Graduation is a highly symbolic event in the life of a university student, often marking the end of many years of study and the transition from university to working life in the professional world.

Although the dress code for graduation ceremonies is very different in France from that in other countries such as the United States, it is worth finding out whether the ceremony includes a presentation in appropriate attire. We all have in mind those epinal images of American students in consensual regalia, throwing off their hats at the end of a graduation ceremony.

Although we are a long way from this tradition in France, some professions require young graduates to be dressed in the customary university regalia. Graduation ceremonial attire generally consists of a gown, known as the university gown, a stole, a cap with a graduation tassel.

It is important to bear in mind that the style and colour of the university gown and its accessories will differ depending on the degree obtained or the professional federation concerned. Graduates will have to choose their regalia according to their degree course and the recommendations of their lecturers for a matte or shiny, plain or two-tone university gown, a bachelor’s gown, a doctoral gown, a master’s gown, etc.