Graduation Gowns in Singapore: The Complete Guide for Every University

You spend years working toward it, and then it arrives: a single morning in a gown and mortarboard, a name read aloud, a walk across a stage. Graduation is over almost as quickly as it begins, which is exactly why the photographs matter so much. Long after the day itself has blurred, the portraits are what stay on the wall.

This guide covers everything you need to know about your graduation gown in Singapore, whether you’re graduating from a local university, a polytechnic, or an overseas Australian or UK degree earned here — plus what to wear underneath and, because capturing these milestones is what we’ve done since 2009, how to look genuinely like yourself when the camera comes out.

Academic dress has barely changed in centuries, and that’s part of its charm. Almost everywhere, the set is the same three pieces: a gown (usually black for bachelor’s degrees), a hood or sash worn over the shoulders, and a mortarboard, the flat square cap with a tassel. The details are where each institution shows its identity. The colour of the hood, the trimmings on the gown, even which side the tassel sits all vary by university, by faculty, and sometimes by degree level.

Check out the beautiful spaces in our two-storey shophouse studio located 219 River Valley Road

The NUS gown photographs cleanly precisely because it’s so simple — a black gown lets the hood colour do all the talking, so the trick is keeping that hood sitting flat and square rather than slipping back. We love to light it to keep the colour true and set it against our emerald-and-gold Peranakan corner, where a single band of faculty colour reads warm and rich rather than flattening into a black shape.

Official reference: the NUS Commencement — Hood Colours page.

Because NTU’s regalia is so restrained — gown, hood, nothing layered — the portrait lives on posture and light rather than colour. We’ve found a slight turn of the shoulders makes the hood read as a band of colour against the black; shot under the grand colonial windows of our European hall on our third floor with wainscoting, the natural light needs barely a fill flash. And since every NTU graduate only gets two quick stage shots on the day, a proper session is where you actually get the frame worth framing.

Official reference: NTU Convocation — Academic Dress and Dress Code.

The SMU gown is one of our favourites to photograph because it carries the most detail — worn closed, with the co-curricular cord and the tassel set to the correct side. Those are exactly the elements a rushed phone shot loses, so we set them deliberately: cord straight, tassel correct, gown clean. Against our bold red plush wall on the second floor of our studio, that detail takes on a confident, editorial richness.

Official reference: SMU Commencement — Gown & Attire.

At SUSS the full set is mandatory to be presented on stage, and they specifically recommend ironing your gown — which genuinely shows on camera. Graduates photograph beautifully against the rustic setting of restored original shophouse, where natural light and warm wood keep the focus on you and the crispness of well-pressed regalia.

Official reference: SUSS Convocation — Graduates’ Guide.

SIT’s gown already carries a lot — black with red and white trimmings, and a hood colour set by your school — so the cleaner the backdrop, the better it reads. A clean, plain backdrop gives a contemporary, uncluttered frame that lets the gown’s distinctive trims stay the hero, with nothing competing for attention.

Official reference: Information for Graduands

With the University of London scheme, the colour is everything — that band of faculty silk against the black gown is the whole story of the frame, whether it’s gold, blue or russet. We light specifically to keep it true, and our French-inspired archway gives a UOL portrait the formal, considered setting its tradition deserves. Because SIM’s cohort is large and the ceremony busy, a separate session is often the only place graduates get an unhurried, properly-lit portrait at all.

Official reference: University of London — academic dress; plus SIM’s graduation booklet for ceremony details.

Capturing proud moments at our sunlit balcony and European-inspired arch at White Room Studio.

The polytechnic gowns are a pleasure precisely because of their colour — Ngee Ann’s navy-and-gold and the rest carry each school’s brand identity, a brighter counterpoint to the universities’ darker regalia. Those lively colours come alive in daylight, so our balcony overlooking the greenery of Fort Canning is a favourite for poly grads: sheltered, sunlit, and a fresh contrast to the studio sets.

Official references: NP Graduation, SP Graduation Attire,  TP Graduation Attire; NYP Graduation Attire and RP Graduation Day

Australian regalia shares a clean convention — black gown and mortarboard with a faculty-coloured hood or sash, several reserving a distinctive gown for doctoral graduates. Because the colour sits in a single accent, we keep the styling considered and shoot against our Art Deco setting, where teal walls and muted-gold panelling lend a slightly decadent, portrait-forward mood that flatters a graduate solo or a small family group.

Official references: JCU Singapore Graduation, Curtin Singapore Graduation, and Murdoch University Regalia.

UK academic dress varies university to university, but the pattern holds: a black bachelor’s gown and mortarboard with a hood lined in a colour denoting your degree. Whichever awarding university’s regalia you’re in, our Classic European gallery — formal French wainscoting and soft window light — gives a UK degree the dignified, traditional setting it suits.

Explore our Beautiful Spaces blog for a closer look at our heritage Peranakan interiors, natural-light European hallways, and sun-lit balcony setting overlooking Fort Canning, along with the other distinctive portrait spaces available throughout White Room Studio. It’s the best way to find a backdrop that complements your graduation gown and personal style before your session.

Simple styling shines at White Room Studio’s signature sun-lit balcony.

How to look your best in your graduation photos

• Hold the props with intention. The scroll and cap are part of the story — a relaxed grip and a natural turn of the shoulders beat a stiff, front-on stance every time.
• Chase good light. Soft, natural light is endlessly flattering; our studio sits in a heritage shophouse built for exactly that, with Fort Canning right on our doorstep for outdoor frames.
• Bring the people who got you here. Graduation is a family milestone as much as a personal one — some of the most treasured grad portraits are the ones with parents, siblings or grandparents in frame.
• Don’t rely on the ceremony. The two official stage shots and a flurry of phone photos rarely do the day justice. A proper, unhurried session — with time, guidance and a setting you’ve chosen — is what you’ll actually want on the wall.

At White Room Studio, we’ve photographed graduation milestones since 2009 from our natural-light heritage shophouse on River Valley Road. See our graduation photography, or message us to plan your session.