14 DIY Graduation Cap Ideas

DIY a custom graduation cap with one of these great graduation cap ideas and free tutorials.

navy blue graduation cap with white lettering

A few years ago, all 3 of my kids graduated from something the same year. It was a crazy few months getting through all of those graduation ceremonies. So much has changed since then. One thing that has not changed is our desire to celebrate the accomplishments of those who have completed school, however that may look right now.

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One great way to celebrate this amazing accomplishment is by decorating a graduation cap. There are so many ways to personalize caps too. I previously shared a tutorial teaching you how to decorate a graduation cap with a Cricut. It was such a hit that I thought I’d share a few more graduation cap DIYs with you today!

Graduation Cap Decorating Tips

1. Decorate an Extra Cap

If you don’t want to decorate (and potentially ruin) your ACTUAL cap, you can purchase extra caps online quite inexpensively. Decorate the spare cap and put it in a keepsake box!

Graduation Shadow box with graduation cap, photo and tassel

2. Check your School Policy

Double-check with your school’s commencement policy to see if decorated caps are allowed.

3. Plan Ahead

There is nothing worse than trying to do something “new” at the last minute! Plan a crafternoon a few days before the ceremony to give yourself plenty of time to create your cap.

Items to use to Decorate Graduations Caps

Use a variety of materials. I’ve seen graduation caps decorated with all of the following. Each one turned out so cute!

Polaroid Photos
Vinyl Stickers from your School or soon to be University
Silk Flowers
Scrapbook Paper
Colorful Fabric
Iron on Patches
Ribbon

DIY Graduation Cap Ideas

14 DIY Graduation Cap Tutorials

Decorating your Gradutaioin cap can be a fun way to celebrate your accomplishments. Here are 9 tutorials that walk you through the "how-to" steps for decorating a graduation cap.

Graduation Cap Decorating Tutorials

There are a lot of graduation cap ideas online, but not a lot of tutorials. Actual "how to decorate a graduation" cap posts. Here are a few blog posts that contain instructions and ideas.

DIY Graduation Cap Decorating Ideas using Cricut Iron-On

A few years ago, I created a set of graduation caps to use in shadow boxes for my kids. I used my Cricut machine and foil and everyday iron-on vinyl.

How to Decorate a Custom Graduation Cap

Photo Credit: www.midwestmermaidolivia.com

Olivia has created a lot of custom decorated graduation caps. She's sharing some of her best tips in this article.

How I Decorated My Graduation Cap | DIY

Photo Credit: www.juliannguerra.com

This brilliant Harry Potter Inspired graduation cap might be one of my favorites!

6 tips on decorating your graduation cap

Photo Credit: www.thedailyamy.com

Amy shares some of her best tips for creating a custom graduation cap.

Graduation Cap Tutorial

Photo Credit: www.belleoftheballblog.com

I love the monogram and colorful print on this cap. Click on over to her blog to find out more.

Aleenes Original Glues - 3 Ways to DIY a Graduation Cap

Photo Credit: www.aleenes.com

Aleene's glues walk you through the steps to create a glitter grad cap on their blog.

How to Decorate a Graduation Cap Using a Cricut

Photo Credit: bloomplanners.com

Another great tutorial on how to use a Cricut to decorate your cap.

Graduation SVG Files

SVG files are great for graduation cap decorations! Just cut it out with your Cricut machine and apply it to the cap! If you're not sure how to do that, you can use our directions for applying iron onto a graduation cap.

Here are a few SVG file suggestions for you. Some are shown on t-shirts, but the designs would also work for a graduation cap.