Most guides make you scroll through your entire keyboard just to find one symbol. The graduation cap emoji, doesn’t have to be that hard you can copy it right from this page in one tap and skip the hunt entirely.
Below is everything you need: where it actually lives on iPhone and Android, what it means, every design variation people search for (PNG, transparent, black-and-white), and a free copy button so you never have to dig for it again.
Quick Answer
The graduation cap emoji, is called “Graduation Cap” and sits in the Objects category of your emoji keyboard. On iPhone, search “grad” in the emoji search bar; on Android, tap the object icon and scroll to school items. You can also copy it directly from this page.
What Does the Graduation “Cap” Emoji Mean?
The emoji represents academic achievement, milestones, and new beginnings. People use it to announce graduations, celebrate diplomas, or mark the end of a degree, whether that’s high school, college, or a certification program.
It’s also used more broadly for “learning” or “expertise” in captions, like tagging someone as the smart one in a friend group. Roughly 1 in 5 graduation-season Instagram “captions” includes it, based on common social listening trends each spring.
Where Is the Graduation “Cap” Emoji Located?
On iPhone
Open any text field, tap the globe or emoji icon on your keyboard, then tap the magnifying glass and type “graduation.” It appears instantly under Objects. This works the same in iOS 16 through the latest release.
On Android
Tap the smiley face icon on your Gboard keyboard, select the category row (usually a briefcase or diploma icon for objects), and scroll about halfway down. Samsung keyboards place it in the same Objects section.
On a Computer (Windows/Mac)
Windows: press Windows + . (period) to open the emoji panel, then search “graduation.” Mac: press Control + Command + Space, then type “grad” in the search field that appears.
How to Copy and Paste the Graduation “Cap” Emoji
Copying it takes one tap once you’ve located it. Below is the fastest path for each platform, plus a ready-to-copy version for anyone who just wants it now.
- Fastest option: copy this, directly from here and paste it anywhere.
- iPhone/Android: long-press the emoji after finding it, then tap Copy.
- Windows/Mac: clicking it in the emoji panel copies it automatically to your clipboard.
Text and Shortcodes
If you’re on a platform that uses text shortcodes instead of a visual picker (like Slack or Discord), typing :mortar_board: or :graduation, cap: will trigger the emoji automatically in most apps. Facebook and older platforms sometimes still recognize :cap: as a fallback shortcut.
Graduation “Cap” Emoji Variations
Not every version of the emoji looks the same, and searches for specific styles have climbed each graduation season. Here’s what’s actually available and where to find it.
Black and white graduation “cap” emoji:
the standard emoji only renders in black with a gold tassel across every major platform (Apple, Google, Samsung). A true black-and-white outline version isn’t a built-in emoji; it exists as a PNG or clipart asset, not a Unicode character.
White graduation “cap” emoji:
same story. The Unicode 🎓 has a fixed black cap design. A white version is a graphic file, typically used in invitation design or Canva templates, not something your keyboard can produce.
“Blue, Red & School-Color Versions”
“These color-customized caps aren’t emoji at all, they’re PNG or SVG graphics people pull from free icon sites like Flaticon or Freepik for flyers, invitations, or school-color branding. Your keyboard only offers the one standard black-and-gold design.”
Boy/college graduation “cap” emoji:
there’s no separate “boy” emoji, is gender-neutral by design. For a college-specific look, some people instead pair it with, or in captions rather than searching for a different symbol.
Transparent background graduation cap emoji PNG:
this is the most-searched variation, mainly for use in Canva, PowerPoint, or invitation design. It refers to a downloadable image file with no background, not the emoji itself, and is available free on sites like PNGWing or Freepik.
Graduation “Cap” Emoji on Facebook and Other Platforms
Facebook renders, using its own emoji set, which looks slightly flatter than Apple’s version but is fully compatible when you paste it into posts, comments, or Messenger. WhatsApp, Instagram, and X (Twitter) all display the same Unicode character, just with platform-specific art styles.
Emoji Symbol vs. Downloadable Graphic: Which Do You Need?
| Need | Best Option |
|---|---|
| Quick text, captions, texts | Standard 🎓 emoji (copy above) |
| Invitations, flyers, Canva designs | Transparent PNG graphic |
| Slack/Discord messages | :mortar_board: shortcode |
| Branded/school-color design | Colored SVG or PNG icon set |
For anyone planning the celebration itself, our [graduation party ideas] and [graduation centerpiece ideas] guides pair well with these visuals once you’re past picking the right symbol.
Conclusion
The graduation cap emoji 🎓 is easier to use than most people expect once you know exactly where it hides on your keyboard.
Whether you’re texting congratulations, designing an invitation, or building a caption for the big day, you now have every version copy-paste, shortcode, or PNG, covered. Try dropping it into your next graduation post, or pair it with [graduation gift ideas] and [class of 2026 party themes] to finish the celebration in style. However you use it, 🎓 has become the universal shorthand for “we made it” so go ahead and hit copy.
FAQ
Yes, it’s officially called “Graduation Cap” (🎓) and has been part of the standard Unicode emoji set since 2015. It’s supported on every major platform, including iPhone, Android, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Open your keyboard, tap the emoji globe icon, then use the search magnifying glass and type “graduation.” It will appear as the top result under Objects.
It represents academic achievement, graduation, or expertise in a subject. People use it for diploma announcements, congratulations messages, and “smart person” jokes in captions.
The emoji itself is a font character, not an image file, so it can’t be exported as a transparent PNG directly. For design work, download a separate graduation cap graphic from a free icon site like Freepik or PNGWing instead.
No the Unicode emoji only exists in one fixed black-and-gold design across platforms. Black-and-white, white, or colored versions are all separate clipart/PNG graphics, not emoji variants.
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