Filing for Graduation

Students file for graduation within BearWeb. The application portal will be available during the dates listed below. 

• Spring Graduation: October 1 - February 1
• Summer Graduation: February 1 - June 1
• Fall Graduation: February 1 - October 1

If you use student loans or other forms of financial aid to pay your bill you should file for graduation as early as possible so that the Student Financial Aid (SFA) office can ensure your award offer for the upcoming year is accurate.

Students pursuing a joint degree program must file for graduation in both programs or schools. Students must complete a Masters on the Way form found here. This should be completed at the beginning of the term in which the student wants to receive the degree. Once the Graduate School receives the form, they will work to have a master file opened for the student. After a file has been opened the Graduate School will notify the student that they can apply for graduation through BearWeb. 

Processing of diplomas takes four to eight weeks. The degree is conferred at the first commencement ceremony following program completion. Ceremonies are held in August, December, and May (see Academic Calendar in this catalog).

Participation in Commencement Ceremonies

For a student to walk at a commencement ceremony, the student must be eligible for either certified or non-certified commencement. Certified Commencement requires a student to complete all degree requirements and be certified for the degree in order to participate in a commencement ceremony. Non-Certified Commencement provides the opportunity for a student close to completing all degree requirements to participate in a commencement ceremony.

Doctoral candidates must be certified as having completed their degree in order to participate in commencement ceremonies at the end of a term.

A student seeking a bachelor’s, master’s, or Education Specialist degree, who was enrolled in or has completed sufficient coursework to complete degree requirements in a term, may participate as a degree candidate in commencement ceremonies at the end of a term. (For the purposes of determining sufficient coursework under this policy, a student must have received a final grade, an incomplete notation (I), or a withdrawal notation (W) for relevant coursework.)

Students who withdraw from the University in the term and have not been certified for completion of a degree may not participate.

Posthumously Awarded Degrees

A student in his/her final year who has successfully completed 75% of the degree requirement, who is enrolled in good standing, making satisfactory academic progress, meeting all minimum grade point average requirements for his/her degree program, and dies before completing his/her degree may be awarded the degree posthumously upon the recommendation of the Graduate School Dean and with the approval of the Provost.