A graduation cap gets one afternoon on stage, so choose the message first and the materials second. These 10 graduation cap ideas stay mostly flat, which keeps them inside the rules at most schools.
What are you allowed to put on a cap?
Check your own school's rules first, because they differ. Kansas State allows decoration only on the flat top, UCF allows flat designs up to the height of the cap button, and the University of Louisiana Monroe allows 3-D pieces up to one inch.
Kansas State's cap guidelines say only the flat top may be decorated and three-dimensional objects are banned. UCF requires decorations to lay flat and reach no higher than the cap button, and it allows still LED lights but not moving ones.
Penalties are real. Kansas State asks a graduate to buy a new undecorated cap, and the University of Louisiana Monroe's guidelines say the cap can be removed before the ceremony, with the graduate walking without one.
All three also ban offensive content, and UCF's commencement rules add that the tassel must be the college tassel. Ask your commencement office if anything is unclear.
Once the rules are clear, pick the idea that matches your message:
- Thank-you caps: parents, teachers and friends.
- Words and skies: a quote, stars or a trip.
- Color and texture: watercolor, glitter, stripes and paper flowers.
- Your major: one symbol.
- How to build it: a panel that comes off clean.
Caps that say thank you.
Thanking a parent, grandparent, teacher or friend is on the University of Louisiana Monroe's list of appropriate cap messages, so it is the safest place to start.
Thank you Mom and Dad.
Use vinyl or foil letters in gold or white on a black cap. Keep the message to a few words, so people in the stands can read it.
Swap in the names of whoever helped you most, and leave room around the center button for the tassel.
A photo collage.
Print small photos of friends, trips and family at a matching size, and glue them edge to edge with a thin border in gold or black. Small prints are better than large ones because they lie flat.
Choose photos with plain backgrounds, since busy ones turn muddy at that size.
A quote, a sky or a trip.
Short words and simple shapes read best from a distance. Metallic letters and flat paper stars give a big effect without any height.
A gold foil quote.
Pick a short line you would actually say, such as "Onward and upward." Metallic foil letters catch the light, and a quote this size fits on one line.
Stars on navy.
Cover the top in navy paper and scatter small flat gold stars and a thin crescent moon across it. Space them unevenly so it looks like a real sky.
Next stop.
Two words, a dotted line and a paper airplane say you are moving on. Use it for a move, a new job or a trip.
Color and texture, kept flat.
Color works when it stays flat and covers the whole top. Paint, glitter and paper all qualify.
Pastel watercolor.
Paint a wash of pink, lavender and pale blue on watercolor paper, let it dry, then add the year in small gold numbers in one corner.
Ombre glitter.
Spread glue in two halves, sprinkle rose glitter on one and champagne on the other, and blend the middle with a dry brush. Seal it with a thin spray so it does not shed on your gown.
School color stripes.
Stripes in your school's two colors say where you went without a logo or a mascot. Cut the paper to the full width so the edges meet the sides of the cap.
Flat paper flowers.
Die-cut paper flowers and leaves in cream, blush and sage give a garden look. Keep them to a single layer where the rules say flat, and note that Kansas State lists flowers among the items it bans.
Your major in one symbol.
One clear symbol shows your field faster than a paragraph does.
One symbol.
A red heartbeat line across a white panel says nursing. A gear works for engineering, five staff lines for music and a leaf for environmental science.
Draw it once, large, and leave the rest of the cap plain.
The one I would choose
If I were choosing one, I would do the thank-you cap. It passes every rulebook I read, it is easy to read from the stands, and the people it names will remember it.
How to build a cap that comes off clean.
Build the design on a paper panel instead of on the cap itself. If the cap is rented or borrowed, ask before you attach anything permanent.
- Read your school's rules and note the height limit.
- Trace the flat top of the cap onto cardstock and cut it out.
- Decorate the panel flat, with the center button area left clear.
- Keep any words to about five.
- Attach the panel with removable tape and check that the tassel hangs freely.
- Photograph the cap before the ceremony, since caps may be reviewed at check-in.
For more paper projects, see our easy crafts for kids. And for the hair under the cap, our vintage-inspired prom hairstyles carry over to the after-party.
- Nothing hangs off the sides except the tassel.
- The design is flat or within your school's height limit.
- The words would pass a family-friendly test.
- The panel is secure and the tassel button is clear.
Graduation cap ideas, answered.
Can you decorate a graduation cap?
Most schools allow decoration on the flat top of the cap, but the rules differ, so read your school's guidelines before you buy supplies.
How high can cap decorations be?
It depends on the school. Kansas State bans 3-D objects, UCF allows nothing higher than the cap button, and the University of Louisiana Monroe allows 3-D pieces up to one inch.
What happens if your cap breaks the rules?
Some schools ask you to switch to a plain cap. Kansas State asks graduates to buy a new undecorated cap, and the University of Louisiana Monroe may remove the cap and let you take part without one.
