Wearing academic dress (regalia) on ceremonial occasions is a university tradition.
When you attend your Victoria University (VU) graduation ceremony you will be required to wear a traditional gown, hood or stole and cap.
Styles of academic dress
If you're graduating at a ceremony, you'll wear the traditional academic dress, based on the Oxford style.
Undergraduate and postgraduate graduands wear a black gown. Doctoral candidates wear a red gown.
The gown distinguishes undergraduate and higher degrees, with the hood or stole testifying to the discipline of the award.
Gown sizes range from size 42 to size 54. Gown size is based on your height.
Certificates, diplomas and graduate certificates
You will wear a black trencher cap, gown and stole, with a facing in the colour of the award discipline.
The stole is placed over the head to sit flat on the shoulders and hangs down the front of the gown.
Undergraduate degrees
VE/TAFE and undergraduate gown sleeves have a large slit in each sleeve.
The undergraduate hood is partly lined on the inside. The hood is placed over the head with colour displayed on both sides of the shoulders. The edges are curled so that colour is also visible at the back of the hood.
Postgraduate degrees
The masters hood is fully lined with colour on the inside and a coloured stripe along the outside edge. You can see the colour on both shoulders and at the back of the hood.
The gown has a long narrow sleeve extension.
Doctorates
Doctoral candidates wear a red gown.
The doctorate hood is the same style as the masters hood, with the colour displayed on both shoulders and at the back of the hood.
Indigenous Australians
The academic dress of your award is worn together with a Moondani Balluk designed silk stole.
Caps
Black caps are worn by VE/TAFE, undergraduate and masters graduands.
The cap has a deep point and a shallow point. The shallow point is worn to the front. The cap should be worn so the mortarboard is level and not placed on the back or to the side of the head.
The tassel is worn over the front left temple. Do not use pins to secure the cap as it needs to be removed for the national anthem.
Caps range in size from size 52 to size 63. The most common size is 56.
Doctoral candidates wear a bonnet.
Discipline colours
The colour worn over the gown is called a hood or stole. The table below indicates what colour is worn for each discipline.
| Discipline | Colour |
|---|---|
| Arts | Ruby |
| Business | Ultramarine |
| Education | Cherry |
| Engineering | Silver grey |
| Health Science | Old rose |
| Law | Parchment |
| Music | Pansy |
| Psychology and Behavioural Science | Buff |
| Science, Applied Science and Sport Science | Spectrum green |
| Social Studies | Gold |
| Sport and Recreation | Gold |
| Doctor of Business | Adonis blue |
| Doctor of Laws | Pearl white |
| Doctor of Letters | Ruby |
| Doctor of Philosophy | Sapphire |
| Doctor of Psychology | Old gold |
| Doctor of the University | Sky blue |
