Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER II
pp. 184–188
MATRICULATION, RESIDENCE, ADMISSION TO DEGREES, DISCIPLINE, CONDUCT, COMPLAINTS

In this section

ACADEMICAL DRESS

General

Wearing of academical dress by those in statu pupillari.

1. Members of the University in statu pupillari shall be required to wear the academical dress appropriate to their status in this University when attending University ceremonies in the University Church or in the Senate-House, and at all other times at which the Vice-Chancellor may by public notice direct that academical dress be worn.

Wearing of academical dress by those not in statu pupillari.

2. Members of the University not in statu pupillari shall wear the academical dress appropriate to their respective degrees of this University in the University Church, the Senate-House, and the Schools, and generally on public occasions and at official meetings, and on all other occasions on which the Vice-Chancellor may by public notice request that academical dress be worn.

Scarlet days.

3. The Doctors in the several Faculties shall wear their festal gowns in public on Christmas Day, Easter Day, Ascension Day, Whitsunday, Trinity Sunday, All Saints’ Day, on the day appointed for the Commemoration of Benefactors, on the days of General Admission to Degrees, and on all other occasions on which the Vice-Chancellor may by public notice request that festal gowns be worn.

4. Notwithstanding the foregoing regulations, on the occasions specified in Regulation 3 any member of the University who holds a degree of another university or degree-awarding institution may wear the academical dress appropriate to that degree; save that this provision shall not apply to the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, the High Steward, the Deputy High Steward, the Commissary, the Proctors, the Registrary, or the Esquire Bedells, or to a deputy for any of those officers, or to any person presenting or being presented for a degree of the University.

The Proctors and Esquire Bedells.

5. A Proctor or a deputy for a Proctor or an Esquire Bedell, when carrying out the duties of his or her office, shall wear the academical dress of a Master of Arts.

6. The senior Esquire Bedell shall be familiar with all details of academical dress of the University and shall draw the Vice-Chancellor's attention to unauthorized variations.

7. Drawings of hoods and gowns of the University, and specimens of the proper materials and colours, shall be kept by the Registrary.

8. Notwithstanding the regulations for academical dress which follow, a member of the University, other than a Proctor or a deputy for a Proctor or an Esquire Bedell when carrying out the duties of his or her office, may continue to wear any academical dress of the University which when he or she first wore it conformed to the practice of the time.

Black Gowns

D.D.: a full-sleeved gown, or alternatively the M.A. gown, either of which should have a looped cord and a button at the back and should be worn with a black silk scarf;

LL.D.: a gown with square-ended sleeves slit vertically above the arm-slits and sewn across below them, wings on the shoulders, and a flap-collar at the back;

M.D.1 or Med.Sc.D.: a gown with square-ended sleeves sewn across below the arm-slits and a flap-collar at the back, trimmed with a single row of Doctors’ lace down each front and round the collar, across each sleeve at the bottom and above the arm-slit, and with two vertical rows from the centre of the arm-slit to the shoulder;

Sc.D.: the M.A. gown but with a single row of Doctors’ lace placed horizontally above each arm-slit;

Litt.D.: the M.A. gown but with a single row of Doctors’ lace placed vertically above each arm-slit;

Mus.D.: the M.D. gown but with a double row of Doctors’ lace on the lower part of the collar;

B.D.: the M.A. gown but with a looped cord and a button on the back as on the D.D. gown;

M.D.2: the Ph.D. gown;

Vet.M.D.: the Ph.D. gown;

Ph.D.: the M.A. gown but with Doctors’ lace, four inches (10 cm) in length, placed horizontally above each arm-slit, the bottom edge of the lace being three inches (7.5 cm) from the edge of the opening;

Bus.D.: the Ph.D. gown;

Eng.D.: the Ph.D. gown;

Ed.D.: the Ph.D. gown but with four buttons placed in a horizontal row above the Doctors lace;

M.Chir.: the M.A. gown but with three rows of single black silk cord across the sleeve above each arm-slit, showing a space of half an inch (1.25 cm) between row and row, the first row being three-eighths of an inch (1 cm) above the opening;

M.A.: a silk or stuff gown with glove sleeves, having horizontal slits to free the arm, and with strings;

LL.M.: the M.Chir. gown but with two rows of single cord across the sleeve;

M.C.L.: the LL.M. gown;

M.Mus.: the M.A. gown but with three buttons joined by cords forming a triangle, two buttons on the upper edge of each arm-slit, five inches (12.5 cm) apart, the third in the middle five inches (12.5 cm) above the slit;

M.Sc.: the M.A. gown but with three buttons placed horizontally, two-and-a-half inches (6.25 cm) apart and joined by a cord, along each arm-slit;

