The graduation application process is initiated by the student through the Banner Information System by selecting “Student Menu,” then “Graduation Menu.”
Students must formally apply for graduation, and they are encouraged to do so as soon as they have earned approximately 120 credits and have been admitted to all majors and minors they plan to complete. Graduation application deadlines:
- Spring Quarter/Summer: May 1, the year prior to graduation
- Autumn Quarter: November 1, the year prior to graduation
- Winter Quarter: February 1, the year prior to graduation
Students who meet the graduation application deadlines will receive information on their academic progress prior to their anticipated quarter of graduation.
In February of each year, the Office of the Provost sends information about the time, date, and procedures for all Commencement activities to students who applied to graduate during the current academic year (from Autumn Quarter through Summer Session).
Receiving Commencement information does not guarantee that the student will be allowed to participate in Commencement ceremonies. It merely indicates that the student has applied to graduate during the current academic year.
Students who do not meet the application deadline might not receive academic progress reports and may apply too late to be listed in the Commencement brochure.
A student’s degree will be awarded effective the quarter in which all degree requirements are completed and the final grades for all courses have been assigned, regardless of the term in which the student registered for those courses.
Degrees are awarded by the end of the quarter following the quarter in which the degree was completed.
To participate in the Commencement ceremony, a student must have completed all courses necessary to fulfill graduation requirements during Autumn or Winter Quarter — or be registered during Spring Quarter and/or Summer Session for the final courses required to complete the degree.
Enrollment verification for all summer courses necessary to complete degree requirements must be submitted to the student’s undergraduate academic counselor by May 1. The student should contact his or her academic counselor if experiencing difficulty enrolling in summer courses by the May 1 deadline.
- Students who cannot register for outstanding requirements for their degrees during Spring Quarter and/or Summer Session are not allowed to “walk” in the Commencement ceremony.
- Students who complete their degree requirements Autumn and Winter quarters may participate in Commencement ceremonies at the end of the academic year in which they finish their coursework.
Diplomas are not distributed during Commencement. Students will receive their diplomas once final grades have been posted and Student Academic Services staff has confirmed that all graduation requirements have been fulfilled. During the Commencement ceremony, students will receive a diploma cover. Diplomas are mailed approximately six weeks after the degree is posted, as long as all financial obligations to the University are met.
- Spring Quarter graduates should receive diplomas by mid-September.
- Summer graduates should receive diplomas by mid-December.