Academic Attire

Appropriate Attire for Graduates

Please arrive to the Civic Center dressed in your cap and wrinkle-free gown. For attire under the gown, we recommend dark pants and dark shoes for men, with a white or light-colored collared shirt. We recommend a dress or dark trousers and comfortable shoes for women. We also recommend extra hair pins to secure your mortarboard. For safety reasons, please do not wear casual sandals or slippers or extremely high heels.

You will need both of your hands free during the ceremony; please do not bring purses, bags, or Go Pros to the Civic Center. Leave valuables with a trusted friend or family member.

All degree candidates must be in full authorized regalia (cap, gown, and authorized stole and/or cords).

  • Degree candidates must not attempt to wear (or bring) any type of sign or unapproved wording on the mortar board or elsewhere. The candidate will be asked to remove the sign(s) or other unapproved articles, or risk being removed from the procession by the ASU Police.
  • Degree candidates must not wear anything on the regalia that is not approved by the Registrar and Chief Marshal; doing so will put you at risk of being removed from the processional by the ASU Police.
  • Caps should be worn straight on the head with the front point in the center of the forehead. The Bachelor’s tassel should be worn on the right side and shifted to the left side at the designated time.
  • No flowers or decorative jewelry should be worn.

Parameters for decorating caps worn at the University Commencement:

  1. Design must adhere to university rules and student code of conduct.
  2. Designs are encouraged to be positive and/or inspirational.
  3. The Marshall assigned to support the College and it’s Dean will be responsible for cap review and approval.  If there is any objection related to cap review, the Chief Marshal will render the final decision.

The following items are banned:

  1. Anything that sticks up above the top of the cap.
  2. Anything hanging down the sides and back (bows, for example).
  3. Strands of light.
  4. Inappropriate content (no profanity, vulgarity, negative images, no political statements and/or references, criticism of other persons or groups, etc.).

Regalia Information

Regalia should be ordered online at http://colleges.herffjones.com/college/asu/. If you have any questions regarding ordering caps, gowns, hoods, tassels, and graduation announcements, please call the ASU Bookstore at 229-500-2007 or 229-500-2008 for details. The cost of the cap, gown, and tassel portion of the regalia is included in the graduation fee paid to the university. The cap, gown, and tassel must still be ordered using the link above. They will be included as part of your order while not adding any cost to the order. Hoods are required for students earning a bachelors or graduate degree, and are an additional cost which must be paid for when ordering your regalia.