Graduation cap leads because CLDR, Unicode's list of search words, files exactly one emoji under graduation. Graduate goes to three others: Student, Woman student and Man student. Graduation emoji copy and paste adds 71 of our picks.
Read the full guide
There is no diploma emoji
No emoji name or CLDR search word says diploma, degree, certificate, tassel or gown. Scroll is the usual stand-in, and CLDR gives it two words, paper and scroll. Unicode does have 57 characters with degree in the name: Degree sign, two temperature scales, a music symbol, two cuneiform signs and 51 rotated chess pieces. The ASCII Diploma, unrolled is at least labelled.
The year is yours to type
No line here carries a year: the page cannot know yours. Captions and congratulations opens with Class of 20__: paste it, then type the last two digits over the blanks. Plain-text graduation lines has the same with a star each side, for a bio that refuses emoji. For digits big enough to print, see bubble numbers.
Tips
Proud finds five tiles, one a peacock: the third of three emoji CLDR files under that word. Law, nurse and kindergarten work too.
Graduation cap, Books, Trophy and three others have a text form. The three graduates and both pairs of hands take a skin tone.
The newest character is Face holding back tears, Emoji 14.0, so older phones show an empty box. No drawing is wider than 29 columns.
Questions and answers
Which emoji is the graduation emoji?
Graduation cap, U+1F393, which Unicode's notes also call mortarboard. Student, Woman student and Man student are each a person, a zero width joiner and the cap, so where the sequence is not supported they arrive as two emoji side by side.
What do I send to congratulate a graduate?
CLDR files two emoji under congratulations: Clapping hands and the Congratulations button, whose character Unihan defines as pray for happiness or blessings. The lines include Congratulations, graduate, the shorter Congrats, grad, and So proud of you. Congratulations bubble letters prints the word banner size.
How do I show my degree subject in emoji?
A degree in two emoji pairs the cap with a balance scale for law, a stethoscope for medicine or nursing, a gear for engineering, then computer science, science, business, art and teaching. No emoji name or search word says college or university; School stands in.
🎓Graduation capU+1F393. The only emoji CLDR files under graduation. Unicode's notes give its other name as mortarboard and its use as graduation ceremony. It has a text form. Emoji 0.6.
👨🎓Man studentU+1F468 U+200D U+1F393. Man, a joiner, the cap. Where the sequence is not supported it comes apart into a man and a cap. It takes a skin tone. Emoji 4.0.
🧑🎓StudentU+1F9D1 U+200D U+1F393. A joined sequence: Person, a zero width joiner, then Graduation cap. CLDR files it under graduate, a word the cap itself does not get. It takes a skin tone. Emoji 12.1.
👩🎓Woman studentU+1F469 U+200D U+1F393. Woman, a joiner, the cap. The Student with no gender waited until Emoji 12.1; she did not. It takes a skin tone. Emoji 4.0.
Show all 75 things for a graduation (71 more)
The ceremony 7
💐BouquetU+1F490. For the graduate who is handed flowers on the way out. CLDR does not file it under graduation: its occasions are anniversary and birthday. Emoji 0.6.
📸Camera with flashU+1F4F8. For the relative in the front row. CLDR gives it three words: camera, flash and video. Emoji 1.0.
👏Clapping handsU+1F44F. The only emoji CLDR files under congrats. It also gets good, great, nice, well and job, which add up to the right sentiment. It takes a skin tone. Emoji 0.6.
㊗️Congratulations buttonU+3297 U+FE0F. The second of the two emoji CLDR files under congratulations; Clapping hands is the other. Unicode names it Circled ideograph congratulation. It has a text form. Emoji 0.6.
🎉Party popperU+1F389. CLDR files it under tada, hooray and woohoo. Emoji 0.6.
🙌Raising handsU+1F64C. CLDR files it under hooray, praise and celebration. It takes a skin tone. Emoji 0.6.
📜ScrollU+1F4DC. There is no diploma emoji: no emoji name or CLDR search word says diploma, degree or certificate. This is the usual stand-in. CLDR gives it two words, paper and scroll. Emoji 0.6.
Proud, relieved, partying 5
😮💨Face exhalingU+1F62E U+200D U+1F4A8. A joined sequence. CLDR files it under relief, exhausted and sigh, which is the last week of term in three words. Emoji 13.1.
🥹Face holding back tearsU+1F979. One of three emoji CLDR files under proud. The newest character on this page, so an older phone shows an empty box. Emoji 14.0.
🥳Partying faceU+1F973. CLDR files it under hooray, celebration and party. Emoji 11.0.
