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Dress code

A student poses with her parents at graduation in Edinburgh.

An academic gown and hood must be worn over formal attire, in order to attend the graduation ceremony.

Your graduation ceremony is a formal occasion, and you should dress appropriately, for example:

  • Smart/formal attire should be worn under the academic gown
  • Formal, academic or regimental ties are permitted
  • National Dress or other formal attire related your cultural tradition may be worn
  • Sports Union winners are invited to wear their full Blue medal during the ceremony
  • Jeans or other denim garments are not permitted
  • Trainers or other sportswear items of clothing are not permitted
  • Mortar boards are not part of Heriot-Watt University's academic dress and should not be worn during the ceremony
  • Students are not permitted to wear any other item of non-institutional academic dress at the ceremony, this includes but is not limited to, flags and stoles.

Heriot-Watt University reserves the right to refuse admittance/participation to students who are not wearing the correct academic dress.