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HISTORY OF AMERICAN GRADUATION CEREMONIES AND TRADITIONS

History of Graduation Cap and Gown (from Indiana University)

Academic costumes are based on a history of nearly eight centuries. In medieval Europe, all townspeople—men and women—wore long flowing robes and gowns. The materials and colors varied according to the wealth and rank of the individual and were governed by royal decree. Gradually, distinctive gowns developed for the various professions, trades, and guilds.

Students in the medieval universities of Paris, Bologna, Oxford, and Cambridge organized themselves into guilds. Their usual garb, a long gown, was necessary for warmth in the unheated buildings. Scholars, generally members of church orders, wore robes and also hoods to protect their shaved heads. Later, skull caps were worn on the head and the hood became a cape that could be pulled over the head during unpleasant weather. As additional universities were founded, distinctive forms of the gown and hood were adapted by their faculties for bachelors (apprentices of arts), masters (teachers), and doctors (teachers who had completed postgraduate studies). Variations appeared mostly in the hood and were regulated by strict rules. Tailors who departed from the authorized design could be punished. When caps and hats came into fashion in the fifteenth century, the hoods became ornamental, draped over the shoulders and down the back.

The academic hat was adapted from the headdress of the ordinary people. It was first worn as a symbol of the master’s degree and existed in various forms. Some caps were stiff, some soft, some square, some round with a tuft in the center. The tassel of today is an elaboration of the tuft. The mortarboard style comes to us from Oxford University.

When academic costume came to America in 1754, styles were quite varied, as they still are in Europe today. In our country, usage has been standardized by the Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume.

History of the Baccalaureate Service (from Colombia University

The Baccalaureate Service is believed to have originated at Oxford University in 1432 when each bachelor was required to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic exercise. Since the earliest universities in this country were founded primarily to educate ministers, the British practice of the Baccalaureate Service was continued.

History of the Graduation Ring (from US Military Academy)

The tradition of class rings at American colleges and universities is believed to have originated at West Point when members of the class of 1835 designed their own rings, which were purchased at private expense and made to individual order. In 1836, no ring was adopted, but in the following year the custom was taken up again, and has been consistently observed ever since. Because most officers rode, many of the rings show wear from the rubbing action of the reins. In 1881, the rings began to show some uniformity of design. Prior to 1897, the stone was an engraved seal or signet with the class motto, although occasionally personal initials were also used.

1897 saw the change from an engraved seal to a purely ornamental stone. After 1898, the Academy motto "Duty, Honor, Country" was the only motto to be placed on the ring. By 1917, it had become customary to place a class crest on one side of the ring and the Academy crest on the other; a standard die design was instituted for each class, so that individual preference was limited to the stone, which is selected by the owner.

History of the Graduation Musical Theme “Pomp and Circumstance”

This site explains how Edward Elgar’s composition, originally written as a final piece in the Coronation Ode to celebrate King Edward VII’s ascent to the British throne, became a part of most American graduation ceremonies.