Student cap rules and traditions
Do you know all the student cap rules?
Here you’ll find the most common rules for the student cap (studenterhue) that Danish graduates wear.
Cap rules – nice to know!
The student cap and its traditions
Do you know the most common rules for the student cap? The cap worn by Danish upper-secondary graduates has existed for many years, but it was in the 1980s that it made its real comeback.
The number of graduates grew rapidly in those years, and the cap became a symbol of young people holding a qualification that opens the door to almost any kind of higher education. It was also then that the young, ambitious “yuppie” generation – mostly in Copenhagen – began inventing the rituals that almost every graduate still honours today.
The most popular cap rules
The cap, greetings and autographs
Here you can see which marks you should have in your cap.
The cap
The student cap must not be worn until all your exams are over. It brings bad luck.
Greetings from friends
Friends, acquaintances and classmates write greetings on the inside of the cap. It is said to bring the graduate luck in the future.
Autographs
Friends, acquaintances and classmates can also sign their autographs on the inside of the cap.
A bite in the peak
The graduate’s best friends bite the peak of the cap – hard enough for the teeth marks to show afterwards.
Admirers
Anyone with a crush on the graduate writes on the cap’s leather band.
Cap rules
Grades and cap sizes
The last exam
Your final exam grade is written in the middle of the cap.
Failed
A graduate who failed an exam must wear the chin strap down at all the graduation parties.
A 12 in the cap
Graduates whose last grade was a 12 – the top mark on the Danish grading scale – must run after the student truck until the first stop.
Largest cap size
The graduate with the largest hat size buys a whole crate of beer for the class.
Smallest cap size
The graduate with the smallest hat size buys a whole crate of beer for the class.
Highest grade average
The graduate with the highest grade average buys a whole crate of beer for the class.
Lowest grade average
The graduate with the lowest grade average buys a whole crate of beer for the class.
Cap rules
Parties, beer and sunrises
Awake for 24 hours
If the graduate has been awake for more than 24 hours straight, the cap is turned round like a baseball cap, with the peak at the back.
A square in the sweatband
If the graduate has drunk a whole crate of beer within 24 hours, a square is cut in the sweatband.
A bottle cap ponytail
If the graduate has drunk a whole crate of beer in under 24 hours, a bottle cap may be tied to the cap.
Sunrise
For every sunrise the graduate has seen, a triangle may be cut above the square in the sweatband.
Throwing up
If the graduate is sick from drinking too much, a triangular notch is cut in the peak of the cap.
Stomach pumped
If the graduate has to have their stomach pumped because of too much alcohol, the peak is cut off the cap.
Skinny-dipping
If the graduate jumps into the sea, the harbour or a lake wearing nothing but the student cap, a wave is cut in the cap.
Cap rules
Kisses, partners and conquests
A kiss = a square in the cap
A kiss from someone the graduate has never been in a relationship with earns a square in the sweatband.
Naughty dates
Any naughty dates lined up during the summer’s many graduation parties are written on the inside of the sweatband.
Dumped
If the graduate loses their boyfriend or girlfriend, both metal buttons on the side of the cap are removed.
Phone numbers
If the graduate collects more than 5 phone numbers, the outer cover is turned round so the cross badge sits at the back instead of the front.
Kissing someone of the same sex
If the graduate kisses someone of the same sex, the cross on the front of the cap is turned upside down.
Pulling someone of the same sex
If the graduate hooks up with someone of the same sex, the cross is removed from the cap.
Sex with the cap on
If the graduate has sex with the cap on, a lightning bolt is cut in the sweatband.
Sex with your partner
If the graduate has sex with their partner while wearing the cap, a heart is cut in the sweatband.
Pull your teacher
If the graduate has had sex with their teacher, the white outer cover is removed completely.
Pull a nurse
A graduate who hooks up with a nurse or a doctor has the chin strap removed from the cap.
Graduation drives with EventTrucks
Celebrate your cap on a student truck
Once the cap is finally on, it’s time to celebrate! See our student trucks and prices, or book your graduation drive (studenterkørsel).
Read also
Ready for your graduation drive
Every Christmas one lucky class wins a free graduation drive
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