The history of graduation ceremonies

Ceremonies for graduating students date from the first universities in Europe in the twelfth century. At that time Latin was the language of scholarship. A "universitas" was a guild of masters (MAs) with licence to teach. "Degree" and "graduate" come from gradus, meaning "step". The first step was admission to a bachelor's degree. The second step was the masters step, giving the graduate admission to the universitas and license to teach. Typical dress for graduation is gown and hood, or hats adapted from the daily dress of university staff in the Middle Ages, which was in turn based on the attire worn by medieval clergy.Normally, the ceremony and name apply to university level and above (Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees), however, in the USA, completing mandatory schooling is also referred to as 'graduating', even though it is substantially below degree level. Graduations for elementary school and Kindergarten, and even for passing from one school year to the next, have been a development of recent years. This has received criticism, described as "It's just a way of celebrating mediocrity".

Graduation at the college and university level occurs when the presiding officer confers degrees upon candidates, either individually or en masse, even if graduates physically receive their diploma later at a smaller college or departmental ceremony. When ceremonies are associated, they usually include a procession of the academic staff and candidates and a valedictation . The faculty will usually wear academic dress at the formal ceremonies, as will the trustees  and degree candidates. After degree completion, graduates can be referred to by their graduating year.