- Ashford Kimani traces academic gowns and caps to medieval European universities, where scholars wore robes partly for warmth and identity.
- He explains that academic regalia evolved to symbolise scholarship, achievement and graduates’ transition into a wider intellectual community.
- Kimani says the famous cap-toss tradition is traced to the US Naval Academy’s graduating class of 1912.
Every graduation season, thousands of students proudly walk across stages dressed in flowing gowns and square caps before celebrating by tossing their mortarboards into the air.
It is a ritual so familiar that few people stop to ask where these traditions originated. To many graduates, the cap and gown are simply ceremonial attire, while the dramatic cap toss marks the joyful conclusion of years of study.
Yet behind these customs lies a remarkable history stretching back more than eight centuries, revealing how symbols born in medieval Europe evolved into some of the world’s most recognisable expressions of academic achievement.
The origins of academic dress can be traced to the 12th and 13th centuries, when some of Europe’s earliest universities emerged in England, France, Italy and other parts of the continent.
At the time, many scholars were members of the clergy or were preparing for religious service. Their long robes, hoods and simple attire reflected their religious identity as well as the values of modesty and discipline associated with scholarly life.
The clothing also served a practical purpose. Medieval lecture halls and churches were often cold and poorly heated, making heavy robes and hoods useful for warmth during long hours of study and teaching.
What began partly as practical clothing gradually became distinctive attire associated with scholars and academic institutions.
As universities expanded across Europe, academic dress became increasingly formalised. Different colours, sleeve designs and hood styles came to represent various academic disciplines and levels of study.
Over time, universities recognised that ceremonial attire reinforced the dignity of scholarship while reminding graduates that they belonged to a respected intellectual tradition.
Even today, universities around the world preserve variations of these customs, with institutions using different colours, hoods and gown designs to distinguish faculties, qualifications and levels of academic achievement.
Although styles vary from one university to another, the central message remains largely the same: academic dress represents scholarly achievement and a graduate’s entry into a wider community of scholars.
Why graduates wear mortarboards
Perhaps the most recognisable piece of graduation attire is the square academic cap, popularly known as the mortarboard.
Its distinctive design has been associated with earlier forms of academic and clerical headwear, including square caps worn by members of the clergy and scholars.
Over time, the mortarboard became closely associated with learning, discipline and scholarly authority.
Unlike ordinary hats, it is primarily associated with academic ceremonies, reinforcing its status as a symbol of educational accomplishment.
The tassel attached to the cap also carries ceremonial significance. In many institutions, graduates move the tassel from one side of the mortarboard to the other at a designated point during the ceremony, symbolising their transition from students to graduates.
The graduation gown has similarly evolved while preserving its historical significance.
Although modern gowns are generally lighter and more comfortable than their medieval predecessors, they remain among the most visible symbols of academic achievement.
On graduation day, graduates from different backgrounds come together wearing academic regalia associated with their respective qualifications and institutions.
The gowns create a sense of shared achievement, with graduates united by the accomplishment of completing their academic programmes.
They also connect today’s graduates with centuries of academic tradition, reminding them that graduation is not simply the completion of a course but entry into a broader intellectual and professional community.
How tossing mortarboards became a tradition
Among all graduation traditions, few capture public imagination more than the joyful tossing of mortarboards into the air.
Unlike academic gowns, whose history stretches back centuries, the popular cap-toss tradition is much more recent.
One widely cited account traces the modern practice to the United States Naval Academy in 1912.
Graduating midshipmen traditionally had to retain their caps because they remained necessary as part of their uniforms. However, when the graduating class received new officers’ hats upon commissioning, the old caps were no longer needed in the same way.
The graduates reportedly celebrated by throwing their old caps into the air, creating a memorable expression of transition from one stage of their lives to another.
The practice subsequently became associated with graduation celebrations and eventually developed into a familiar image of academic accomplishment around the world.
More than a moment of celebration
Today, the cap toss represents much more than excitement.
For many graduates, it embodies relief after examinations, assignments, research projects and years of demanding academic work. It also signals hope for new beginnings, whether graduates are entering employment, pursuing further education or embarking on different life journeys.
For families watching from the audience, flying mortarboards often capture a moment of immense pride, sacrifice and fulfilment.
Photographs of graduates celebrating with caps suspended against the sky have become familiar images of achievement, reminding future generations of the transformative opportunities education can provide.
Some institutions, however, discourage or regulate cap tossing because of safety concerns or requirements surrounding rented academic regalia.
Nevertheless, the symbolism of the act remains deeply embedded in graduation culture.
Whether graduates actually throw their mortarboards into the air or simply hold them high for photographs, the message remains largely unchanged: a demanding journey has reached an important milestone and another chapter is beginning.
The ritual continues because it expresses emotions that words sometimes cannot fully capture—relief, gratitude, hope, pride and anticipation.
As universities continue to modernise, debates occasionally arise about adapting traditional academic dress to better reflect local cultures and identities.
Some institutions have incorporated elements of indigenous or national dress into graduation ceremonies while preserving the broader purpose of academic regalia.
Such adaptations demonstrate that academic traditions need not remain frozen in time. They can evolve while still honouring the enduring values of scholarship, excellence and service to society.
Ultimately, the gown, mortarboard and jubilant cap toss remind us that graduation is far more than a ceremony.
They connect today’s graduates with centuries of academic history while celebrating personal perseverance, intellectual growth and the possibilities that education creates.
Every time graduates don their robes, adjust their mortarboards and look towards the future, they participate in traditions that have evolved over hundreds of years.
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These traditions honour not only the knowledge acquired in classrooms and lecture halls but also the resilience, discipline, sacrifice and dreams that make every graduation worthy of celebration.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford Kimani is a teacher of English and Literature who writes on education and social affairs.
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