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What Your Academic Dress at Commencement Means
During commencement, you will get to continue an age-old tradition by wearing the same attire as generations of Buffs.
During the early years of CU Boulder, graduating students wore their best clothes at commencement instead of the now-traditional caps and gowns.
In 1890, students began wearing four-sided velvet “senior caps” with tassels that resemble modern Oxford caps. In 1894, colleges and universities in the United States standardized the style and color of academic dress, leading to the black gowns that graduating students at CU Boulder still wear today.
If you’re an undergraduate student, the tassel on your graduation cap indicates your field of study. If you’re a graduate student, the tassel indicates your degree, and the velvet trim of your hood indicates your field of study.
Here’s what each color represents at CU Boulder:
Tassel & Hood Colors
- Arts & Sciences: White
- Business: Royal Blue
- Education: Light Blue
- Engineering: Orange
- Environmental Design: Lavender
- Fine Arts: Brown
- Media, Communication & Information: Red
- Music: Pink
- Master's: Black
- Doctoral: Gold Bullion
Master’s Hood Border Colors
- Arts: White
- Business: Royal Blue
- Education: Light Blue
- Engineering: Orange
- Fine Arts: Brown
- Law: Purple
- Media, Communication & Information: Red
- Music: Pink
- Science: Gold
Doctoral Hood Border Colors
- Audiology: Green
- Law: Purple
- Musical Arts: Pink
- Philosophy: Royal Blue
If you are an undergraduate graduating with honors, you may receive a medal to wear in addition to your graduation gown.
- With Distinction: Royal Blue
- With High Distinction: Burgundy
- With Honors: White
- With High Honors: Light Blue
- With Highest Honors: Pink
- Cum Laude: Green
- Magna Cum Laude: Red
- Summa Cum Laude: Dark Purple
You may wear different cords on graduation day to indicate a specific affiliation, legacy or academic achievement tied to your degree.
Here’s a glossary of all the cords available at CU Boulder:
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Black & Gold: Honors students who are members of CU Boulder legacy families
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Black & Silver: Identifies students enrolled in the space minor who received an overarching background in all aspects of space
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Blue: Acknowledges students who contributed to the senior class gift fund
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Blue & Green: Honors students who have successfully completed one or more CU Boulder Education Abroad programs or internships abroad
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Blue & Green Twisted: Acknowledges student members of the Engineers Without Borders chapter at CU Boulder who have meaningfully contributed to the chapter and its communities, exemplifying what it means to be a global engineer
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Blue & Orange: Recognizes student scholars affiliated with the Denver Scholarship Foundation
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Royal Blue & Red: Identifies students who completed the biomedical engineering minor, an exciting, multidisciplinary field that lies at the interface of medicine, biology and engineering
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Blue & White: Acknowledges student members of the American Society for Engineering Management chapter at CU Boulder Student members, who have expanded their knowledge in engineering management while enhancing their resumes
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Bright White & Silver: Honors graduates of the Deming Center's High Growth Venture Fellowship (HGV) for graduate students
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Brown: Signifies the legacies that certificate recipients and MBA graduates with an emphasis in real estate will create in their communities.
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Burgundy & Pink: Symbolizes the CU in D.C. program, which many students say is a pivotal and defining part of their CU Boulder experience
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Crimson & Silver: Honors students in the College of Media, Communication and Information who have engaged in The Bold, Sko Buffs Sports, Radio 1190, PRSSA, Ad Club, Design Club, INFO Buffs or TEDxCU for a full year or more
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Green: Recognizes graduating students who took the Green Graduation Pledge, a commitment to “explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job … and to try to improve these aspects”
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Green & Black: Identifies seniors who competed in the iGem international synthetic biology competition
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Green & Silver: Awarded to students in the Leeds School of Business who have excelled in entrepreneurship, including by completing three elective courses, interning with a local startup and more
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Gold & Silver: Recognizes top entrepreneurship MBA graduates from the Leeds School of Business who participated in the High-Growth Venture Fellowship Program, preparing them to contribute meaningfully to scaling ventures
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Lemon Yellow: Recognizes student workers at the University Libraries for their contributions to the mission of the libraries and the scholarly success of their fellow students and CU faculty
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Navy & Silver: Acknowledges Beckman Scholars in the biological and chemical sciences, a prestigious program that offers an in-depth research experience to exceptionally talented undergraduates
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Old Gold: Provided to members of the CU Boulder international student community by the Office of International Students and Scholars
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Orange & White: Given to student members of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association chapter at CU Boulder
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Royal Purple: Signifies student leaders of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the world’s leading organization of chemical engineers
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Purple & Gold: Signifies students’ involvement in the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program at CU Boulder as an Honors Scholar
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Red, Orange & Purple: Awarded to Smead Scholars in the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, the aerospace department’s flagship recruitment and retention program
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Red, Royal & Gold: Acknowledges Benson Center Undergraduate Fellows who were active participants in center events and supported community dialogues on various timely topics
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Red, White & Blue: Designates veterans with prior Active-Duty service
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Red & Yellow: Identifies student members of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, a group dedicated to building a bridge to help students better understand Chinese culture and increasing the diversity of our campus
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Royal Blue & Gold: Recognizes Student Advisory Board members in the College of Arts & Sciences for their service and dedication to improving the A&S student experience
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Silver: Earned by students who are dedicated to entering a career in the healthcare fields and are taking the steps necessary to make that happen
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Teal: Given to participants in the Gaining Opportunities through Leadership Development (CU GOLD) program, who are dedicated to the mission that any student can be a leader
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Teal & Gold: Identifies College of Arts & Sciences ambassadors
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Teal & White: Worn by Daniels Scholars in tribute to Bill Daniels, who made their dream of achieving a college degree a reality
You can wear graduation stoles, or sashes, to represent communities, clubs and organizations you were a part of at CU Boulder.
