Honor cords
An honor cord is a token consisting of twisted cords with tassels on either end awarded to members of honor societies or for various academic and non-academic achievements, awards, or honors. Usually, cords come in pairs with a knot in the middle to hold them together. Sometimes sashes, stoles, or medallions are given in place of cords. They are most often worn at academic ceremonies and functions. With cap and gown, and (sometimes) the hood, high school or university degree candidates have worn these cords at the discretion of the educational institution, but they are not usually worn with academic regalia after the academic year in which the honor was awarded. Unlike hoods and stoles, by tradition more than one cord may be worn at the same time.
At some universities, pairs of honor cords, in the school colors, indicate honors graduates: One pair = Cum Laude, Two Pair = Magna Cum Laude, Three Pair = Summa Cum Laude. These are in addition to any cords for membership in an honor society.
List of collegiate honor societies and the color of their cords
(Mostly taken from The Association of College Honor Societies)
| Honor Society | Color (S-Stole, M-Medallion) |
|---|---|
| Alpha Beta Gamma | S - Sapphire Blue (Adviser, Gold) |
| Alpha Chi | Emerald Green and Sapphire Blue |
| Alpha Delta Mu | |
| Alpha Epsilon | Honor Gold or Blue and Green |
| Alpha Epsilon Delta | Red and Violet |
| Alpha Gamma Sigma | Double Gold Cord |
| Alpha Kappa Delta | Teal |
| Alpha Kappa Mu | Royal Blue and White |
| Alpha Lambda Delta | Red, Gold, and White |
| Alpha Mu Alpha | Red |
| Alpha Mu Gamma | Gold |
| Alpha Phi Omega | Royal Blue and Old Glory Gold |
| Alpha Phi Sigma | Blue and Gold
S - Gold / M - Blue |
| Alpha Pi Mu | White and Gold |
| Alpha Psi Omega | Light Blue and Amber |
| Alpha Sigma Lambda | Maroon/Burgundy and Gold |
| Alpha Sigma Mu | |
| Alpha Sigma Nu | M - Gold Medallion on Maroon Ribbon |
| American Mock Trial Association | Maroon, Purple and Royal Blue |
| Beta Alpha Psi | White with Society Seal |
| Beta Beta Beta | Forest Green and Red |
| Beta Gamma Sigma | Gold Cord, Yale Blue Tassel, Gold Wrap and
Yale Blue Cord, Gold Tassel, Yale Blue Wrap |
| Beta Kappa Chi | Royal Blue |
| Beta Phi Mu | Purple and White |
| Chi Epsilon
Chi Alpha Sigma |
S - Purple and White
Gold and Black |
| Chi Sigma Iota | Blue and White |
| Delta Epsilon Iota | Royal Blue and Old Gold |
| Delta Epsilon Sigma | Gold and Maroon |
| Delta Mu Delta | Purple and Gold |
| Delta Phi Alpha | Black, Red and Gold |
| Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha | |
| Delta Tau Alpha | Hunter Green and Harvest Gold |
| Epsilon Pi Tau | Blue, White and Gold |
| Eta Kappa Nu | Gold Cord w/ Navy Blue and Scarlet Red Tassels |
| Eta Sigma Phi | Gold and Purple Cords with Gold Tassels, S-Gold |
| Gamma Sigma Alpha | Gold and Red |
| Gamma Sigma Epsilon | Blue and White |
| Gamma Theta Upsilon | Brown, Light Blue, and Gold |
| Golden Key International Honour Society | Blue and Gold |
| Indian University Scholar Society | |
| Iota Iota Iota | Lavender |
| Kappa Delta Pi | Purple and Jade Green |
| Kappa Kappa Psi | Blue and White |
| Kappa Mu Epsilon | Pink and Gray |
| Kappa Omicron Nu | Burgundy and Cream
M - Gold/Burgundy w/ Burgundy Ribbon |
| Kappa Theta Epsilon | Yellow and Purple |
| Kappa Tau Alpha | Light Blue and Gold |
| Lambda Iota Tau | Purple and Gold |
| Lambda Pi Eta | Red, White, and Gold |
| Lambda Sigma | Blue and Gold |
| Mortar Board | Silver and Gold |
| Mu Kappa Tau | Blue and Gold |
