After about an hour of sweating in the traditional shapeless robes and getting a stubborn forehead crease from the graduation cap, many graduates may begin to wonder where this strange costume came from and why people still bother with wearing it. Well, the tradition of wearing academic regalia, as it is called in the United States, dates back further than you might think. Harvard University was established in 1636 as the first college in what would later become the United States, and eight other colleges were established within the 13 colonies in the early to mid 1700s. All of these colleges (many of which would later become Ivy League universities) borrowed heavily from the academic dress and traditions of Europe, which dated back to the 1200s and had clear clerical ties. The gowns and hoods worn daily by clerics and academics from the medieval era up to the 1700s had both symbolic and practical purposes, serving both as a way of distinguishing scholarly rank and for warmth within the chill, stone buildings. In different regions and over time, the academic gown and hood have varied slightly, with different shapes, slits for the sleeve, and stylings. But the basic elements have remained relatively unchanged, though it is now only worn for ceremonies.

The graduation cap as we know it today is a more recent addition and was first seen in the 15th century. The cap is thought to have evolved from a hat called the biretta, used by Catholic clerics and professors. The flat, square top is often called a mortarboard, so named because of its resemblance to the flat board bricklayers used to lay mortar. Modern graduates often decorate their caps as a display of individualism within the traditional academic uniform. The tassel on the cap was meant originally for decoration, but it has evolved in the past 50 years to form an important part of the ceremony itself. Moving the tassel from one side of the cap to the other within the graduation ceremony has come to symbolize the transition from student to graduate.   

As academic institutions in the United States became more prevalent, some of the more prestigious universities decided to create a counsel to establish academic dress standards. In 1895, they adopted the Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume, which set forth the standard cut, style, and material for graduation gowns and established colors for trim that would represent the different fields of learning (seen most commonly for doctorate and master’s programs). The code sets a rather high formal standard, prescribing that all caps and gowns should be black. While the code still exists today, it has been modified and adapted throughout the 20th century, and institutions vary in how much heed they give it.