All students must apply for degree candidacy in order to graduate and receive a degree.

Graduation Services Advisors are responsible for making a final audit of each student's coursework to ensure that all university requirements for the student's degree have been met.   Students normally apply for their degree check in their second to last or final semester.  More explicit information is available under the individual college listings on the Applying for Degree Candidacy Instructions page.  After applying, students meet with their major advisors to go over their SAPR (Student Academic Progress Report).   The advisors make adjustments, if necessary, on the adjustment sheet and sign it.  The sheet is then signed by the dean or designated official of the student's college, and forwarded by the college to the student's Graduation Services advisor for the final audit.

If the Graduation Services advisor finds any remaining requirements during the audit, he or she will contact the student's advisor to see if the problem can be solved.  If it is decided that the student is actually missing a requirement, either the Graduation Services advisor or the student's college advisor will contact the student.

If the final audit shows that all requirements will be completed by the graduation date, then the degree will be posted as scheduled.  Degree posting begins the day after grades for the semester are finalized (usually one week after the end of final exams).  Posting generally takes two weeks for the December and May classes, and one week for the August class.  You can see if your degree has been posted by checking your Cumulative Profile in Student Link.  Diplomas are ordered each week, and generally arrive within two to three weeks of the degree posting.  Please see the Checking the Status of Your Diploma page for more information.