Tassel

• Wear the tassel of your graduation cap on the right side of the cap. At the end of the commencement, a faculty member will instruct you to move your tassel from the right side of your cap to the left, signifying your graduation (see Reference 1).
  
  

Wearing Graduation Cap

• A graduation cap should be worn so that it is parallel to the ground. Women may use bobby pins to keep the graduation cap in place if their hair causes it to shift. Graduation caps usually have elastic around half of the part that goes around the head; wear the graduation cap with the elastic part in the back (see Reference 1).
  
  

Men and Women

• Men should remove their graduation caps during the national anthem and the school song. Women can leave their caps on through the whole commencement ceremony (see Reference 1).
  
  

Guests Wearing Hats

• Male and female guests should remove their hats for the national anthem and school song. Women wearing wide-brim hats should remove them once seated so they don't block the view of others. Also, if the ceremony is being held indoors, male guests should remove their hat upon entering the building, and leave it off until exiting the building (see Reference 2).
  
  

Considerations

• Along with following the aforementioned graduation hat etiquette rules, you should also follow any instructions about the caps that the faculty members give you. Don't throw your cap after commencement, decorate your cap or anything else that faculty request that you not do. Not only will going against faculty wishes possibly keep you from participating in commencement, it will also be disrespectful to your fellow graduates.