🦚PeacockU+1F99A. The third and last emoji CLDR files under proud. It is also filed under ostentatious, which is fair on the day. Emoji 11.0.
🥲Smiling face with tearU+1F972. The second emoji under proud. CLDR also files it under relieved and touched. Emoji 13.0.
What it took 5
🎒BackpackU+1F392. Unicode names it School satchel and notes its use as Japanese school entrance ceremony: the other end of the story from the cap. Emoji 0.6.
📚BooksU+1F4DA. The only emoji CLDR files under study. It also gets knowledge, library and school. It has a text form. Emoji 0.6.
☕Hot beverageU+2615. What the degree ran on. CLDR files it under caffeine, coffee and morning. It has a text form. Emoji 0.6.
📝MemoU+1F4DD. For the thesis, the dissertation or the last essay. CLDR files it under notes and pencil. Emoji 0.6.
🏫SchoolU+1F3EB. No emoji name or search word says college or university, so this building does for all of them. CLDR gives it two words, building and school. Emoji 0.6.
Honours 4
🥇1st place medalU+1F947. Unicode's notes give its other name as gold medal. For whoever finished top of the class. Emoji 3.0.
💯Hundred pointsU+1F4AF. CLDR files it under perfect, score and a+. Emoji 0.6.
🎖️Military medalU+1F396 U+FE0F. Of the five medal emoji, the only one CLDR files under celebration. It also gets award. It has a text form. Emoji 0.7.
🏆TrophyU+1F3C6. CLDR files it under champion, victory and winning. It has a text form. Emoji 0.6.
What comes next 4
💼BriefcaseU+1F4BC. What comes next, for most. CLDR gives it two words: briefcase and office. Emoji 0.6.
🔮Crystal ballU+1F52E. The only emoji CLDR files under future. It also gets fortune. Emoji 0.6.
💸Money with wingsU+1F4B8. CLDR files it under bank, bill, pay and fly. For the tuition. Emoji 0.6.
🚀RocketU+1F680. CLDR files it under launch. Emoji 0.6.
Graduation symbols, no emoji 9
祝The character inside the Congratulations buttonU+795D. Unicode's notes say the Congratulations button is this character in a circle. Unihan defines it as pray for happiness or blessings.
✓Check mark, plain textU+2713 Check mark. Done, in a single character. Not an emoji: the emoji tick is the next one along, U+2714 Heavy check mark. Ordinary text, so it takes the colour and size of your words.
❞Closing quote mark, heavyU+275E Heavy double comma quotation mark ornament. For the back of the same quote. Also from the Dingbats block.
賀Congratulate, as a Han characterU+8CC0. Unihan defines it as congratulate; send present.
°Degree signU+00B0 Degree sign. The only degree Unicode awards. 57 characters have degree or degrees in their name: this one, two temperature scales, a music symbol, two cuneiform signs and 51 rotated chess pieces.
∎End of proofU+220E End of proof. Unicode's notes give its other name as q.e.d.: it closes a proof. For the maths graduate, or anyone who feels they have proved something.
学Learning, as a Han characterU+5B66. Unihan defines it as learning, knowledge; school.
❝Opening quote mark, heavyU+275D Heavy double turned comma quotation mark ornament. For the front of a senior quote. From the Dingbats block; Unicode cross-refers it to the ordinary left double quotation mark.
㉆School, circledU+3246 Circled ideograph school. The character in the ring is U+6587, which Unihan defines as literature, culture, writing. It shows as an empty box where no font has it.
Captions and congratulations 13
🎓📜🎉🌟🎉📜🎓Border row, mirrored around the star
🎓 Class of 20__ 🎓Type the last two digits over the blanks
👏 Congrats, grad 👏The short one
🎉 Congratulations, graduate 🎓From anyone, to anyone
🎓 High school: done ✅Four years, in three words
🖍️ Kindergarten graduate 🎓Small cap, big day
🎓 Now accepting job offers 💼For the professional profile
🎓 Officially a graduate 🎓The announcement
🚀 On to the next thing 🚀For inside the card, above the money
🔥 One degree hotter 🎓The temperature joke
🥹 So proud of you 🎓From a parent
🎓 The tassel was worth the hassle 🎓The rhyme everybody uses
🎓 Thanks, Mom and Dad ❤️For the people who paid
Plain-text graduation lines 6
★ Class of 20__ ★No emoji: a star each side, blanks for the year
Degree ✓ Job ☐No emoji: one box ticked, one to go
I have a degree: °No emoji: the only degree in Unicode
\o/ I graduated \o/Plain ASCII: arms up at both ends
Q.E.D. ∎No emoji: how a proof ends
❝ Senior quote goes here ❞No emoji: heavy quote marks, your words between
Graduation text art 5
Cap tossThree graduates, three caps, all of them airborne. Plain ASCII, 15 columns wide.
