Academic Dress of The University of Leeds

Academic Dress Of The University Of Leeds

The University of Leeds, like other universities in the United Kingdom and many other countries throughout the world, has its own unique system of academic and ceremonial dress for undergraduates, graduates and senior officials. As at most other universities (exceptions include Oxford and Cambridge), graduands will wear the gown, hood and hat appropriate to the degree they are about to receive. All of the graduates' hoods incorporate one or more shades of green, and the Doctors of Philosophy, Education, Clinical Psychology are unique in the UK in having a green full-dress gown.

Doctors in full dress wear a coloured (scarlet or green) gown of Cambridge doctors' shape; doctors in undress, and masters, wear a black gown similar to that worn by Masters of Arts at Oxford, but with a crescent-shaped portion cut out of both sides of the boot of the sleeve (this is type in the Groves classification system); bachelors wear a black gown similar to that worn by Bachelors of Arts at Oxford, but with a vertical strip of Leeds lace on the forearm seam and around the yoke; and undergraduates may wear the Oxford scholars' gown. Hoods for doctors, and for Masters of Philosophy are in the full shape (that is, consisting of a cowl and a cape), while those for other graduates and licentiates are in simple shape (that is, having a cowl only, the shape used at Leeds being type in the Groves classification system).

During graduation ceremonies the University of Leeds only allows Undergraduates to wear acadmic dress rather than full academic dress. This means recipients of Bachelor degrees and Undergraduate Masters are not permitted to wear a mortarboard.