Skip to main content

Regalia

Regalia is required to participate in the hooding and/or main Commencement ceremony. The University's regalia ordering portal opened on Monday, February 27, and all ship-to-bookstore regalia orders (including all doctoral orders) were due Friday, April 21.

If you are a PhD student who has confirmed their participation in this year's hooding ceremony and are still in need of regalia, please email the Office of Graduation and Senior Year Experience immediately with your height, weight (i.e. over or under 200 lbs) and type of degree conferred (i.e. doctoral).

Masters students may continue to place orders for ship-to-home rental regalia through Friday, May 12. Please visit the regalia page of the graduation website to find the ordering link and note the following:

Please consider the following when placing your regalia order:

Differences Between Rental Regalia Package and Finer-Quality Regalia Package 

Gown

Please note: these details describe the finer-quality academic regalia package.

The gown body is purple with black velvet front panels softly curving around the neck and sweeping down the length of the gown. A special Northwestern University “1851” embroidered emblem is placed at chest level on each of the front panels. Each of the purple double bell sleeves has three black velvet sleeve chevrons. The gown has a pocket slit on the wearer’s right and a zipper closure.

Hood

The hood is standard doctoral style with a black shell, a velvet trim, and a purple satin lining with a gold satin chevron.

MFA graduates wear a brown hood while PHD graduates wear a dark blue hood.

Cap/Tam

MFA graduates wear a traditional cap while PhD graduates wear a tam.

The tam is a four-corner style cap in black velvet accented with a gold metallic tassel.

Hooding instructions

Faculty hooders may download this diagram with detailed hooding instructions.

Returning Regalia

  • MFA graduates may keep their purchased regalia, which includes a cap, gown, tassel with signet, and hood. 
  • PhD graduates must return their rented regalia, which includes a tam, gown, tassel with signet, and hood. Rental regalia must be returned after the hooding ceremony or the main Commencement ceremony. All rental pieces must be returned except for the tassel. 
  • Faculty must return regalia rented by TGS before leaving the venue. The accompanying tams belong to TGS and will be dropped off in a separate receptacle nearby. If you wish to wear your rental regalia for post-ceremony photos, it must be returned before 5:00 PM when the building closes.

Last Updated: June 9, 2023