Hargreaves-Mawdsley, A History of Academical Dress in Europe Until the End of the Eighteenth Century (1963), p.137 NB: If you are not sure what size you need (e.g. you land on the boundary), we would recommend going for the larger size, allowing a more comfortable fit. A three-colour graduation tassel in burgundy, gold and white. The charm reveals it is from a 1987 ceremony. This particular tassel came from Piner High School in Santa Rosa, California. United Kingdom [ edit ] The academic cap is also sometimes called the “square” or, more commonly, “mortarboard.” It has become a symbol of higher education and academia, and in some universities it is worn by undergraduates as well as graduates in lieu of the traditional hood.

For schools where the graduation regalia is rented or borrowed by the student, the tassel might be a part of the rental or provided separately. Some schools that do not provide a tassel for graduates to keep may offer a souvenir tassel that is not worn with the regalia.

The academic hat of choice

In the UK, the tassel is shorter and is gathered at the button at the centre of the board. The U.S. style is slightly longer, gathered at a cord attached to the button.

The mortarboard cap is also sometimes called a “trencher,” which is short for “trencher cap.” The tassel is made of a cluster of threads, which are traditionally made from silk. These threads are attached together and fastened to a button in the middle of the cap, and are allowed to fall freely over the side of the cap. They may also be plaited together to form a single cord, though the end of the threads are usually left untied. While uncommon in Commonwealth countries, in America, the tassel is traditionally moved from the left side to the right side upon graduation and the conference of a degree. At the University of Cambridge, undergraduates by ancient convention used to cut their tassels very short so that the tassel does not extend beyond the edge of the board. After they graduated, they wore the square cap with the tassel at the normal length. [10] This convention has now fallen into disuse; few people now wear headgear with academic dress at any time and undergraduates in particular have no need to wear the cap. At the University of Oxford, caps are mandatory dress for matriculation events and for all examinations. It is a commonly repeated myth at Oxford that the cap must be held and may not be worn at all except at the student's graduation; however, there is no rule in the university to this effect, and undergraduates wearing formal academic dress may either carry the cap or wear it. In particular, women undergraduates who exercise the right to wear a soft Canterbury cap must wear it on their head, rather than carrying it. Additionally, all undergraduates appearing before the Proctors' Court are required to present themselves wearing their caps, before removing them as proceedings start. a b Robinson, N F (1905). "The Pileus Quadratus: An enquiry into the relation of the priest's square cap to the common academical catercap and to the judicial corner-cap". Transactions of the St Paul's Ecclesiological Society. 5: 1–16 . Retrieved 14 May 2015.This article is about the garment. For the honor society, see Mortar Board. For the device used by builders, see Hawk (plasterer's tool). Graduation portrait of Linus Pauling wearing a mortarboard, 1922 Georgiana Simpson in 1921, wearing a mortarboard and academic dress for her graduation from the University of Chicago

If it's your first graduation or last, it won’t feel complete without your mortarboard. The moment of achievement is going to last a lifetime with you so why not look the part with a mortarboard hat, once you put the hat on in that hall surrounded by your fellow classmates it will then feel real that you’re graduating from university, all that hard work and effort will never go unnoticed. Our UK Mortarboards are made from a high-quality combination of durable woven polyester which gives it rigidness for the all-important traditional hat throwing photograph but is also great for comfort throughout the long day ahead. Goff, Philip (1999). University of London Academic Dress. London: University of London Press. ISBN 0718716086. Mortarboards are often seen in party supply shops in the United States in May and June, when they appear in the form of party decorations, on commemorative gifts such as teddy bears, and on congratulatory greeting cards.

a b Groves, Nicholas (2011). Shaw's academical dress of Great Britain and Ireland (3rded.). Burgon Society. ISBN 9780956127235.