How to Overhaul Your Wardrobe for Grad School
Even though I've been on the other side of grad school for just over eight years now, I still remember what it was like when I started my grad school career and how my style evolved over the years! I started blogging when I was in my second year of grad school, and it's crazy how much has changed with my life—and style—since then.
During my first couple years of grad school, my style went through a transformation. Thankfully, I don't have much in the way of photos from my first year, but trust me when I say that I wore a lot of old items from college, including many free t-shirts and outdated pairs of jeans. I definitely didn't care a whole lot about what I wore.
After my first year of grad school, I discovered ModCloth, and I went overboard buying dresses and skirts from ModCloth. The brand made up a LARGE portion of my wardrobe. It was during this time that I discovered the ModCloth Style Gallery, and consequently, style blogs. That lead to me starting my own blog, CCCH!
I credit style blogs and my own blogging for my style transformation. I went from being a student that wore free t-shirts and low-rise, bootcut jeans with frayed hems that were too long for me to a twee ModCloth addict to what I am now: a somewhat put-together mashup of girly-meets-minimal cool girl.
All that to say, I put together this guide on how to overhaul your wardrobe for grad school so you don't end up like me buying up an entire brand just for the fun of it. I wrote this with grad school in mind, but it could be applied to medical school or really any major transition in life (college, first job, new job, etc). The goal is for you to feel more grown up, put together, and confident as you enter this new stage in your life—and do it all on a grad school budget!
This post was updated and recirculated on July 30, 2025.
READ NEXT: How to Dress Confidently for Grad School
How to Overhaul Your Wardrobe for Grad School
New to graduate school and figuring out your personal style as you enter this new phase in life? I was once right where you are! To help you overhaul (or update) your wardrobe for grad school, I put together a quick guide with a bunch of questions to ask yourself about the status of your current wardrobe and determine the updates you want to make so your wardrobe feels more like you and how you want to present yourself to others!
After the questions, I shared more on how women in graduate school dress along with six outfit ideas from my own grad school outfit archives to help you put together looks you’ll love and feel confident in! Want more? Grab the guide to help you transition your wardrobe for grad school at the end of the post!
1. Evaluate your current wardrobe and your (future) lifestyle
What items of clothing do you love to wear?
What items of clothing do you hate wearing? (Plan to sell or donate these items depending on condition.)
Are there any major holes in your wardrobe? What do you wish you owned when you put together outfits?
What will your new lifestyle look like? Will you need to dress more professionally? (Teacher assistants tend to dress up more than research assistants.)
Consider the climate where you live (or will be living), especially if it is or will be different than what you're used to.
2. Determine potential swaps/upgrades
Wear a lot of free t-shirts? Trade those for a set of basic and maybe a couple of graphic tees. If you don’t wear tees, opt for dressy tops and blouses.
Denim collection feeling outdated? Try a new trend or two!
Tired of wearing the same old, same old buttoned-up cardigans? Think about other silhouettes such as long cardigans or oversized blazers!
Don't be afraid to tailor your items (old or new!) to get a perfect fit; you will likely get so much more wear out of an item if it fits how you want it to. It’s worth the minimal cost.
3. Find inspiration and make a wish list
Search Pinterest or Instagram for outfits or clothes you like (hint: search based off of items you own and love or items you plan to buy, i.e. "fall wide leg jeans outfit" or "black blazer outfit").
Read style blogs of people whose style you resonate with (or follow them on social media) and save your favorite looks for reference.
Make notes of items that would "complete" your wardrobe (hint: focus on any wardrobe holes)—be as specific as possible when describing these items.
4. Set a budget and plan your purchases
Write down your monthly take-home income and make note of your monthly expenses.
Set aside less than 10% of your take-home income on all "fun" expenses, including new clothes. (Tailor this number to your situation depending on your expenses and goals; I budgeted about 10% of my post-tax income on clothes, shoes, and accessories at first and then dropped it.)
Don't buy everything at once; focus on a couple of items at a time and buy during big sales (i.e. holiday weekends) and use your student discount or coupons.
Keep in mind return policies, especially if shopping online. Don’t miss a return window!
Don't forget about secondhand shopping; check out places like Poshmark or browse local thrift shops like Indy Clover.
5. Enjoy your updated wardrobe!
Use your Pinterest and blog/social media inspiration for reference when putting together outfits.
Realize and embrace the fact that your wardrobe will never be truly complete—your style is always changing and evolving!
Take time at least once or twice a year to cull unwanted items (donate or sell items on Poshmark!) and make a plan for new items.
Start tracking what you wear with the Stylebook app so you know exactly what you wear and can see the holes in your wardrobe.
Plan and budget for more "investment" pieces like a work bag or great pair of shoes.
How Do Female Graduate Students Dress?
At first glance, there probably isn’t a big, obvious difference between how graduate students dress versus undergraduate students. It was that way when I was in grad school, and it still seems that way now when I attend conferences alongside grad students and college students.
If you are a female grad student that is assisting a professor with an undergrad classroom or teaching undergrad students yourself, there are ways you can dress during class to make it more obvious that you are the instructor versus another student. Here are some ideas:
Throw a blazer over your dressy top or a fitted tee.
Opt for tailored pants or jeans with no relaxed fit.
Wear low-profile sneakers, ballet flats, loafers, or low heels.
Grad Student Outfits
Simple Sweater + Dark Jeans
This outfit combination was a staple of mine as a grad student. I owned a collection of simple sweaters like this one (in merino wool and cashmere) and loved tucking them into dark-wash jeans. In 2025, swap your skinny jeans for straight leg or wide leg jeans for a quick update.
Classic Neutral Colors
Before I started taking my style more seriously, I would have worn this pair of jeans with a free t-shirt. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s also fairly easy to elevated your grad school style with a light blue linen shirt and neutral layers to tie it all together!
Chambray + Ankle Boots
Can you sense a theme in my grad school style? I wore jeans regularly, and I also fell in love with chambray, which is usually a softer, more lightweight denim. (I still love both over eight years later.) Play around with your outfits; try tucking a shirt into a skirt and pairing that with ankle boots.
Monochrome for a Conference
This continues to be one of my favorite/best outfits from grad school! A relatively easy way to step up your grad school style is by wearing a monochrome outfit. In this outfit, I chose black (with a couple of grey pieces); wear different textures and patterns to keep it interesting.
Cashmere + Denim
One way I elevated my personal style in grad school was by splurging on a few key pieces. It’s no easy feat on a meager grad student salary, but saving up for items that are higher quality and make you REALLY excited to wear them (like a wool coat or cashmere sweater) can make all the difference!
LBD for Graduation
I capped off my grad school career with my dissertation defense and graduation! (Not in that order… I actually walked three weeks before I defended, haha.) A black dress makes a GREAT base to so many outfits. Dress it up for conferences or other events, dress it down for class!
