Cap and Gown: Student Reference Guide
This information is provided by the Graduation Department of the Cal Student Store and any questions regarding its content should be directed to the store's department at 510-642-9000 x681.
IB Graduates
- » Cap & Gown Rental
- » Graduation Announcements
- » Graduation Stoles
- » Graduation Packages
- » General Information
- » Grad Finale
Cap & Gown Purchase
- Rentals begin approximately Monday, March 28, 2011 and continue throughout May.
- Pre-ordering is not necessary.
- Caps are one size fits all; gown size is determined by your height.
- You keep the cap and tassel.
- Rental is "a la carte"—Download the Grad Price List.
- Since gowns are rented throughout May, most people can rent as late as the day of their ceremony. However, please allow for a half-hour wait in line, especially within the last three days, as the store is extremely busy. We recommend renting early. If possible, come after the last three days during the off-peak hours of the early morning or afternoon.
Graduation Announcements
Graduation announcements are formal notices to send to family and friends announcing your graduation. Announcements come in two forms: generic or personalized.
- Generic announcements come in packs of 10 for $20.99 and include:
- announcements, inner and outer envelopes, and cards upon which you can write your name and degree.
- Spanish generic announcements are also available in packs of 10 for $20.99
Announcements are formal notices, NOT invitations to your Commencement. The IB Commencement has limited space available. See our Tickets page for specifics.
- Personalized announcements announce your name, major, degree, and day, date, time, and location of your ceremony in the text of the card.
Filling out a personalized announcement DOES NOT equal an invitation or ticket to Commencement. Personalized announcements are available through Jostens.
- They come with inner and outer envelopes and a plastic envelope filler.
- The minimum order is 25 announcements for $37.50, after which you can order more in sets of 10.
- You may also include an additional line of text to announce honors, emphasis in, minor, or double major at no extra charge.
- There is enough room to include two dates on your announcement, so double majors can choose to include both dates if desired.
NOTE: Announcements are formal notices, NOT invitations to your Commencement. The IB Commencement Ceremony has limited space available. See our Tickets page for specifics.
Formal etiquette suggests announcements should arrive at their destination at least two weeks prior to your ceremony. They come with inner and outer envelopes. The outer envelope should be addressed formally (i.e. Mr., Mrs., Ms., with the full name spelled out). The inner envelope may be addressed informally (e.g. Mom, Aunt Beatrice, Cuddlecakes, etc.). Etiquette seals are used to seal the inner envelopes and are available in packs of 10 for $8.99 or 25 for $19.95 at the ASUC Store
Graduation Stoles
Students also have the option of wearing a UC Berkeley or ethnically-significant stole to their graduation ceremony. The UCB Stole is a length of satin with a special embroidered UCB seal patch, and can be worn by any student to decorate the graduation gown.
The stole can be embroidered to include the name of a fraternity/sorority, student organization/club, sports team, or with "Class of 2011." Often they are given to the organization's seniors as a congratulatory gift. They can also be worn unembroidered with just the patch.
The stole hangs around the back of the neck, with the two ends lying flat on the chest. Because of the fine satin, the stole tends to slip during heavy movement, so we recommend pinning the stole from the inside to the graduation gown.
Especially nice for graduation pictures and regal-looking when worn in ceremony, the stole is available for purchase for $36.00.
Suggested Graduation Packages
The student store sells all grad supplies individually, but the suggested packages below are common combinations. Order forms and samples are in the Cal Student Store. All graduation supplies are available starting Monday, March 28, 2011. Download a price list and info on joining the California Alumni Association.
| Sample Grad Pack #1 | |||
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| Sample Grad Pack #2 | |||
* Only available through Jostens |
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General Information
Honor Cords:
- If you are graduating with honors in IB, you are eligible to purchase an honor cord for $15.00 to wear during your ceremony. You may purchase an Honor Cord after March 28, 2011. The honor cord is a double gold rope that hangs from your neck and dangles in front.
Masters and Doctors:
- Masters and Doctoral students may rent hoods to wear during the ceremony. A hood is a cowl-type decoration worn around the neck that hangs down the back.
- A velveteen strip of material reflects the degree and the inside opens up to satin, reflecting the institution where the degree was conferred.
- The hood should be worn such that, from the front, the satin is on bottom and the velveteen is on top, closest to the head.
- Here are some color examples. Please see the store for more color identities:
Ph.D |
-- Royal Blue |
Master of Science |
-- Gold |
EDD |
-- Light Blue | Master of Engineering |
-- Orange |
DPH |
-- Salmon | Master of Arts |
-- White |
JD |
-- Purple | MBA |
-- Beige |
The store orders hoods based on the department's estimates of graduates. Please know the exact title of your degree prior to rental. Students have mistaken their degree titles and ended up in the ceremony wearing a hood color different from their classmates. For example, a Masters OF Engineering is different from a Masters of Science IN Engineering. Not all Doctor degrees are a Ph.D. However, a Ph.D. is universal, so a Ph.D. in Education will have the same color as a Ph.D. in MCB.
If you already have a graduate degree, it is not proper to wear two hoods, or to wear a hood of an already conferred degree while receiving another. If you plan on teaching and will later attend ceremonies as a faculty member, you should wear the hood reflecting the highest degree earned or if two equal degrees, choose one.
You can also purchase your graduation gown and hood.
- Velvet Ph.D hoods and tarns (in blue or black) are available at the store for immediate purchase, and you can order custom gowns.
- Tailor-made gowns can take approximately 6-8 weeks. Any customers ordering custom made gowns later than 6-8 weeks before the ceremony will receive free rental regalia.
- Purchasing custom regalia is highly recommended for graduates who continue in education, e.g. teaching, and who will participate in graduation ceremonies as a professor in the future.
- Please stop by the Cal Student Store for more details or to have measurements taken.
Grad Finale: April 5 - 8
- 10am – 4pm on the bottom floor of the Cal Student Store
- Order grad packs, gown rentals, and announcements
- Receive information about rings, yearbooks, Alumni Association membership, and post-graduation planning with the Career Center and Kaplan testing services.
- Come and enter for a chance to win prizes!
For more information or for questions:
Call 510-642-9000 x681
or visit the Graduation Department of the Cal Student Store
IB Info
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