Graduation Guidelines

A deadline to complete the Application for Graduation has been established for each semester and summer session. The dates are: November 1 for Fall graduates, March 1 for Spring graduates, and July 1 for Summer graduates. Candidates must apply for their diploma prior to degree conferral and receipt of the diploma. It is the responsibility of the college and the student to make sure that the appropriate application is submitted to the Office of Admissions and Records.
For students who have not paid all of the tuition and fees by the end of the term, the final transcript and diploma will not be issued until their tuition and fees are paid. Once these are paid in full, the final transcript and diploma will be issued with the term in which the student completed degree requirements.
Students declared as degree candidates after the deadline date will not appear in the Commencement Program of Degree Candidates. They will however, appear in the official publication of Degrees Awarded if they complete their degree requirements.
The Office of Admissions and Records prints diplomas following submission of the Certified Graduation Report from each college.
The date of graduation for each term will normally be the last day of examinations in the fall, the date of commencement in the spring, and the last day of classes in the summer. (The calendar on the Office of Admissions and Records website indicates the specific graduation dates.)
To entitle the student to graduate as of the established date, all academic work required for the degree must be satisfactorily completed prior to the first day of classes of the next semester or summer session, with the following exceptions:
1. Students completing degree requirements by enrollment in internship or Health Sciences Center professional programs which are in session during the graduation term and extend beyond the University's cutoff date.
2. Students completing degree requirements by enrollment in another institution during the graduation term when the other institution's semester or session runs concurrent with, but extends beyond the University's cutoff date.
  
  Such students (a and b above) will be counted with the graduates of that term, but their diplomas will be held until the official records of the required work have been filed with the University and the student is officially cleared for graduation.
3. Graduate students completing degrees that require a thesis or dissertation are given an additional "grace period" of up through the last day of late enrollment of the next term to complete all requirements (including the microfilming fee and the deposit in the Library of their thesis or dissertation) and are not required to enroll for that term. The diploma and the official date of graduation will reflect the term in which all requirements were met.
  
  If the student has not completed requirements by the end of the last day for enrollment, the student must enroll again in a minimum of two semester hours of thesis or dissertation and the diploma will be issued for that term.
All official records required for clearance of graduation requirements must be filed with the Office of Admissions and Records prior to degree clearance.
Diplomas will be printed under the name appearing on the student's official academic record at the time of graduation. Variations are allowed, such as adding a maiden name and/or dropping the full first or middle name and using an initial. The last name and either the first or middle name must be spelled out so that the name on the diploma and the academic record can always be matched. The adding of a suffix is acceptable providing the student completes a Change of Name form with evidence of the suffix being part of their legal name.

Students, who want to make changes as to how their name appears on their diploma, must make that request in writing to the Office of Admissions and Records at the beginning of the term in which they anticipate graduation. Students, who request a legitimate name change after diplomas have been ordered, will be required to pay an additional cost for the reprinting of the diploma.

Married names cannot appear on the diploma if the marriage has not taken place at the time of the diploma order. Students who change their names prior to the graduation date may request a new diploma at their expense.
Should a student complete all academic requirements for graduation and apply for the diploma before the end of the term, the student will be entitled to receive a certified statement of completed degree requirements bearing the date academic requirements were completed from the graduating college. Such a statement will be entered on a student's permanent academic record when the Office of Admissions and Records receives notification from the college.
Should a degree candidate fail to successfully complete graduation requirements as of the graduation date for which the student applied, the student's name will be deleted from the list of graduates for that term and the student will need to reapply for graduation.
Students who qualify for graduation with both College Distinction and University Honors will be graduated with Honors. Undergraduate degrees can be awarded with the following designations: With Distinction, With Special Distinction, With Outstanding Distinction, Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude, and Magna Cum Laude.
A lost, stolen, or damaged diploma may be replaced by submitting a notarized affidavit and a $50 replacement fee to the Office of Admissions and Records. If possible, the original diploma must be returned prior to release of the new diploma.

For additional information, please contact the Office of Admissions and Records at (405) 271-2359.

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