Kyung Hee University (KHU) is holding an offline fair and an online survey for graduation gown renewal from October 14 to 17.

Brief Background of the Renewal 

     KHU students have been consistently demanding a new graduation gown design. For instance, in 2022 survey conducted by both campus’ General Student Association (GSA)s, approximately 80% of the students expressed their dissatisfaction on the gown’s design. 

     The main reason behind the disappointment was that the design of the gown mostly follows that of ready-made products, only adding the school’s symbol. The gown, which is supposed to enrich one of the most special moments of the student’s university life, was criticized for not having enough features to embody the significance of the event.

Design Drafts of Graduation Gown

     Based on the complaints, KHU started a project to develop a new graduation gown with the Dept. of Clothing & Textiles at the beginning of the year. 

     As a result, the project team came up with five design drafts. All designs include the symbolic features of KHU’s philosophy and buildings, but with varying details. The distinctive features of each draft were the following:

 The graduation cap has also changed: a decoration that resembles a smiling lion was added to a tassel.

Graduation Gown Fair

      KHU is holding an offline fair in both campuses to gather the students’ opinions on the design drafts. In Seoul Campus, the fair is being held in the Cheongwoon building from October 14 to 15. Global Campus’ fair is scheduled from October 16 to 17 in the first floor of Central Library. At the fair, students will have an opportunity to observe the actual prototypes of the graduation gowns. They can also try them on, either virtually or in real life. 

     An online survey is also being conducted until October 17. The students can access the survey through the quick response barcode on the banner next to the fair, or by clicking profile link of each campus’ GSA’s Instagram page. 

     Based on the fair, the final design of the gown is to be decided at the end of this month. The gown with the renewed design is expected to be implemented from February 2025.