Graduate Attire
Participation in Convocation, Baccalaureate, or Commencement is an earned privilege. Piedmont University students are expected to abide by the following guidelines for appropriate and acceptable dress. Participation is permitted at the sole discretion of Piedmont University.
Convocation
Freshmen should dress in appropriate attire and is suggested that attending men wear dress slacks, a button-up shirt and tie; attending women may wear either dress slacks and a blouse or a day dress.
Baccalaureate
Students should dress in appropriate attire under their academic regalia. It is suggested that graduating men wear dress slacks, a button-up shirt and tie; graduating women may wear either dress slacks and a blouse or a day dress. Neither graduating student’s hoods nor mortarboards are worn at Baccalaureate. Honor cords and stoles are not worn to Baccalaureate. Any unapproved enhancements to regalia will be confiscated and returned to the graduate after the service. Replacement robes will be provided.
Commencement
Students should dress in appropriate attire under their academic regalia. It is suggested that men wear dress slacks, a button- up shirt and tie; women may wear either dress slacks and a blouse or a day dress. Hoods and mortarboards are worn at Commencement. Mortarboards are to be worn squared, not tilted. Men remove their mortarboards for the invocation and again during the benediction. Women do not remove their mortarboards. Some institutions allow students to display symbols of ethnic pride and religious cloths. Piedmont’s decision is not to allow these types of cloth to be worn as stoles but to allow a graduate to display it flat on top of the mortarboard. Any unapproved enhancements to regalia will be confiscated and returned to the graduate after the service. Replacement robes and/or mortarboards will be provided.
Caps, Gowns, & Hoods
Regalia is ordered through the Herff Jones website for the current graduation semester.
Please see the tutorials below to assist you with how to wear your regalia:
- Undergraduate
- Graduate
Mortarboards
The current policy is to allow decorations on hats as long as they are two-dimensional. E.g., glitter is OK, but a several-inch palm tree sticking straight up is not. Lights, bows, feathers, action figures and flowers are also not acceptable. The policy will be enforced and noncompliant hats will be confiscated for the duration of the ceremony and the graduating student will be provided with a plain hat. Confiscated mortarboards will be returned to graduates after the ceremony.
Cords, Stoles, Tassels, & Pins
The tradition of moving the tassel signifies graduation. Undergraduate students wear the tassel on the right until the degree is conferred. Once the degree is conferred, the tassel is moved to the left. Since graduate students already have the distinction of achieving graduation, their tassels are worn on the left throughout the ceremony.
Stoles are used for undergraduate students who earn graduation with honors and are awarded by the Registrar’s Office.
Piedmont University permits the use of cords, stoles, and pins to distinguish a major and/or honor. Below is a list of recognized honor societies and organizations for which approved cords, stoles, and pins may be worn with your regalia during Commencement. You may not wear cords, stoles or pins issued by another institution’s society or organization.
Fraternity/Sorority Membership
Alpha Sigma Phi, Zeta Tau Alpha.
Honor Societies Memberships
Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha), Alpha Chi, Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Phi Sigma, Alpha Si Omega, Biology Honors Program, Chemistry Honors Program, Chi Alpha Sigma, Delta Mu Delta, Kappa Mu Epsilon, Kappa Pi, Lillian E. Smith Scholars, National Society of Leadership and Success, National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, Psi Chi, Psychology Honors Program, R.H. Daniel College of Nursing Health Sciences Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Pi, Sigma Tau Delta, Society for Collegiate Journalists, Torch of Piedmont.
Approved Organization Memberships
Campus Activities Board, Health Sciences Leadership Academy, Piedmont Chapter of the American Marketing Association, TEAM Piedmont Student Ambassadors, Student Government Association, Piedmont University Student Nurses Association, Residential Living/Resident Assistants, SAIL, Criminalistics Club, Piedmont Peer Tutors.
Student-Athlete Status
Baseball, Basketball (M&W), Cheerleading, Cross Country (M&W), Cycling (M&W), Golf (M&W), Lacrosse (M&W), Soccer (M&W), Softball, Swimming (M&W), Tennis (M&W), Track and Field (M&W), and Volleyball.
Request for New Society or Organization
If there is an organization that falls outside of the guidelines above, contact your organization's advisor who can reach out to the Registrar's Office for consideration and approval. The following request may be submitted for review by the Commencement Committee: Commencement Regalia Request. Organizations that fail to follow the established attire policy will jeopardize the organization's future ability to be represented with adornments in future ceremonies.