Academic dress and history

A graduand can hire or purchase academic dress if their award has been conferred. 

If you're planning to attend graduation, you don't need to purchase academic dress for your ceremony. Full academic dress hire is included in your ceremony registration fee, however, must be returned within an hour of completion of your graduation ceremony.

If you'd like to purchase your own academic dress, graduands should complete and submit the Academic dress order form. If you'd like to hire academic dress outside of ceremony season, graduands should complete and submit the Academic dress hire form.

Shortly after completion, the Graduations team will review your submission and outline the next steps. 

We recommend submitting purchase or hire orders as early as possible. 

If submitted two weeks or less prior to a ceremony season, we may be unable to fulfill your request within your requested timeframe. We will action your request shortly after the ceremony season has ended. 

Academic dress hire and purchase services are not available during the following periods: 

• Friday 13 December 2024 to Wednesday 15 January 2025. 
• Thursday 17 April 2025 to Friday 13 June 2025.
• Thursday 9 October 2025 to Friday 28 November 2025.

Academic dress can't be purchased on the day of your graduation ceremony. 

Hired academic dress stock (worn during your graduation ceremony) is drycleaned and worn by many graduands throughout the season and therefore can't be kept or purchased. 

Academic dress hire can't be kept overnight or beyond an hour after the completion of your graduation ceremony. This is outlined in the hire agreement when you register and pay for your ceremony registration fee.

During graduation ceremonies, hired academic dress is only available to graduands who have registered to graduation ceremonies. 

If you’re unable to attend your graduation ceremony, please complete and submit the Academic dress hire form nominating a preferred date and time outside of the unavailable date ranges listed above. Shortly after completion, the Graduations team will review your submission and outline the next steps. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to supply academic dress for Graduate Certificate degrees as they're not awarded at University graduation ceremonies.

Per Section 13.4.2 of the UTS Student Rules: Degree awards, and any Diploma awards undertaken in conjunction with degree awards, may be presented at a University graduation ceremony. Graduate Certificate, Undergraduate Certificate and all other awards may be presented at a faculty ceremony.

Please note, faculty ceremonies are up to the discretion of each faculty. The Graduations Team are not involved in faculty ceremonies.

Authentic academic dress is available for purchase via UTS only. 

To ensure you receive the correct, premium quality made academic dress, we encourage you to submit your gown purchase via the University. 

If you've purchased UTS academic dress from another supplier and plan to wear this at your graduation ceremony, please submit an Ask UTS online enquiry with photos of your academic dress.

The academic dress photo gallery is available for your reference.

Yes, all graduands must pay the full ceremony registration fee. Unfortunately, no discounts are available.

Only graduates whose awards have been conferred by the university are eligible to wear academic dress appropriate to the level of award obtained. 

Per Section 13.10.4 of the UTS Student Rules: The University Secretary may approve the use of the University's academic dress by those yet to have their awards conferred only at appropriate formal occasions or other official University events, such as the International Students' Farewell Ceremony.

When submitting your order, please select your sizing carefully.

For hygiene reasons, we may be unable to exchange your academic dress.

If you need further information about sizing or are unsure about an item, please submit an Ask UTS online enquiry before placing an order and our team will advise.

The pricing for purchasing academic dress is as follows:

Please note, there is a standard national postage fee of $27. 

International postage will vary depending on location. Indicative mailing costs will be confirmed after submitting your gown purchase request.

The cost to hire academic dress is $130 for a 4-hour period. 

A deposit is required - $300 for Bachelor's, Master's and Graduate Diploma degrees, or $500 for PhD degrees.