Applying to Graduate
Students are required to apply for graduation, for which there is no fee.
Before applying, it is the student’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of their own degree program, including all degree(s), major(s), minor(s), and specialization(s) prior to applying for graduation. Students should consult with their academic advisor with any questions regarding their program of study.
Students should apply to graduate at the same time they register for the courses of their final intended term, no earlier. In addition, applying after the deadlines published in Academic Calendars may result in the student’s name being omitted from the commencement program and other printed materials.
Academic advisors will review the academic progression of students that applied to graduate throughout the term they applied. If the advisor determines the student’s degree requirements can be satisfied by the end of the term for which they applied, the advisor marks the student eligible for commencement within the application, permitting the student to participate in commencement and acquire regalia. If not, the advisor alerts the Office of the University Registrar, which moves the application to another term or deletes it based on the advisor’s recommendation.
Commencement
Formal commencement ceremonies are held in May and December. Participation in a commencement ceremony does not itself constitute conferral of a degree, nor does it imply an obligation on the part of the university to award a degree before all requirements have been met and certified.
Students wishing to participate in a ceremony other than the one that corresponds with their planned graduation date must work with their advisor to fill out a walk exception form, which must be approved by the student’s academic advisor and the dean (or their designee) of their school before participating in commencement. In reviewing requests, advisors and deans (or their designees) are bound by the University Policy on Student Participation in Commencement Ceremonies.
Conferral of Degrees
Only students who successfully complete degree requirements by the end of the term for which they have applied to graduate are certified for conferral of a degree. In witness of the degree conferred , the permanent records of the graduates are appropriately noted with a statement of graduation. Posting of degrees to the student record is an ongoing process that begins the week after the graduation date and over the next two months as advisors and the Office of the Registrar review all degree audits to ensure completeness and compliance with all university regulations. Diplomas are ordered throughout that time as degrees are posted and can be expected to arrive between one and a half and three months after the graduation date. Diplomas will not be ordered for graduates with stops on their accounts, and they must contact graduation_services@american.edu to have their diploma ordered once they have worked with the appropriate office to resolve the issue.
Students should work with their advisors throughout this process to ensure timely fulfillment of all requirements. The graduation applications of those who fail to complete all work required for their degree by the applied-for graduation date either are moved to another semester or deleted by the Office of the Registrar based on the recommendations of the student’s advisor.
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