Graduation, Commencement & Diplomas

Graduation occurs three times per year, in May, September and December. Students who complete their degree requirements in a given term remain registered as students until the degree is conferred at the end of the term. Students must be registered in the term they complete degree requirements and graduate. Diplomas are mailed after graduation directly to the student. Those who complete degree requirements by the end of the fall semester or by the end of a summer term receive diplomas dated in December and September, respectively, by mail and will not be issued until all balances due to the bursar have been paid in full. All degree recipients graduating in a given year are permitted and encouraged to attend the year’s culminating University Commencement ceremonies.

Commencement exercises are held once a year, in May, when degrees are conferred to those students who have completed requirements by the end of the spring semester. The May commencement also includes a PhD hooding ceremony. Doctoral students who graduated earlier in the academic year are encouraged to attend the May ceremonies, despite having already received their degrees. The doctoral hooding ceremony does not include master’s students or PhD students who have not fully completed their degree requirements.