Before graduation, the tassel usually hangs on the right side of the mortarboard. It moves to the left side after the degree has been officially conferred, unless your school's ceremony instructions specify a different order.
You may be checking your cap in a mirror while trying to remember whether the tassel belongs over your right eye or your left. That detail feels small, but first-generation graduates and families attending their first commencement often have no reason to know the custom in advance. The safest approach is to learn the general rule, then compare it with your degree level and your institution's program instructions.
The tassel is only one part of the visual language of commencement. Graduation stoles, graduation sashes, honor cords, and honor stoles may identify academic achievement, cultural identity, affiliations, or community membership, and each school can regulate how those pieces are worn. A calm check before lining up will keep the ceremony detail from competing with the achievement itself.
The Quick Answer Every Graduate Needs
Stand in front of the mirror with the mortarboard sitting level on your head. For most high school and undergraduate graduates, place the tassel on the right side before the ceremony. After the degree is conferred, follow the stage announcement or ceremony cue and move it to the left side.
The movement usually happens in one of two ways. A principal, president, dean, or other official may ask the entire class to turn their tassels together, or the program may direct graduates to make the change at an individual point in the ceremony. The important detail is the timing. Don't move it just because you've crossed the stage unless your school tells you to.
The default doesn't apply equally to every degree or every institution. Some master's and doctoral ceremonies begin with the tassel on the left, while certain schools use their own sequence. Hooding ceremonies, dual-degree ceremonies, and mixed-regalia events can also create exceptions. Your commencement program, rehearsal notes, registrar, or official graduation page should override general advice.
Practical rule: Right before the degree is conferred, left after the official signal, unless your institution gives a different instruction.
If you're wearing a graduation stole, honor stole, graduation sash, or honor cords, those accessories don't change the ordinary tassel position. They do make a mirror check more useful, because cords can catch on a long tassel and stoles can shift while you walk.
Why the Right Side Comes Before the Degree
The mortarboard's center button is the starting point. Attach the tassel loop to that button, then let the tassel fall over the right side of the cap, which may place it near your right eye. Before the degree is conferred, this position traditionally identifies you as a candidate who is waiting for the ceremony's official recognition.
When the dean or another authorized official announces the conferral, the tassel crosses from right to left. Some ceremonies give the signal to everyone at once. Others connect the movement with an individual recognition moment. Either way, the left side represents the completed transition from candidate to graduate in ceremonies that use this custom.
The tradition sits within a much older system of academic clothing. Modern graduation attire traces back to 12th-century European universities, while American academic dress was standardized in 1895 by the American Intercollegiate Commission at Columbia University, as described in the Congressional Research Service report on academic regalia. The cap and gown are older than the tassel-turning ritual itself. Historical references describe the tassel as a later addition, with the turning ceremony emerging as a 20th-century American practice rather than an ancient university rule, as outlined in this history of academic regalia and tassel traditions.
The symbolism is practical because the audience can see it without an explanation. Right side means the ceremony is still in progress for the candidate. Left side means the institution has marked the graduate's new status. The custom was adopted by some institutions as part of commencement ceremonies, making the tassel shift a relatively recent ceremonial marker layered onto the older cap-and-gown tradition.
How High School, Undergraduate, and Graduate Ceremonies Differ
The correct tassel position depends first on the kind of degree being recognized. High school and bachelor's ceremonies commonly use the right-to-left sequence, while graduate-level ceremonies often handle the tassel differently.
| Degree Level | Before Ceremony | After Ceremony |
|---|---|---|
| High school | Usually right | Usually moved to the left after the official cue |
| Undergraduate | Usually right | Usually moved to the left after degree conferral |
| Graduate or doctoral | Often left from the start, depending on the institution | Usually remains left, unless the program says otherwise |
At a high school commencement, the school may provide tassels in its official colors. Graduates commonly keep them on the right while seated and in the processional, then wait for the principal, superintendent, or ceremony script to give the signal. The class may move together, which means you shouldn't turn early just because a nearby graduate has misunderstood the timing.
At a college or university undergraduate ceremony, the right side remains the usual pre-conferral position. Tassel colors may identify the degree field, college, or an honors designation, but color doesn't automatically tell you which side to use. At Northern State University, for example, tassels represent the color of the degree earned, including Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Master of Science, according to the university's commencement dress and conduct guidelines.
Graduate and doctoral regalia
Master's and doctoral candidates frequently begin with the tassel on the left and leave it there. Their academic hood, gown, sleeves, or doctoral tam may already communicate the degree level, so the ceremony may not use the same candidate-to-graduate motion.
Law, medical, doctoral, and dual-degree ceremonies can follow separate regalia traditions. A dual-degree graduate might receive instructions for more than one academic color or accessory, and the registrar's direction should settle the question. If your program booklet gives a placement instruction, follow it even when it differs from the familiar high school or bachelor's rule.
Wearing Stoles, Honor Cords, and Your Tassel Together
If you are standing in line with a gown, cap, stole, and several cords, the safest approach is to dress in layers. Start with the gown. Attach the tassel to the mortarboard's center button, then place the cap on your head. Add the graduation stole, honor stole, or graduation sash around your neck so it forms a V over the gown. Finish with honor cords, arranged according to your school's instructions.
The stole should hang evenly down both sides of the front. Honor cords rest over the shoulders, with their ends falling toward the front or back based on the institution's design. Your tassel stays attached to the cap, so its usual right-side position remains visible above the stole and cords. For a full explanation, see this tassel and stole guide.
A practical layering sequence
- Secure the gown first. Close it enough to keep the stole and cords from sliding across an open front.
- Drape the stole evenly. Make sure both ends reach a similar height and the V lies flat.
