Mean Green Gowns for Grads

Graduation is a very exciting time for many of our students and a milestone not to be forgotten.  We know some of our undergraduate students are not able to afford the price of a cap and gown and therefore do not walk across the stage to celebrate this huge academic accomplishment. The Dean of Students office under the Division of Student Affairs has created the “Mean Green Gowns for Grads” program to support our low-income and first-generation University of North Texas students with a free rental of graduation caps and gowns.

This program is to help alleviate some of the hardships of graduation expenses for our students who may not otherwise be able to participate in graduation after working so hard for a degree.  We appreciate all cap/gown donations from UNT alum and monetary donations.  With your help, we can guarantee all of our students have the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments on graduation day!

Fall 2022 Schedule

October 20th: Application Opens
November 22nd: Acceptance Letters will be sent out
December 2nd: Application Closes

Application Process

Mean Green Gowns for Grads is a program offered to first-generation college students, DACA students, historically underrepresented or low-income students.  If you fall under one of these categories, then you can apply for this program! The Dean of Students office will work with UNT departments such as Financial Aid, Multicultural Center, Trio, etc. to establish the eligibility of each applicant.  

Mean Green Gowns for Grads is a program that is donation-based and continues to grow and be successful through numerous donations from UNT students, alumni, and the community. We are very thankful to have this program through UNT, however, we do have limited resources for our Masters and Doctoral Students. Since we do have limited items, we run on a first-come, first-serve system, but we want to provide an opportunity for every student to receive this help.

Please submit only one application. Students that apply to the program will be verified and contacted by the Dean of Students office regarding acceptance to the program. If you have any questions, please contact Frances.Hinkle@unt.edu.

MGGG Application Form

The Mean Green Gowns for Grads (MGGG) is funded by the We Mean Green Fund. The We Mean Green Fund (WMGF) provides funding for students, staff, and faculty members of the UNT community to make our campus even greener! One mission of MGGG is to increase sustainability on campus, promote environmental justice, and decrease the waste stream.

Traditional graduation gowns are generally made of polyester, a petroleum-based fabric that does not biodegrade. These “keepsake” gowns are typically only worn once and then thrown away. Constructed with the same chemical compound used to make plastic water bottles, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the polyester gowns will not fully decompose once in those landfills. Research shows that it takes 450 years for plastic bottles to break down in landfills (LeBlanc, 2019).

MGGG operates primarily through donations of regalia from generous alumni. Reusing graduation gowns over the years helps is more sustainable. Thank you for applying to MGGG and helping to make UNT a more green campus!

LeBlanc, R. (2019, October 29). The decomposition of waste in landfills. The Balance Small Business.https://www.liveabout.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033

Donations & Support:

We will be accepting any gently used UNT caps and gowns, in particular, the Green undergraduate ones that UNT adopted in 2015.  We are open to accepting Masters and Doctoral gowns as well. 

They can be dropped off at the following locations:
Dean of Students Office, University Union 409  
UNT Alumni Center, Gateway 170
Registrar, 1st floor of the ESSC

Mailed to:
Mean Green Gowns for Grads
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #305008
Denton Texas 76203-5017

We will also be accepting monetary donations to help with dry cleaning, tassels and to purchase additional caps and gowns.  You can mail your donation to the address above.   For questions, you can email deanofstudents@unt.edu or call 940-565-2648.