Graduation dress

If you attend a graduation ceremony, you'll wear graduation dress. Find out what it will look like and how to wear it.

RMIT’s graduation dress is based on the Oxford style, so, if you're graduating at a ceremony, you'll wear a traditional black gown, a hood or stole and a mortarboard or bonnet.

Exactly what you'll wear is determined by your program’s discipline and the level of award you receive, e.g. Diploma, Bachelor or Master.

Colours of hoods and stoles

The colour of your hood or stole represents your program’s discipline.

Certificate and Diploma graduates will wear a stole, while degree graduates wear hoods. If you're graduating with a double degree, you are entitled to wear two hoods, one for each discipline. You'll wear a mortarboard (or cap) made from black cloth with a folding crown and a black tassel.

Professional Doctors wear a gown of black cloth faced with scarlet silk together with a hood of scarlet cloth edged with scarlet silk, and a black velvet bonnet with a red tassel.

Discipline Colour
Applied Science Honeysuckle
Architecture Cherry
Arts Magenta
Business Heliotrope
Design Silver grey
Education Turquoise
Engineering Spectrum blue
Health Science Violet
Law White
Nursing Fuschia
Pharmacy Opaline green
Public Health Peacock green
Social Science Buttercup
Social Work Powder blue
Technology Spectrum green
Doctor of Philosophy Scarlet red

Where to get your graduation dress

Where you can collect your graduation dress will depend on the ceremony you are attending. Information will be provided to you via email before the ceremony.

How to wear your graduation dress

For instructions on how to wear your graduation dress, watch the video below or download the How to Wear Your Academic Dress Flyer (PDF, 435KB).

How to wear your academic dress

A helpful guide to wearing your academic gown when graduating from RMIT University.

Need help?

Contact Student Connect.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.