Graduation

Students who are officially classified as seniors, including all students who completed their degree requirements at the end of the fall, are eligible to participate in the Commencement ceremonies. Seniors should complete an intent to graduate form between October 1^{and October 31 after they are invited to do so by the Registrar’s Office.}

Seniors who complete their degree requirements by the end of the fall semester receive diplomas showing a December 31 award date. The degrees are conferred by the Board of Trustees the following March. Seniors graduating in December must speak with an advisor in the College Center for Advising Services to declare degree complete (http://www.rochester.edu/college/CCAS/advisorHandbook/DegreeComplete.html) status. They will receive their diploma at Commencement in May.

Seniors who complete their degree requirements in the spring semester by the time the faculty meets to recommend them for their degrees (normally the Thursday prior to Commencement) will, if recommended, be presented to the Board of Trustees (normally the Friday prior to Commencement). These students will receive diplomas on Commencement day.

Those seniors who complete their requirements after the May faculty meeting will be presented to the Trustees for action at their next regularly scheduled meeting. An official comment will appear on the transcript noting the date upon which the degree requirements were completed along with a notice—until that is no longer necessary— that the Board of Trustees will act to confer the degree on August 31 (when requirements have been completed before this date). The official award date appears on the diploma and on the transcript. After August 31, the next date for degree conferral is December 31.

Seniors who will not complete their requirements before Commencement and intend to register here in the fall need to contact the College Center for Advising Services or the Hajim School Dean’s office to request permission to register for the upcoming fall semester. They should understand that they may still attend Commencement and diploma ceremonies. However, they should notify their department that they will be attending the ceremony. The degree will be dated December 31 for students who successfully complete all degree requirements by the end of the fall semester.

Seniors who do not complete their requirements before December 31 and take courses elsewhere need to apply for readmission for their degree when they are ready to graduate. Their degree will be awarded with a succeeding class. Those who complete their requirements by December 31 need only submit their official transcript. Assuming all is in order, their degree will be awarded on December 31 and their class year remains unchanged.

Students who do not earn their degrees with their original class may choose to affiliate with that original class for purposes of alumni events.

See degree complete (http://www.rochester.edu/college/CCAS/advisorHandbook/DegreeComplete.html) and degree pending (http://www.rochester.edu/college/CCAS/advisorHandbook/DegreePending.html) for additional information.