Your hood tells a story.
Everything you need to know about the University of Guelph graduation hood — what it means, how it works, and what yours will look like.
What is a graduation hood.
While every graduate wears the same black gown, the hood is what makes yours uniquely yours.
A graduation hood is a coloured fabric drape worn over your shoulders and down your back. Its specific combination of colours tells the world three things: your degree level, your field of study, and the university that granted your degree. Think of it as a wearable transcript.
The coloured velvet band along the edge represents your program. The satin lining displays your university's official colours. The size and shape signals whether you earned a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree.
A Brief History
Academic hoods trace back to the 12th and 13th century, when the earliest university students were monks and clerks who wore hooded cloaks for warmth in cold stone halls. Over time, the practical garment evolved into a ceremonial symbol of scholarly achievement. The colourful robes we know today have their roots in traditions established by Oxford and Cambridge over 600 years ago. At convocation, the Chancellor drapes the hood over each graduate's shoulders while saying "I admit you" — a ritual that has endured for centuries.
The University of Guelph Hood
At UofG, every hood shares the same satin lining in the university's official colours: Red (PMS 200) and Gold (PMS 123), displayed with a gold chevron on a red field. What changes from program to program is the velvet edge — the coloured band that runs along the outside of the hood. This is how you can tell a Bachelor of Commerce from a Bachelor of Science just by looking at someone's regalia.
Undergraduate and master's gowns are black. Doctoral gowns are blue. Bachelor's hoods have a single velvet edge; master's hoods feature a distinctive double edge. The University of Guelph does not include a cap or mortarboard in its convocation regalia.
Find your colours.
Select your degree level and program to see exactly what your hood will look like.
The Bachelor's hood has a single coloured edge. Your gown is black. No cap or mortarboard is worn at UofG convocation.
Parts of the hood.
Four visible elements make up your hood. Together they tell the complete story of your degree.
The three colour zones of a UofG graduation hood: velvet edge, chevron, and satin lining.
Show off your colours.
Book your grad photo session or rent your regalia from the UofG Bookstore. Either way, we'll make sure you look perfect.