Southern Wesleyan University

Southern Wesleyan University Commencement & Academic Regalia

Southern Wesleyan University hosts formal commencement ceremonies to celebrate graduates across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Each ceremony highlights academic achievement, tradition, and institutional pride. Graduates are required to wear official academic regalia, including a graduation gown, cap, tassel, and when applicable, an academic hood, honor cords, or stoles, ensuring a dignified and visually cohesive commencement experience.

Undergraduate students wear classic long-sleeved gowns with pointed sleeves paired with a mortarboard cap and tassel. The tassel denotes degree completion, and eligible graduates may also wear honor cords or stoles to signify Latin honors or membership in academic societies. Graduate students wear gowns with closed sleeves and arm slits tailored for master’s degrees, along with a cap, tassel, and a hood whose velvet trim reflects their academic discipline. Honor cords are available for graduate students achieving distinctions.

Doctoral graduates wear full-cut gowns with round open sleeves and velvet sleeve bars, accompanied by a cap or tam with a gold-thread tassel. The doctoral hood indicates the field of study and level of achievement. Optional honor cords and stoles are permitted for recognized accomplishments. Faculty members are distinguished by unique gown styles and velvet trim that signify academic rank and discipline.

Honor cords, stoles, and hoods follow SWU-approved color codes for each academic discipline. Latin honors are represented by single or double cords, depending on the distinction: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Summa Cum Laude. Special tassels may be worn by veterans or service members to recognize their contributions. All regalia components, including caps, gowns, tassels, hoods, and honor cords, adhere to SWU’s official guidelines, ensuring a standardized, ceremonial appearance across all graduates.

Overall, Southern Wesleyan University’s academic regalia system provides graduates with a traditional, dignified, and visually distinguished commencement experience. Each component — from the graduation gown and cap to tassels, hoods, and honor cords — reflects the graduate’s degree level, academic discipline, and honors, celebrating achievement and maintaining the university’s ceremonial traditions.

Southern Wesleyan University Commencement & Academic Regalia Guide

Southern Wesleyan University conducts formal commencement ceremonies each academic year, requiring all participating graduates to wear approved academic regalia. Caps, gowns, tassels and hoods are worn by graduates according to the highest degree earned, and the regalia visually reflects degree level and academic discipline to honor tradition and academic achievement.

Bachelor / Undergraduate Regalia

• Gown: Traditional gown with long, pointed sleeves — the standard cut for bachelor‑level graduates.
• Cap: Mortarboard cap worn by all undergraduates.
• Tassel: Standard tassel attached to the cap, worn until degrees are conferred.
• Hood / Accessories: Hood may be worn when required by program. Optional honor cords or stoles available for graduates earning honors or special recognition.

Master / Graduate Regalia

• Gown: Master‑style gown with closed sleeves and arm slits — differentiates graduate status from undergraduate. /li>
• Cap & Tassel: Cap with tassel remains standard; tassels follow academic regalia traditions.
• Hood: Academic hood reflects the graduate’s discipline. Velvet trim and hood lining are used per standard academic dress codes.
• Honor Cords / Stoles: Eligible graduates may add cords or stoles to represent honors or society membership, following SWU’s guidelines.

Doctoral / Terminal Degree Regalia

• Gown: Doctoral gown is distinguished by full-cut design with round open sleeves and three velvet bars on each sleeve. Velvet may be black or colored to reflect the graduate’s discipline.
• Cap: Cap or tam with tassel — for doctoral graduates, a gold-thread tassel is standard to reflect terminal degree level.
• Hood: A full doctoral hood indicating degree level and field of study — the hood lining uses SWU’s institution colors, while velvet trim indicates discipline.
• Honor Cords / Stoles: Additional cords or stoles may be worn if approved by SWU for honors or society membership, following official regalia policy.

Faculty & Institutional Regalia

• Faculty and staff participating in commencement ceremonies wear academic regalia matching their highest earned degree: doctoral gowns with velvet panels and trim, hoods, and caps or tams.
• Hood colors and velvet trim correspond to the faculty member’s academic discipline and terminal degree, following standard academic‑dress conventions.

Discipline & Academic‑Field Color Codes (Hoods & Trim)

• SWU uses the standard academic‑dress color chart for hoods and velvet trim to represent academic fields: e.g. Light Blue for Education, Drab for Business/Commerce, Golden Yellow for Science, Orange for Engineering, etc.
• These color codes apply to master’s and doctoral hoods, and optionally to velvet trim on doctoral gowns — helping visually distinguish academic disciplines during commencement.

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