Graduation Tassel Colors: What They Mean by Degree and Major

Those graduation tassel colors hanging from every mortarboard are not random, they carry meaning. In many academic traditions, the tassel color signals the graduate’s degree level or field of study, which is why a sea of caps can hold a dozen different hues. Whether you are a coordinator assigning colors or a graduate curious what yours represents, this guide explains how tassel colors work and how schools put them to use.

Understanding the system helps schools order correctly and helps graduates appreciate the small but meaningful detail on their cap.

How Colors Are Assigned

Approaches vary, but most schools use one of a few systems: school colors for everyone, colors by degree level, or academic-discipline colors tied to the field of study. Knowing which system your ceremony follows determines what to order.

Confirm which system your ceremony uses before ordering tassel colors.

School Colors: Simple and Unified

Many high schools and some colleges simply use the institution’s colors for every graduate, creating a clean, unified look across the stage. This is the easiest system to order for, since one or two colors cover the whole class. It photographs beautifully and avoids any mix-ups.

Discipline and Degree Colors

Colleges often assign colors by academic field or degree level so the regalia communicates each graduate’s area of study. If your ceremony uses this system, you will need to order specific colors per group and track which graduates get which, so accurate counts per color matter.

Add a Year Charm

Most tassels include a small year charm or signet that marks the graduating class. It is a simple touch that turns the tassel into a keepsake, and it is easy to coordinate across the whole class. Choosing the right colors plus a matching charm gives every graduate a cohesive, meaningful tassel.

Ordering for a whole class? See our bulk custom graduation tassels guide.