, graduation ceremonies for degrees or certificates are held on campus, typically on the second or third Saturday in May. Students must file an “Intent to Graduate” form by the deadline; the college sends details about cap and gown distribution (usually early May) and other relevant graduation dates.
HCC recognizes academic honors at graduation: students with high GPAs (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude) receive honors designations on transcripts. Students who complete 12 hours of honors coursework also get a special honors‑program designation and receive honors cords at a separate honors ceremony.
The college encourages — and requires — proper academic attire (cap, gown, tassel) for participating in commencement.
However — and importantly — I could not find any publicly available official HCC document (in the catalog, handbook, or commencement announcements) that specifies exact colors for gowns, tassels, hoods, honor cords, or stoles for different degrees or majors. The institution’s catalog does not include a “color‑chart” for regalia.
As a result, while HCC does use cap & gown and offers honor cords for high‑achieving students, there is no published standard color scheme (for tassels, stoles, gowns) that can be reliably referenced from HCC’s website or PDF materials.
In short: HCC’s commencement procedure and honors‑cord policy are documented — but details about regalia colors (gown color, tassel hue, stole/cord colors) are not publicly available.
Prepare for graduation at Highland Community College with awareness of what is — and what is not — publicly known about cap, gown and academic regalia.
Note: To confirm the exact colors of the graduation gown, cap, tassel, honor cords, and stoles for your specific program at Highland Community College Freeport, Illinois, 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.