Assumed arms, in heraldry, are arms which have simply been adopted by the armiger rather than granted by an authority.
[1] In England, the founding of the College of Arms was accompanied by a prohibition on the use of assumed arms.
[2] In other countries with an heraldic authority, such as Canada, the use of assumed arms is not illegal, however, "is considered improper and such arms have no legitimacy".
[3] As of 1998, five of the seven universities in New Zealand were reported to have been using "legitimate" arms, though many Australian universities were using assumed arms.
[4] This heraldry-related article is a stub.