Rhode Island School of Design

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Commencement & Academic Regalia Overview

Rhode Island School of Design holds its commencement ceremony each year for both undergraduate and graduate students. Caps and gowns (academic regalia) are distributed via the school’s official store “risd:store” in the days leading up to Commencement. Graduates pick up their mortarboard cap and gown at scheduled times — generally in the week or days before the ceremony.

At RISD, the cap and gown are provided to graduates, and the school’s Commencement guidance explicitly states that students “are encouraged to embellish their cap and gown however you’d like,” meaning graduates have freedom for creative personalization rather than strict uniformity.

Because of this encouragement of personalization, there is no publicly available standard color‑chart for tassels, hoods, stoles, or honor cords representing academic discipline, honors, or degree type on the official RISD Commencement pages. Public documents for recent ceremonies (2017, 2018, 2019) mention only “cap and gown” pickup — they do not reference discipline‑color tassels, mandatory hoods, or uniform honor‑cord/stole colors.

Because RISD permits creative expression, many graduates choose to personalize their mortarboard, gown, or add adornments like stoles, cords, or decorative tassels. This aligns more with a celebratory and individual‑expression style, rather than a formal, color‑coded academic regalia system.

In summary: RISD’s commencement regalia system relies on a standard cap and gown provided by the school and distributed to graduates. Tassels, stoles, cords, or other adornments are not regulated by a public color‑coded scheme; instead, RISD encourages graduates to personalize their regalia. This makes RISD’s graduation attire more flexible and creative compared with traditional academic‑regalia protocols.

• Mortarboard cap and academic gown — required base attire for RISD commencement graduates.
• Neutral, plain‑color gown and cap — universal across all majors and credentials at RISD, since there is no discipline‑color standard.
• Designed for personalization — ideal if you want to add your own tassel, stole, cords, or creative décor to reflect your artistic identity.
• One‑size‑fits‑all kit — suitable for undergraduates, graduate students, and all degree programs at RISD.
• Ceremony‑ready and photo‑ready — perfect for commencement procession, diploma presentation, graduation photos, and keepsake memories.

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