Before you graduate, the tassel goes on the right side of your cap. This applies to both high school and college undergraduate students. You wear it on the right throughout the ceremony, then move it to the left at the moment your degree is officially conferred.
Why the Right Side First
The right side signals that you haven’t yet received your diploma. Think of it as a visual marker: everyone in the audience can see that the graduating class is still waiting for that official moment. Once the degree is conferred, typically announced by a dean, president, or other school official, you move the tassel from right to left. That switch is the symbolic act that says you’ve graduated.
How the Turning of the Tassel Works
At most ceremonies, the entire class moves their tassels at the same time. Someone on stage will announce the moment, often right after the class has been officially presented with their degrees. You simply reach up with your right hand and swing the tassel from the right side of your mortarboard to the left. It takes about two seconds, and it’s usually followed by cheering, cap tossing, or both.
Some schools handle this slightly differently. A few have graduates turn the tassel individually as they walk across the stage and receive their diploma cover. If your school does it this way, they’ll explain the process during rehearsal or in printed instructions beforehand. When in doubt, watch the people around you and follow their lead.
Graduate and Doctoral Students
If you’re earning a master’s or doctoral degree, the rules change. Graduate students typically wear the tassel on the left side from the very start of the ceremony, since they’ve already completed an undergraduate degree. Doctoral candidates often don’t wear a traditional mortarboard at all. They wear a tam, a softer, rounder cap, and the tassel stays on the left throughout.
Securing the Tassel to Your Cap
Most graduation caps have a small button or loop at the center of the top where the tassel attaches. Thread the tassel’s loop over that button before the ceremony so it hangs freely on the right side of your face. Give it a light tug to make sure it won’t slide off when you move. If your cap doesn’t have a button, a small bobby pin through the loop and into the fabric works as a backup.
Position the tassel so it falls roughly along your temple, not directly in front of your eyes. Wind and movement will shift it around during the ceremony, so don’t stress about keeping it perfectly placed the entire time. The only moment that really matters is having it on the correct side when you turn it.
What the Tassel Color Means
Tassel colors often correspond to your field of study or your school’s colors. Many high schools use school colors for all graduates. Colleges and universities frequently assign colors by discipline: white for liberal arts, golden yellow for science, and so on. Your school will either provide the correct tassel or tell you which one to order. Honor graduates sometimes wear a gold tassel instead of the standard color to recognize academic achievement, though this varies by institution.
Whatever color you receive, the placement rule stays the same: right side before graduation, left side after.