Convocation ceremony (graduation)

December 2020 | by Toges Grand Maître

For the day of your convocation ceremony, you will wear a gown and a mortar board (cap). Depending on your university or your degree, you may also have to wear a facing, a stole or a hood. Please take into account that a business attire under your gown is required, since the ceremony is organized by your teachers and your parents are invited.

The gown size is defined by your height measured from head to toe, with a full fit gown option for some sizes. The gown will fall between the knee and the ankle. For a woman, in case you are wearing a dress or a skirt, it is better if it is shorter than the gown. In case you wear pants, we recommend pants in black, navy blue or dark gray. The shoes should be waxed, discreet, and comfortable and match the colour of your gown.

Please note that the gown has a V-neck, revealing the neck and upper torso. You will need to take this into account when choosing what to wear under the gown. The most classic is to wear a white dress shirt under the gown. A dress shirt in a solid colour or with discrete patterns to match the colour of your gown is also appropriate. For men, the tie is optional. You can also wear a top that is not visible under the V-neck.

The mortar board, which sits flat on the head, should remain there throughout the graduation ceremony. If you have a lot of hair, it might be necessary to tie it back and have bobby pins to hold the mortar in place. The tassel is worn over the right eye before graduation, and over the left eye after. This expresses the passage from the status of finishing student to that of graduate. Graduates of 2nd and 3rd cycles having already obtained an undergraduate degree in the past, wear the tassel on the left like professors and dignitaries.