Cap with a tasselThe board, the skullcap under it and the tassel hanging off the left corner. Plain ASCII, 19 columns wide.
Certificate to fill inThe name line is left open. Paste it somewhere monospaced, then type the name over the underscores. Plain ASCII, 29 columns wide.
Diploma, unrolledA scroll with both ends curled and two lines of small print nobody reads. Plain ASCII, 26 columns wide.
Owl in a capThe wise bird, dressed for the day, tassel to the right. Plain ASCII, 15 columns wide.
A degree in two emoji 8
🎓🎨Art and designGraduation cap, then artist palette. CLDR files the palette under art, artist and creative.
🎓📈BusinessGraduation cap, then chart increasing. CLDR files the chart under growth, trend and upward, which is the hope.
🎓💻Computer scienceGraduation cap, then laptop. CLDR files the laptop under computer and pc.
🎓⚙️EngineeringGraduation cap, then gear. CLDR files the gear under cog, cogwheel and tool.
🎓⚖️LawGraduation cap, then balance scale. CLDR files the scale under justice.
🎓🩺Medicine or nursingGraduation cap, then stethoscope. CLDR files the stethoscope under doctor and medicine. Emoji 12.0.
🎓🔬ScienceGraduation cap, then microscope. CLDR files the microscope under science, lab and experiment.
🎓🧑🏫TeachingGraduation cap, then teacher. Teacher is a joined sequence: Person, a joiner, then School. CLDR files it under instructor, lecturer and professor.
Graduation combos 5
🧑🎓🤝📜Across the stageStudent, then handshake, then scroll. The walk, the handshake, the paper. Do not trip.
🙌🎓🎓🎓Cap toss, in emojiRaising hands, then graduation cap 3 times. Hands up, caps up. Finding your own afterwards is not covered.
📚☕📝🎓How it was doneBooks, then hot beverage, then memo, then graduation cap. Reading, coffee, writing, cap. Some steps were repeated.
🎓💼❓Now whatGraduation cap, then briefcase, then red question mark. The cap, the job, and the punctuation between them.
🥹📸🎓Proud parent, front rowFace holding back tears, then camera with flash, then graduation cap. The face, the camera, the reason.
How this list was compiled: Built by script on 2026-09-19, not typed by hand. The emoji, their names, code points and Emoji version numbers come from emoji-test.txt, version 18.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/emoji/emoji-test.txt); names are the CLDR short names printed in that file, in sentence case. The search words are from the CLDR English annotations (https://github.com/unicode-org/cldr/blob/main/common/annotations/en.xml and https://github.com/unicode-org/cldr/blob/main/common/annotationsDerived/en.xml, main branch). CLDR lists the word graduation for one emoji, the graduation cap, and graduate for three: student, man student and woman student. It lists congratulations for clapping hands and the Japanese congratulations button, congrats for clapping hands only, proud for smiling face with tear, face holding back tears and peacock, study for books only, future for crystal ball only and class for bicycle only. No emoji name or search word says diploma, degree, certificate, tassel, gown, college or university. The first group is the cap and the three graduates and nothing else; the groups after it are our own choice. The text forms come from emoji-variation-sequences.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/emoji/emoji-variation-sequences.txt). Every character that is not an emoji was checked against UnicodeData.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/UnicodeData.txt), and a note that names a character uses its name from that file. In that file 57 character names hold the word degree or degrees: Degree sign, Degree Celsius, Degree Fahrenheit, a musical symbol, two cuneiform signs and 51 rotated chess pieces. One name holds graduat-, Graduation cap, and none holds diploma, laurel, tassel or certificate. Notes about what a character is used for come from the annotations in NamesList.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/NamesList.txt). The notes on Graduation cap (mortarboard; graduation ceremony), School satchel (Japanese school entrance ceremony), First place medal (gold medal), End of proof (q.e.d.), the two heavy quotation mark ornaments and the two circled ideographs come from there, as do the block names. Meanings of Chinese characters come from the kDefinition field of Unihan_Readings.txt in Unihan.zip, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/Unihan.zip). The 13 caption and congratulation lines, 6 plain-text lines, 5 ASCII drawings, 8 degree pairs and 5 combos are this site's own work: the emoji in them are fetched by name from emoji-test.txt, the tassel rhyme and the degree joke are traditional captions with no author, and the drawings were made for this page. No line carries a year: the two Class of lines leave blanks for it. All sources were checked on 2026-09-19. Licence: own work