Academic Regalia

Your formal commencement regalia represents your dedication as well as honor of being a UND graduate.

Your transition from student to professional is something that deserves to be recognized. Your formal commencement regalia represents your dedication as well as honor of being a UND graduate.

How to Attain Commencement Wear

Undergraduate Candidates

Undergraduate (BA) regalia (caps, gowns, and tassels) are available for purchase at the UND Bookstore or online at Herff Jones.  Deadline to order for home delivery is November 18, 2021. 

Graduate Candidates

Graduate (MA/DR) regalia can be rented at the UND Bookstore or online at Herff Jones. Deadline to order for home delivery is November 18, 2021. 

How to Wear Your Regalia

Bachelor's Degree

Wear a black bachelor’s gown, cap, and tassel in the color of your academic college.

Watch Bachelor's Degree Video

Master's Degrees

Wear a UND-custom black master’s gown, cap, black tassel, and UND master’s hood lined in pink and Kelly green, UND’s official university colors, and trimmed in the color of your academic college or discipline.

Watch Master's Degrees Video

Doctoral Degrees

Wear a UND-custom, black, doctoral gown, tam, tassel, and UND doctoral hood lined in pink and Kelly green, UND’s official university colors, and trimmed in the color of your academic college or discipline.

Watch Doctoral Degrees Video

Tassels

UND selected the following tassel colors to designate its academic divisions:

Undergraduate Candidates

Undergraduate candidates wear the tassel on the right side of the cap until they cross the stage; upon stepping down from the stage, the tassel should be moved to the left side of the cap.  

Graduate Candidates

Master's and doctoral candidates wear their tassels on the left side of the cap throughout the ceremony.

Receiving two or more degrees?

You will be listed under all the degrees you have earned in the commencement program. You only walk across the stage once, so you will have to decide which degree you plan to walk with upon arrival to the line-up room. Please make sure to purchase the tassel with the color that coordinates with the college you plan to march with at the ceremony.

Hoods

The color of the lining of the hood worn by recipients of graduate degrees indicates the institution which confers the degrees. UND hoods are lined in pink with a green chevron; the trim of the hood indicates the degree or discipline.

Honor Cords

UND may grant approval to allow specific honor cords to be worn to represent academic honors from a nationally recognized honor society. Advance approval must be received from the appropriate academic dean and from Ceremonies & University Events. Graduates can obtain an honor cord from their honor society.

Approved honor cords:

• Alpha Phi Sigma - National Criminal Justice Honor Society; blue and gold cords
• Beta Alpha Psi - International Honor Society for Accounting Majors; red and white cords
• Beta Gamma Sigma - Honor Society accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International; worn by students and faculty members; blue and gold cords
• Epsilon Pi Tau - National Academic Honor Society for Technology; blue, gold and white cords
• Gamma Theta Upsilon - International Geographic Honor Society; blue, brown and gold cords
• Gamma Sigma Alpha - National Academic Honor Society for Greek Members; red and yellow cords
• Golden Key - International Honor Society; royal blue and gold cords
• IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu - Student Honor Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; gold cord with red & blue tassel
• Mortar Board - National College Honor Society; silver and gold cords
• NRHH - National Residence Hall Honor Society;blue and silver cord
• National Society of Collegiate Scholars -National society recognizing outstanding academic achievement and involvement on campus; gold and burgundy cords
• Order of Omega - National Leadership Academic Honor Society for Greek Members; gold and white cords
• Phi Alpha - National Social Work Honor Society; gold cords
• Phi Alpha Theta - History honor Society; red and blue cords
• Phi Beta Kappa - National Scholarship Honor Society for Liberal Arts and Sciences; pink and blue cords
• Phi Eta Sigma - Honor Society for First Year Students; black and gold cords
• Pi Alpha Alpha - National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration;light blue and gold cords
• Pi Kappa Lambda - National Music Honor Society; gold and white cords
• Pi Theta Epsilon- National Occupational Therapy Honor Society; blue and gold cords
• Psi Chi - International Honor Society in Psychology; platinum and navy cords
• Sigma Gamma Epsilon - National Honor Society for Earth Sciences; gold, blue and silver cords
• Sigma Pi Sigma - National Honor Society for Physics; green and white cords
• Sigma Tau Delta -National Society for English representing high achievement in English language, literature, and writing; Cardinal red and black double strand cords
• Sigma Theta Tau - International Honor Society of Nursing; purple and white cords
• Tau Beta Pi - National Engineering Honor Society; brown and white cords
• Tau Sigma - National Honor Society for Transfer Students; maroon and gold cords
• Theta Alpha Kappa - National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology; red cords
• Upsilon Pi Epsilon - International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines; maroon and white cords Diploma/Transcript

Visit UND Involvement for more information.

Graduating with Honors

Undergraduate Students

If you are an undergraduate student graduating with honors, you will receive a medallion when you arrive for your ceremony. Honor medallions are distributed during the line-up process or mailed with your diploma. Medallions can be worn by undergraduate candidates who achieve a scholastic average of 3.50 or higher in at least 50 graded credit hours completed at UND.

Graduate Students

Official UND honor medallions are distributed to eligible undergraduate candidates only. Masters and doctoral students wear a hood to designate their academic achievement.

Honor Requirements

Non-Academic Recognition Cords

• UND Legacy Cords are given to students whose parents or grandparents graduated from UND. These green, white, and pink cords are given out at the Graduation Expo and in the line-up room prior to the commencement ceremony.
• Veterans graduating from UND and students who serve(d) in the U.S. military may wear red, white, and blue cords to honor them for their service. These cords are distributed by Veteran’s Services located in Room 170, McCannel Hall and in the line-up room prior to the ceremony.
• First Generation Cords are blue and green cords for those students who are the first in their immediate family to graduate with a four year degree. These cords are distributed at the Graduation Expo and in the line-up room prior to the commencement ceremony.

Multicultural Enhancements

• American Indian students can wear any of several pieces of traditional American Indian regalia including an eagle feather attached to their mortar board representing honesty, truth, courage and wisdom; beadwork representing their tribe; cultural designs on top of the mortar board, or traditional outfits under their gown.
• Woven cloths representing traditional patterns and designs signifying a graduate’s cultural heritage may be worn during the commencement ceremony.
• Hawaiian and Polynesian leis made from flower, vines, or leaves may be worn by students leaving UND as symbols of good luck, affection and appreciation.

Regalia Policy

The UND Policy on Academic Regalia was approved in 2021.