Rice University

Rice University Commencement & Academic Regalia Overview

Rice University requires that all degree candidates who participate in Commencement wear official academic regalia: cap, gown, and hood (plus stole for undergraduates). Regalia must be ordered through the designated vendor by the stated deadlines.

For undergraduates, the regalia includes a black mortarboard cap, a gown with long pointed sleeves, a hood, and a stole indicating affiliation with one of Rice’s residential colleges. Each undergraduate major maps to a specific hood color (or equivalent distinction) according to field of study: e.g., Golden Yellow for Natural Sciences & Engineering; White for Humanities & Social Sciences; Brown for Architecture; Drab for Business; Pink for Music.

Graduate (master’s) candidates wear a gown — in Rice’s case a darker or distinctive gown — with a hood trimmed according to discipline. Hood colors at master’s level reflect the field: e.g., Orange for Engineering, Drab for Business, Golden Yellow for Natural Sciences, White for Humanities, Brown for Architecture. The hood’s lining displays Rice’s official colors to signal institutional affiliation.

Doctoral candidates at Rice wear a more elaborate gown featuring velvet trims and sleeve bars; the hood’s velvet border and lining signify both the highest academic level and the discipline, with colors like Blue for PhD fields or Pink for Doctor of Musical Arts fields.

Stoles provided to undergraduates indicate residential‑college membership and are distributed by the college coordinator. There is no publicly available evidence on a universal “honor‑cord” or special tassel color scheme tied to academic honors across all majors. Additional adornments beyond the regulated cap, gown, hood and college stole appear to be optional or dependent on departmental/honor‑society discretion — not part of the standard published regalia policy.

In summary: Rice University’s commencement regalia structure uses a standard mortarboard cap and gown for all graduates, enhanced by discipline‑color hoods (and gown style distinctions by degree level) and residential college stoles for undergraduates. The system balances tradition and institutional identity while allowing clear visual differentiation by degree type and academic field.

• Mortarboard cap, academic gown, hood, and optional college stole — standard regalia required for Rice University commencement participants.
• Hood trim and lining colors per academic field: Golden Yellow (Sciences & Engineering), White (Humanities & Social Sciences), Brown (Architecture), Drab (Business), Pink (Music), etc. — honors discipline‑specific regalia standards.
• Proper gown style for degree level — bachelor's, master's or doctoral — with hood color/velvet trim matching the degree and field of study.
• Compatible with residential college stoles for undergraduates — design supports an added stole with hooded gown.
• One‑set fits undergraduate, master’s and doctoral graduates — simplifies procurement and ensures compliance with commencement policies.
• Formal academic‑regalia style — perfect for commencement ceremony, diploma walk, graduation photos, and long‑lasting keepsakes.

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