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    Mar 28, 2024  
American University Catalog 2017-2018 
    
American University Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Graduation, Conferral of Degrees, and Commencement


Graduation

Candidates for degrees must submit an Application for Graduation form, available at myau.american.edu.

Once the application for graduation has been submitted, the Office of the University Registrar with the academic advisor begin processing the necessary information for final certification of degree. Students who fail to complete all degree requirements by the end of the term for which they applied to graduate must reapply in order to graduate from a subsequent term. Students are only eligible to graduate from the furthest future term in which work was done that is applied to the sought degree program.

Conferral of Degrees

The university confers degrees and issues diplomas at the end of the fall, spring, and summer terms. Formal commencement ceremonies are held in May and December.

Only students who successfully complete degree requirements by the end of the term for which they have applied (or reapplied) 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 and their diplomas are released.

Commencement

Candidates for degrees whose academic records indicate that they can satisfy degree requirements by the end of the term for which they have applied are permitted to participate in commencement ceremonies. 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.