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 application for graduation by October 1 and indicate how their names should appear on the diploma.
Seniors who complete their degree requirements by the end of the fall semester receive diplomas showing a December 31 award date. These degrees are conferred by the Board of Trustees the following March.
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 (but prior to October 1) 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.
Seniors who will not complete their requirements before October 1 and intend to register here in the fall need to request reclassification to the next year’s senior class. If they want to register for fall classes before Commencement, their reclassification needs to have been implemented. 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. Successful completion of all degree requirements by the end of the fall semester will lead to classification back to the earlier senior class, and the award of the degree dated December 31.
Seniors who do not complete their requirements before October 1 and intend to 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 following the October 1 deadline 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.
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