M.Litt.: the M.Sc. gown but with the buttons and cord placed vertically;

M.Res.: the M.Phil. gown but with the buttons joined by two vertical cords;

M.Phil.: the M.A. gown but with a vertical cord from the centre of the arm-slit to the shoulder and with one button at the top of the cord and one button at the bottom of the cord on each sleeve;

M.Math.: the M.A. gown but with a circle of cord on the sleeve with a button in the centre;

M.A.St.: the M.A. gown but with a double circle of cord on the sleeve with a button in the centre;

M.Eng.: the M.A. gown but with a circle of cord on the sleeve with a button in the centre;

M.B.A.: the M.A. gown but with four buttons joined by cords forming a square on the upper edge of each arm-slit;

M.Fin. and M.Acc.: the M.A. gown but with four buttons joined by cords forming a diamond on the upper edge of each arm slit;

M.Ed.: the M.A. gown but with five buttons joined by cords forming a cross on the upper edge of each arm-slit;

M.Sci.: the M.A. gown but with a circle of cord on the sleeve with a button in the centre;

M.St.: the M.A. gown but with five buttons joined by cords forming a cross on the upper edge of each arm-slit;

M.B.: a gown of black silk or stuff, shorter than the M.A. gown, with open sleeves, not slit but turned back to form a triangle bisected by one black cord about five inches (12.5 cm) long with a button at the top of the cord, and with strings;

B.Chir.: the M.B. gown but having on each sleeve three parallel cords half an inch (1.25 cm) apart, with a button at the top of each cord;

B.A.: a stuff gown like the M.B. gown, with open sleeves not turned up with a cord but slit vertically from the shoulders and caught together at the bottom of the slit;

LL.B.: the M.B. gown but having on each sleeve two parallel cords, with a button at the top of each cord;

Mus.B.: the M.B. gown but on each sleeve one cord and button, with another button on each side of the sleeve at the corner of the triangle formed by the turned-back piece of sleeve;

Vet.M.B.: the M.B. gown but with two buttons placed vertically one at the top and one at the bottom of the cord on each sleeve;

B.Ed.: the B.A. gown but having on each sleeve four parallel cords about one inch (2.5 cm) apart and five inches (12.5 cm) long with a button at the top of each cord;

B.Th.: the B.A. gown but with a looped cord and a button on the back as on the B.D. gown;

Possessor of the status of Master of Arts: the M.A. gown but without the strings;

Possessor of the status of Bachelor of Arts: the B.A. gown but without the strings.

Undergraduates’ gowns shall reach to the knees.

The buttons of black gowns are of 26-line flat black twill-mohair; the cords are of ⅛ black ‘silk’, and twisted double except in the M.Chir. and LL.M. gowns.

Hoods3

Doctor, other than M.D.,4 Vet.M.D., Ph.D., Bus.D., Eng.D. or Ed.D.: of the same material as the festal gown, lined with the same material as the lining of the gown;

B.D.: of black corded silk lined with black silk;

M.D.4: the Ph.D. hood but with a part lining of mid-cherry silk four inches (10 cm) deep;

Vet.M.D.: of black corded silk lined with scarlet cloth, the hood part-lined with mid-cherry silk, four inches (10 cm) deep;

Ph.D.: of black corded silk lined with scarlet cloth;

Bus.D.: of black corded silk lined with dark green silk, the hood part-lined with scarlet cloth, four inches (10 cm) deep;

Eng.D.: of black corded silk lined with bronze silk, the hood part-lined with scarlet cloth, four inches (10 cm) deep;

Ed.D.: of black corded silk lined with light blue silk, the hood part-lined with scarlet cloth, four inches (10 cm) deep;

M.Chir.: of black corded silk lined with mid-cherry silk;

M.A.: of black corded silk lined with white silk;

LL.M.: of black corded silk lined with light-cherry silk;

M.C.L.: the LL.M. hood but with a part lining of white silk four inches (10 cm) deep;

M.Mus.: of black corded silk lined with dark-cherry satin;

M.Sc.: of black cloth lined with pink silk shot with light blue;

M.Litt.: of black cloth lined with scarlet silk;

M.Res.: of black cloth lined with dark plum red silk;

M.Phil.: of black cloth lined with blue silk;

M.Math.: of black cloth lined with slate blue silk;

M.A.St.: of black cloth lined with gold silk;

M.Eng.: of black cloth lined with bronze silk;

M.B.A.: of black cloth lined with dark green silk;

M.Fin.: of black cloth lined with light green silk;

M.Acc.: the M.Fin. hood but with a part lining of white silk four inches (10 cm) deep;

M.Ed.: of black corded silk lined with light blue silk;

M.Sci.: of black corded silk lined with pink silk shot with light blue;

