Honor Cords & Criteria

Wear it with Honors

Now that you’ve checked your eligibility and have applied to graduate, you may also qualify to wear special recognition apparel on Commencement Day. High-achieving undergraduates may receive honor cords.

Students who are graduating with Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction are entitled to wear fourragères: cream and crimson cords for IU graduates, black and gold for Purdue graduates.

Fourragères should be worn pinned to the left shoulder of your gown. Pin the fourragères halfway between the shoulder seam and the collar. The loop will drape over the outside of the sleeve with two cords hanging in front and two in the back of the sleeve. Your arm should not go through the loop.

The fourragères are provided by the university as a gift to you and are picked up from your individual school or honor society.

Contact Your School for Honor Cord Fourragères Eligibility

Red and white fourrageres laid out with an information card describing their significance

About Gold Medallions

Students who are graduating with honors may wear gold medallions. The requirements for graduating with honors are different for each school, and honors are awarded by a vote of faculty members.

Plus, graduates who have been admitted to any of the nationally recognized honor societies below may wear their corresponding cords.

Honor Cords and Recognized Honor Societies

Many honors organizations recognize outstanding achievement in service, philanthropy, and scholarship. IUPUI is proud of all students who fulfill the membership requirements in these societies.

On Commencement day, the university singles out the honor societies that emphasize academic achievement. Graduates who have been admitted to any of the nationally recognized honor societies on this list may wear the appropriate cords at Commencement.