Sewanee: The University of the South

Sewanee: The University of the South — Commencement & Academic Regalia Summary

Sewanee’s commencement is a formal, tradition-rich ceremony where graduates, faculty, and dignitaries wear traditional academic regalia. The University follows a clear ordinance for hoods and gowns tied to degree level, reflecting Sewanee’s historic approach to academic dress and ceremonial protocol.

Academic gowns at Sewanee conform to degree distinctions: bachelor’s gowns are standard in black, master’s gowns follow customary master's styling, and doctoral gowns include distinguishing features such as velvet panels and bell-shaped sleeves. The mortarboard cap is the standard graduation cap worn by students in academic ceremonies.

Hoods at Sewanee are the primary visual indicator of degree level. The hood color scheme is defined by degree: bachelor’s hoods are black, master’s hoods are blue (with certain professional master’s exceptions), and doctoral hoods are scarlet. A unique Sewanee tradition is the purple cord binding on hoods, a distinctive detail that marks Sewanee affiliation and adds ceremonial continuity across degree levels.

While Sewanee documents explicitly set hood coloration by degree, public materials do not provide a university-wide color chart for tassels, stoles, or honor cords by academic discipline. There is no published, discipline-based tassel or stole color scheme available in Sewanee’s public regalia ordinances or commencement bulletins. Likewise, specific honor-cord color assignments by major or honors level are not documented publicly.

In practice, Sewanee’s verifiable regalia policy centers on degree-level hoods and standard gowns and caps: the hood color denotes degree level, gowns reflect academic rank and degree, and the mortarboard cap and hood binding complete the formal ensemble. Because tassel and stole color charts by discipline are not published, any claims about discipline-specific tassel or stole colors would be unsupported by Sewanee’s official public guidance.

Overall, Sewanee’s commencement emphasizes heritage and clear degree-based regalia: black bachelor hoods, blue master hoods (with noted exceptions), scarlet doctoral hoods, purple-corded hood binding, traditional gowns and caps, and no publicly available discipline-based tassel or stole color chart.

Sewanee: The University of the South – Academic Regalia (Cap, Gown, Hood)

• Standard black graduation gown and classic mortarboard cap.
• Bachelor’s hood: black; Master’s hood: blue (M.Div: black); Doctoral hood: scarlet.
• All Sewanee hoods include distinctive purple seam binding.
• Tassel, stole, and honor cord colors are not defined in Sewanee public documents.
• Faculty gowns follow traditional academic-degree standards.
• Designed for Sewanee commencement and academic ceremonies requiring formal regalia.

This listing reflects all publicly documented Sewanee regalia elements while avoiding unsupported discipline-based color claims.

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