Gown hire

Academic dress

You must wear full 'academic dress' for your ceremony. This consists of:

• gown
• hood
• hat (mortarboard)

The colour and style of your hood indicates what sort of qualification you are receiving: for example red/grey for a BA or red/blue for a BSc.

You order your academic dress from our supplier Ede and Ravenscroft before the ceremony and collect it on campus from the Charles Wilson Sports Hall on the day. The deadline to order your gown for January 2025 ceremonies is 8 December 2024. If you miss this deadline please contact them directly to see if they can still provide you with a gown.

There will be up to 600 fellow graduates collecting their gowns at the same time as you, so gown collection will be busy. Please make sure you give yourself plenty of time to collect your gown and then make your way over to De Montfort Hall in time to check-in for your ceremony. Check out what happens on the day so you can plan your day accordingly.

Browse academic dress for each degree level and subject

Hats

You can wear your mortarboard throughout the day, and you will want to wear it for your official photos. But during the ceremony itself, we ask you to hold it and to leave it on your seat as you walk across the stage.

Please don't throw your mortarboard in the air - it's got corners which could prove to be a hazard to people nearby.

Under your robes

Your graduation ceremony is a formal event, so clothing underneath your graduation robes should be smart.

As a general guide, imagine you are going to a formal wedding. You should wear a shirt and tie or smart top/blouse, with smart trousers or skirt, or a suit or a suitable dress.

You should wear smart, formal shoes. Bear in mind that you will be going up and down some steep steps and walking fairly quickly across the stage, so choose something sensible in terms of heels.

Please do not wear the following clothing:

• jeans or denim
• casual footwear such as trainers, plimsolls or flip-flops
• shorts
• T-shirts, sportswear or other casual tops

If your clothing is unsuitable, you may be turned away and unable to take part in the ceremony (you will still receive your degree.)