- Place approved cords next. Center the loops and let the ends fall naturally. Do not twist them around the stole.
- Put on the cap last. Keep the mortarboard level, with the tassel on the right before conferral unless your school gives a different instruction.
Long tassels can catch on cords when you turn your head or walk across the stage. Let the cords hang freely behind your shoulders. If the tassel keeps drifting, secure the cap rather than attaching the tassel to the stole. A small clip at the cap edge can help keep it visible without changing its official side.
School rules decide which accessories belong together. Lamar State College-Port Arthur permits only one approved stole in addition to approved cords, requires new stole designs to be submitted at least 60 days before commencement, and specifies a stole width of 3–5 inches and length of 68–74 inches, according to its commencement regalia guide. Coastal Carolina University also links academic honor stole eligibility to at least 60 hours of college coursework. A personal sash therefore should not replace an honor item required by the institution.
When the Default Rule Does Not Apply
The right-to-left custom is common, but it isn't universal. A school may confer degrees earlier in the program and then instruct graduates to leave the tassel on the right for the rest of the ceremony, or it may use a different collective cue. The printed program and stage announcements carry more authority than a general graduation guide.
| Situation | Tassel Placement | Why It Differs |
|---|---|---|
| School uses a custom ceremony script | Follow the program or stage cue | The institution defines when recognition occurs |
| Master's or doctoral ceremony | Often left from the start | Graduate regalia may use a different convention |
| Hooding or separate conferment event | Follow event-specific instructions | The hooding or degree moment may replace the standard flip |
| Dual-degree ceremony | Confirm with the registrar | Multiple degrees can involve different colors or regalia |
| Cultural, Indigenous, or military regalia | Follow institutional and cultural guidance | Other pieces may have ceremonial priority |
| Honor society accessory | Follow the society and school rules | Some organizations specify how their insignia is worn |
Cultural and religious regalia deserves respectful attention rather than an assumption that the tassel must dominate the outfit. Kente stoles, Indigenous eagle feathers, clergy or religious stoles, and military insignia may carry personal or institutional meaning. Northern State University states that Native American students may wear a small eagle feather alongside a tassel, a clear example of regalia that should be handled according to the school's guidance.
Honor organizations can also affect the overall arrangement. Phi Theta Kappa and other honor societies may provide specific rules for their accessories, but a society instruction still needs to fit within the commencement policy. Don't add a stole, cord, or insignia just because it looks appropriate. Confirm that you're eligible and that the institution permits it.
Honor cords often represent defined academic or leadership recognition. Penn Highlands Community College says honor cords represent graduates with GPAs ranging from 4.0 to 3.50 and also recognizes academic and leadership-based honor societies in its commencement cord and stole policy. Buffalo State University reserves gold tassels for students graduating from its Honors Program, which shows that even tassel color can function as a formal honors marker.
Quick Fixes for Tassel and Regalia Problems
Most regalia problems are easier to solve before the processional than during it. If the tassel slips off the center button, remove the cap and tighten the loop. A small safety pin through the cord base can add stability, but don't use glue, which can stain the cap or make later adjustment difficult.
A cap that falls backward often needs a better anchor at the front. Graduates with shorter hair can use bobby pins through the inner band near the temples, while hairpins can help secure the band without crossing the visible top of the mortarboard. Keep the cap level rather than pushing it too far forward to compensate for movement.
Small repairs you can make backstage
- Untangle cords from the ends inward. Separate the hanging ends first, then work toward the shoulder loop rather than pulling at the center.
- Reshape a bent mortarboard carefully. Steam the underside lightly, then place it under heavy books overnight so the top surface stays protected.
- Tighten loose threads. A small amount of clear nail polish can keep a thread from unraveling, but let it dry before the gown touches it.
- Use a phone flashlight. Staging areas can be dim, and a light makes it easier to find a slipped loop or crossed cord.
Carry a small backup kit if the venue allows personal items. Extra pins, bobby pins, a safety pin, a comb, hairspray, and a clip for a slipping tassel can solve problems quickly. Check the venue's rules before bringing a bag, since some ceremonies restrict what graduates may carry inside.
For a visual walkthrough of the attachment itself, use this guide to putting a tassel on a graduation cap. Practice the right-to-left motion at home once or twice, using a gentle sweep across the top so you don't knock the cap loose or catch the tassel in your hair.
Your Final Graduation Day Checklist
Use the school's official communications as your final authority. Check the commencement webpage, ceremony program, email instructions, and any insert handed out during line-up. If the instructions conflict, ask a marshal, registrar's representative, or commencement coordinator before taking your seat.
- Confirm the starting side. Place the tassel on the right for the standard high school or undergraduate ceremony, or use the left if your graduate-level program directs you to.
- Secure the cap. Add bobby pins or hairpins through the inner band, especially if your hair is short or slippery.
- Arrange the regalia. Straighten the graduation stole, graduation sash, honor stole, and honor cords so each approved item is visible and untangled.
- Pack a backup kit. Bring extra pins, a safety pin, hairspray, a comb, and a clip for a tassel that keeps slipping, if venue rules allow.
- Rehearse the signal. Know whether the class turns together or whether your program gives an individual instruction.
- Arrive early and walk slowly. Give yourself time to check in, find your line, and correct the cap before the processional begins.
- Check photos by timing. Before the ceremony, pose with the tassel on the pre-conferral side. After the official turn, keep it on the left for graduate portraits.
- Keep the program nearby. Respect any signal from the stage, even if a neighboring graduate moves at a different moment.
The tassel detail matters because it marks a shared transition, but it isn't a test of whether you belong in the ceremony. Check the official instructions, let the stage cue guide you, and focus on the people who helped you reach the moment.
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