Members of affinity groups at CU Boulder can receive additional celebratory stoles through the CU Boulder Alumni Association in partnership with campus groups, departments and clubs.
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Degree Stole: Bachelor's degree students have the option to dress up their gown with custom stoles representing the colleges and schools
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First Generation Stole: Celebrates and acknowledges first-generation students' achievement of being the first in their family to graduate with a bachelor's or graduate degree
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Forest Green Stole with Silver Trim: Recognizing the hard work and dedication of seniors serving on the Environmental Center student board
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Gold Stole with Green Trim: Acknowledges the Office of Financial Aid Student Employees’ commitment to helping students and their families navigate financial aid, scholarships and work study
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Gold Stole with Silver Trim: Given to CU Boulder students who identify as part of our Asian and Asian Pacific Islander community on campus
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Golden Buffalo Marching Band Medallion (GBMB): Graduating members of the GBMB are invited to wear their medallions as a symbol of their dedication to the tradition, heartbeat, spirit and pride of the organization
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Kente Cloth: Given to CU Boulder students who identify as part of our Black/African American/African community here on campus to acknowledge ancient African traditions, ancestry and culture
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Lavender & Rainbow Stole: Given to students who identify within the LGBTQ+ community and/or have achieved significant positive change for the LGBTQ+ community on the CU Boulder campus
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Light Blue & Royal Blue Stole: Celebrates seniors that have reached an honorary status and have been active members in the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association chapter at CU Boulder
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Maroon Stole: Acknowledges student members of Rotaract, the campus chapter of the Boulder Rotary Club
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NASA COSGC Stole: Designed to represent the hard work of the graduates of the NASA Colorado Space Grant Consortium, to recognize their impact on the scientific community, and to encourage growth through beyond NASA COSGC
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Navy Stole with White Trim: Recognizes Arts and Sciences Student Government representatives for their service and dedication to the A&S student body
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Pendleton Blanket: Blankets have a long and rich history with Native American people of all tribal traditions, from the buffalo robes given to honor people for noteworthy accomplishments among Plains tribes to the weaving traditions in the Southwest that yielded signature blankets we still strongly associate with Native peoples and identities
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Red-orange Stole with Gold Trim: Acknowledges seniors who have participated in the CU Sounding Rocket Lab (SRL) student organization
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Serape Stole: Uses traditional Indigenous/Latinx serape blanket material to celebrate a connection with Indigenous and Latinx communities and countries and to commemorate Latinx culture combined with a symbol of graduation
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Silver Stole: Acknowledges the contribution of Residential Advisors to the CU residential communities and the crucial role they play in creating a positive experience for first-year students
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Silver Stole with Gold Trim: Recognizes the recipients of the Chancellor’s Recognition Award, which honors students who have earned perfect 4.0 GPAs at CU Boulder
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Student Athlete Stole: Honors and celebrates students who are graduating as a current Division 1 student-athletes
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Student Ambassador Stole: Acknowledges the commitment of student ambassadors at the CU Boulder Office of Admissions to being the face of the university and dedication to helping prospective students in their transition
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Student Government Stole: Acknowledges students who have been involved in CU Student Government (CUSG) during their time at CU Boulder
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White Stole with Yellow Trim: Honors and acknowledges a commitment to serving as the face of CMCI as an ambassador and/or the dedication to helping the community through holding an executive leadership position in CMCI Student Government
The University of Colorado Boulder welcomes Native American and Indigenous students and their families to wear and display traditional Native American or Indigenous regalia at graduation. Regalia might include accessories such as beads, jewelry, feathers or leis and clothes, blankets and footwear. Only enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe should wear or possess eagle feathers.