Academic dress must be worn at the Graduation Ceremonies and at the Garden Party.

Graduands must wear graduate gowns and carry the hood appropriate to the degree they are to receive. They must not appear on the stage wearing hoods from other Universities or for first Rhodes degrees.

Diplomands who are already graduates wear a graduate gown and the hood of their degree. All other Diplomands must wear an undergraduate gown and carry a Rhodes diplomate stole. The proper length of the graduate and undergraduate gown is 15 - 20 centimetres below the knee, and a gown shorter than this should never be worn.

In the case of women Graduands and Diplomands, the length of the gown is never to be related to the length of the wearer’s dress and a gown should never be shortened so that the sleeves are longer than the gown. The collar of the dress should never appear over the gown.

The University is aware of the many cultures and traditions inherent in its student body and Graduands/Diplomands are welcome to wear garments which reflect those cultures and traditions.  By custom, Graduands and Diplomands at Rhodes University do not wear mortar boards at the Graduation ceremony.  Please know that unreasonably high heels can be a risk when participating in the ceremony.  The ceremonies are dignified events and students are encouraged to dress accordingly. 

Last Modified: Sun, 24 Nov 2019 11:27:01 SAST