Academic dress

At that time they were a common form of dress and were retained by the clergy when the laity adopted more modern styles. The early European universities were founded by the church; the students, being clerics, were obliged to wear the prescribed gown at all times. It is often suggested that gowns and hoods were the simplest most effective method of staying warm in the unheated stone buildings which housed medieval scholars.

Caps, originally rounded, are now square mortarboards; hoods, originally cowled, were attached to the gown and could be slipped over the head for warmth. New Zealand universities have a system of academic dress, worn by graduates to indicate their degree.

If you graduate in person, you must wear the appropriate academic dress for your qualification – ie Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate. Academic dress is ceremonial and worn over reasonably formal clothes at your graduation ceremony.

If you are receiving a diploma or certificate, and you already have a degree, you should wear the appropriate academic dress for that degree. If you are not a graduate, you should wear an undergraduate gown without a hood or mortarboard.

 Please note that you will be required to go up on stage to receive your certificate. Appropriate clothing and footwear should therefore be a consideration.