The academic dress prescribed by the University of Bristol is a mixture of that prescribed by Cambridge and Oxford.[1] Bristol has chosen, for graduates, to mainly specify Oxford-style gowns and Cambridge-style hoods. Unlike many British universities, the hood itself is to be "University red", lined with a specified colour. University red is defined to be Pantone 187. Bristol also specifies that undergraduates are to wear gowns "of the approved pattern" in certain circumstances, although the pattern itself is not specified. This is not too important since, in practice, undergraduates are only required to be gowned when graduating or at dinner as a member of Wills Hall.
As at most universities, when graduating, graduands wear the dress appropriate to the degree to which they are to be admitted. This appears to be a de facto rather than legislated practice since there is no specific provision in Statute, Ordinance or Regulation for how graduands should dress. Regulations prescribing academic dress refer specifically to "graduate members of the University" and thus exclude those who are in the process of graduating but have not yet graduated. This is a pedantic point, but in at least two British universities (Cambridge and Oxford), the rules are the other way around for this very reason (i.e. graduands wear their current degree, or undergraduate dress if they are not a graduate, with the hood of the new degree).
Bristol specifies four main types of dress: bachelor's, master's, doctor's undress and doctor's full dress. Within these groups, the dress is identical save for a few specific exceptions. Although academic caps are specified, by tradition they are never worn by graduands, except for honorary graduands. Bristol graduates taking part in Bristol graduation ceremonies as staff can and do wear the prescribed headgear.
i.e. PhD and Ed.D. use violet rather than salmon colouring. The possible similarity between the junior Doctors in undress and Masters arises only rarely since undress is practically never used in Bristol (it appears at e.g. inaugural lectures given by new Professors). In fact, of course, the gowns are differentiated by being made of different materials.
Although the university does not refer to M.D., D.D.S. or Eng.D. as higher doctorates they are not included in the list that wears the gowns clearly intended for junior doctorates (those with violet). It is thus appropriate for them to use salmon facings and hood-linings leaving the PhD and Ed.D. as somewhat anomalous exceptions. In practice, M.D., D.D.S. and Eng.D. are not awarded very often and the other, higher, doctorates are reserved largely for honorary degrees so the anomaly is minor.
All Officers wear academic caps of the customary pattern covered with black velvet; the Chancellor's cap being distinguished by a gold tassel and gold braid binding, and the Vice-Chancellor's by gold braid binding.
Students gaining Bachelor's and master's degrees from Bristol (apart from honorary graduates) do not wear mortarboards at graduation. According to an unverified legend, this is because at an early graduation ceremony the male graduands all threw their headgear either at the female graduands, or off the Clifton Suspension Bridge, by way of 'protest' at coeducation. Subsequently, mortarboards were not worn. This legend is told of a number of other universities and is almost certainly untrue, particularly given that University College Bristol was coeducational before the university proper even existed and that the Clifton suspension bridge is about 1.5 miles away (2.4 km).
As of 2022, the university has re-introduced mortarboards as part of the graduation dress, citing popular demand as the reason for doing so.[4]