Do you have to wear a gown at your Imperial graduation?

At Imperial, academic dress is two pieces. In the university's own words: "As headwear does not form part of the university's academic dress, you are only required to wear a gown and hood." Hats and other headwear aren't permitted at the ceremony unless they're worn for religious or medical reasons, so there's no mortarboard to find, fit or keep on your head.

Which gown and hood you wear depends on your award. Bachelor's and master's graduates wear black gowns, each with its own cut, and the hood shows your faculty in a band of colour at the neck. Doctoral graduates wear a gown of their own, in a colour quite unlike the black, with the Imperial PhD hood.

The faculty matters. Imperial's standard for any supplier is that your dress "must be similar (as determined by the University) in both colour and style" to the gown shown for your award on its academic dress page. A hood made for a different faculty, or borrowed from another university, doesn't meet it.

You can choose who you get it from. Imperial's official gowning partner, Ede & Ravenscroft, is the only academic dress provider on campus on the day, and its hire starts at £44; bookings open with your invitation email and close three weeks before the ceremony. You're also free to use another provider, provided the dress meets Imperial's standard, with the university keeping the right to turn away anyone who isn't dressed correctly.

Whoever you book with, the same four details decide your set.

Book early, whichever route you take. Sizes go as each ceremony round approaches, and the official hire stops taking bookings three weeks before the day.

The dress rule only applies at the ceremony, and the ceremony itself is optional. Imperial is clear that you don't have to attend to graduate: your degree is conferred once your department passes your marks to Registry, whether you cross the stage or not. You do still need to complete registration, even to say no.

There are two ways to say no. If the date is the problem, you can defer once, by the registration deadline, and be invited to a later ceremony, although Imperial can't promise which one. If you don't want a ceremony at all, you can graduate in absentia: your name can appear in the digital programme but isn't read out, and you can't attend a later ceremony for the same degree. And if you let the registration window pass without replying, you won't be invited again.

"Attendance at a graduation ceremony is entirely optional."

— Imperial College London

Either way, the certificate isn't collected on the day. It's posted to you, within three months of your degree being conferred, so keep your contact details up to date.

The rules are short. Wear smart clothes under your gown. Traditional and national dress are welcome beneath the hood and gown. Shorts, jeans and trainers aren't allowed when you cross the stage, and nothing, from scarves to decorations, is worn over the gown. The stage is raised above the graduands waiting below, so Imperial suggests a skirt or dress length you'll feel comfortable with.

With no headwear, your hair is entirely your own business. For outfits, necklines and shoes in October or June, see our guide to what to wear under your graduation gown.