This Friday, almost 5,000 people will be dressed in a cap and gown as they make their final step before entering the future, but their garb is a piece of history.

The answer is the U.S. Government. The American Council on Education has set a specific code for commencement garb, including tassels.

I told my students they could go out and buy white (tassels) and we would · put rhinestones on them - Patrick Holt, assistant professor of costume design

The Academic Costume code, followed by most colleges and universities, precisely states what attire should be worn at graduation, if the school chooses to adhere to the code, based on historical standards.

The origin of academic dress dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries when universities were beginning to form.

Long gowns were worn to help students stay warm in unheated buildings, and hoods covered the students' bald heads, according to the ACE Web site.

The sleeves symbolized a students' rank among classmates.

Today, gowns worn by students receiving bachelor's degrees have pointed sleeves, while masters graduates wear an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist. Doctoral graduates wear bell-sleeves, and all gowns come equipped with fasteners so they can be worn open or closed.

In addition to the sleeves, doctoral gowns have black velvet trimming down the front and across the sleeves. The trimming on the sleeves may also be the color distinctive of the discipline of the degree.

The assignment of colors to symbolize certain studies was standardized in the U.S. in the late 19th century, which is now represented by tassels.

Originally, white was assigned to the arts and letters. Red became the color of theology, as it was an original color of the church. Green, the color of herbs, symbolized schools of medicine and olive, a shade of green, was given to pharmacy. Golden yellow was deemed the color of the sciences, representative of all the wealth scientific research has produced, according to the ACE Web site.

Rena Tucker, an employee in the UA Grad Center, said that usually students have no idea what their tassel color is, or even that each college has a different color.

"There is no strong negative or positive reaction," she said. "They will occasionally say, ÎGosh, we should have taken that class so we could have gotten that tassel color.'"

In general, though, students are excited to receive their specific colored tassel, Tucker said, adding that the only graduates who are usually disappointed are those from the college of fine arts, which has dark brown tassels.

"We though brown wasn't the best choice for theatre, it's so dull and theatre is lively. I told my students they could go out and buy white ones and we would dye them and put rhinestones on them and things," said Patrick Holt, assistant professor of costume design.

The colors chosen by ACE have remained virtually unchanged since the code was introduced in 1895.

Joshua Sills contributed to this report