M.St.: of black corded silk lined with yellow silk;

M.B.: the hood and tippet of mid-cherry silk, the hood part-lined with white fur and the tippet edged with white fur;

B.Chir.: the M.B. hood but with no fur edging to the tippet;

B.A.: of black stuff, part-lined with white fur, the tippet edged with white fur; or, until further order, of black stuff, part-lined with white, the tippet edged with white;

LL.B.: the M.B. hood and tippet but of light-cherry silk;

Mus.B.: the M.B. hood and tippet, but of dark-cherry satin;

Vet.M.B.: the M.B. hood but with an edging of white fur, two inches wide (5 cm), to the tippet;

B.Ed.: of black stuff, part-lined with blue silk and an edging of white fur, the tippet edged with white fur;

B.Th.: of black stuff, lined with black silk, the tippet edged with white fur.

The neckband of a hood is of the outer colour, with no edging of the lining material. The corners of tippets are square.

Festal Gowns

D.D.: a gown of scarlet cloth lined with dove-coloured silk, that is silk of a turquoise-blue shot with rose-pink; at the back and on each sleeve a black button (22-line flat silk) and ⅛ black twisted cord; black strings: under this gown a black silk cassock should be worn;

LL.D.: a gown of scarlet cloth lined with light-cherry silk; scarlet buttons and cords and strings;

M.D.5 or Med.Sc.D.: a similar gown lined with mid-cherry silk;

Sc.D.: a similar gown lined with pink silk shot with light blue;

Litt.D.: a similar gown lined with scarlet silk to match the cloth;

Mus.D.: a gown of cream damask, lined with dark-cherry satin, having short wide sleeves; the buttons, cords, and strings to match the satin;

M.D.6: the Ph.D. festal gown;

Vet.M.D.: the Ph.D. festal gown;

Ph.D.: the silk M.A. gown but with a facing of scarlet cloth, four inches (10 cm) wide, the full length of the front or the Ph.D. black gown but with a facing of scarlet cloth, four inches (10 cm) wide, the full length of the front;

Bus.D.: the Ph.D. festal gown;

Eng.D.: the Ph.D. festal gown;

Ed.D.: the Ed.D. black gown but with a facing of scarlet cloth, four inches (10 cm) wide the full length of the front.

Headdresses

With a festal gown, for a Doctor of Divinity a black velvet cap, for a Doctor in another Faculty a wide-brimmed round velvet bonnet with gold string and tassels: provided that a Doctor, when taking part in ceremonial in the Senate-House, may with the festal gown wear the square cap;

with all other gowns, for residents the square cap: provided that an undergraduate shall wear either the square cap or no headdress.

Dress at Graduation

1. Any person presenting a candidate for a doctorate other than the M.D., Vet.M.D., Ph.D., Bus.D., Eng.D., Ed.D., or for the degree of B.D., wears a cope.7

2. All persons presenting for degrees wear dark clothes with their academical dress.

3. A person being admitted to the title of a degree honoris causa wears the gown of the degree without a hood.

4. A person being admitted to a degree by incorporation or to the degree of M.A. under Statute B II 2 wears the gown and hood of the degree that he or she is to receive.

5. A graduate of the University being admitted to a degree wears the gown and hood of the highest degree that he or she has received from the University.

6. A possessor of the status of B.A. or M.A. who is not a graduate of the University and who is being admitted to a degree, other than the degree of M.A. under Statute B II 2 or a degree by incorporation, shall wear the gown appropriate to his or her status, and the hood of the degree, or of the higher of the two degrees, that he or she is to receive.

7. An undergraduate being admitted to a degree wears an undergraduate gown, and the hood of the degree, or of the higher of the two degrees, that he or she is to receive.

8. All persons being admitted to degrees wear dark clothes with their academical dress. Persons wearing a dinner jacket or lounge suit wear white ties and bands.

9. The Proctors shall have power, on request from a person who is to present a graduand for a degree, to grant the presenter or the graduand dispensation from Regulation 2 or 8 concerning dress at graduation as appropriate, and also, if necessary, to grant such a person dispensation from the regulations concerning headdresses; provided that the Proctors shall be satisfied in every case that there are reasonable grounds for granting such dispensation.

Footnotes

  1. 1. For persons awarded the degree before 1 March 2014.a
  2. 2. For persons awarded the degree after 1 March 2014.a
  3. 3. The fur used for Bachelors’ hoods is artificial fur.a
  4. 4. For persons awarded the degree after 1 March 2014.a b
  5. 5. For persons awarded the degree before 1 March 2014.a
  6. 6. For persons awarded the degree after 1 March 2014.a
  7. 7. Three copes of different lengths are kept in the Senate-House for the use of persons presenting for degrees.a