| National Residence Hall Honorary | Blue and White |
| National Society of Collegiate Scholars | Burgundy and Gold |
| The Neutral Ground Society | Lavender |
| Omega Chi Epsilon | Maroon and White |
| Omega Rho | Blue and Red |
| Omicron Delta Epsilon | Blue and Gold |
| Omicron Delta Kappa | Sky Blue, White, and Black |
| Order of Omega | Gold and Ivory |
| Phi Alpha Delta | Purple and Gold |
| Phi Beta Delta | Red and Gold |
| Phi Beta Kappa | Pink and Sky Blue |
| Phi Alpha Theta | Madonna Red and Madonna Blue |
| Phi Delta Phi | Red, Blue, and Gold |
| Phi Eta Sigma | Gold and Black |
| Phi Kappa Phi | Navy and Gold
S - Gold / M - Royal Blue Ribbon |
| Phi Lambda Upsilon | Blue, Pink |
| Phi Sigma | Yellow, Green, and White |
| Phi Sigma Theta | Gold, Green and Purple |
| Phi Sigma Iota | Gold |
| Phi Sigma Tau | White and Purple |
| Phi Theta Kappa | Blue and Gold
S - Gold / M - Gold |
| Phi Upsilon Omicron | Yellow, White, and Purple |
| Pi Alpha Alpha | Light Blue and Yellow |
| Pi Alpha Xi | Cerulean blue and Nile green |
| Pi Deta Phi | Red, White, and Blue |
| Pi Gamma Mu | Royal Blue and White |
| Pi Kappa Lambda | Gold and White |
| Pi Mu Epsilon | Gold, Purple and Lilac |
| Pi Omega Pi | Silver, Royal Blue, and Gold |
| Pi Sigma Alpha | Red, White, and Black |
| Pi Sigma Epsilon | Gold and Royal Purple |
| Pi Tau Sigma | Red and Blue |
| Pi Theta Epsilon | Navy and Gold |
| Psi Beta | Royal Blue and Gold |
| Psi Chi | Platinum and Dark Blue |
| Rho Chi | Royal Purple and White |
| Rho Theta Sigma | |
| S.A.L.U.T.E. National Honor Society | Red/Cardinal, White, and Royal Blue |
| Sigma Beta Delta | Hunter Green and Gold |
| Sigma Alpha Lambda | Navy, Black, and Gold |
| Sigma Alpha Pi | Platinum and Black |
| Sigma Delta Pi | Red and Gold |
| Sigma Lambda Alpha | Gold and Green |
| Sigma Lambda Chi | Green and Gold
S - Silver Logo |
| Sigma Pi Sigma | Forest Green and Ivory |
| Sigma Tau Delta | Cardinal and Black |
| Sigma Theta Tau | Orchid and White |
| Sigma Xi | Silver and Blue |
| Tau Alpha Pi | Green and Gold |
| Tau Beta Pi | Orange and White
S - White with Orange Bent |
| Tau Beta Sigma | Blue and White |
| Tau Sigma | Red and Gold |
| Tau Sigma Delta | |
| Theta Alpha Kappa | Scarlet |
| Upsilon Pi Epsilon | Maroon and White |
List of high school honor societies and the color of their cords
| Excellence In | Honor Society | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Academics | National Honor Society | Gold |
| Fine Arts | National Art Honor Society | Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple |
| English | National English Honor Society | Blue and Gold |
| French | French National Honor Society | Red, White, and Blue |
| German | German National Honor Society | Black, Red and Gold |
| Latin | National Latin Honor Society | Purple and Silver |
| Japanese | Japanese National Honor Society | Red and White |
| Math | Mu Alpha Theta | Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple |
| Music | Tri-M Music Honor Society | Pink |
| Physics | Florin High Physics Club (Sacramento, CA) | Red and Black |
| Science | Science National Honor Society | Green and Purple |
| Social Studies | Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society | Blue and White |
| Spanish | Spanish National Honor Society | Gold and Red |
| Theater | International Thespian Society | Blue and Gold, Red |
| Technology | Technology Student Association | Red, Silver, and Blue |
| Career and Technical Education | National Technical Honor Society | Purple and White |