Academic Colours are the unique gowns and hoods that university graduates wear. They are specific to the University and should be proudly worn as a symbol of the graduate’s sense of belonging to the academic community of the university.
SETU graduates will wear the traditional black bachelors’ gowns and masters’ gowns combined with the uniquely designed SETU hood. This hood is recognisable by a trailing drape that forms a subtle U shape symbolising the SETU crest.
The hoods use 3 colours interchangeably, blue, green and yellow. These colours were selected to represent three enduring features of the South East, that of Water, Land and Sun.
University blue forms the outer colour of the hood with green and yellow forming the internal colours. For certificate and ordinary degree awards, the hood has a slight band of yellow framing the green. This yellow band grows in size for the level 8 awards and the green and yellow bands transpose for the Master awards.
Doctoral Awards draw on the traditional crimson red gown but uniquely continues the theme of yellow into the gown design with a fine stripe down the front of the gown. The doctoral hood outer colour also changes to red but yellow is continued onto the insert of the hood and framed again with the university blue. Where honorary doctoral awards are made, the doctoral gown will also have a university blue stripe down the front connecting the gown to the university community.
The academic officers of the University also wear specific gowns. The Chancellor’s gown is a gilded black gown that represents the importance of the conferring ceremony. The gown displays the SETU crest on the back of the gown in gold and more subtly and the sleeves of the gown. The President’s gown is similarly wear a gilded black gown but with a front façade of university blue, connecting the president to the academic colours of the community. The gown also has the SETU crest subtly displayed on the sleeves of the gown. The university blue colour is carried through to the Vice President of Academic Affairs own where it is more prominently displayed on the sleeves.
Traditionally, the Dean of the faculty calls the names of the graduates for conferring and they will wear the academic colour of their own graduating University.
Our faculty members will wear gowns that represent their own academic heritage and disciplines, showcasing the diverse spectrum of knowledge within our University.