Graduation and Diplomas

See also the Graduation FAQ.

Preparing to Graduate

Students who have completed all degree requirements for both their major and the College, and who have observed the rules and regulations of the University, including the Honor Code, will be recommended to the faculty of the college for conferral of a degree by the University of Virginia, if otherwise in good standing. The College does not award second degrees. Therefore, students who have earned a baccalaureate degree at another institution are not eligible to receive a second degree from the College.

To check the status of their satisfaction of degree requirements, students should schedule an interim degree audit (see Scheduling a Review of Interim Degree Audit below)

The final steps of preparing to receive a degree are the following:

1. Apply for graduation wth the College Registrar in Garrett Hall 102.
2. Order a cap and gown.
3. Order and send announcements (if you want.)
4. Pass your courses.
5. Most importantly, turn in your papers and take your exams.

Applying for Graduation

Apply for graduation, by the appropriate deadline for the academic term in which you wish to graduate, with the College Registrar in Garrett Hall 102. Students who miss a deadline may apply for the subsequent graduation and must register for the semester in which it occurs. To complete the application, you must have an adviser sign a VISTAA report (see Scheduling a Review of Interim Degree Audit below) and fill out a diploma card.

The application process for May graduation begins in October, with the final deadline to file a May degree application falling in December before winter break. If you miss the deadline, we will take late forms the week after Thanksgiving, after all audits are completed. A packet of information will be mailed to your local address in early October which will include all deadline dates and pertinent information for applying for graduation.

If you are applying to graduate in January, the deadline to apply to graduate is the last weekday in September (see the College's online calendar for the specific date). You will not receive a packet in the mail like the May graduates. You only have to have a VISTAA report signed by your major/minor advisers and fill out the Diploma Card for that graduation. We do send a reminder letter to about 800 students each fall to remind them that if they intend to graduate in January they need to fill out the paperwork by our deadline (ads in the paper too).

If you are applying to graduate in August, the deadline is the last weekday in June. You must have an adviser sign a VISTAA report and fill out a diploma card. You will not receive a packet like the May graduates or a reminder like the January graduates. The registrar depends on students to apply for August graduation, since they do not have any way of knowing who could graduate after the two separate sessions of summer school. Since you are probably fulfilling your last courses to graduate, you know who you are.

Scheduling a Review of Interim Degree Audit

Please report to 102 Garrett Hall on one of the days indicated by the first letter of your last name. For example, if your last name is Parker, you would attend the week of November 6 on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Students who miss all the assigned times may return the week after Thanksgiving..

Week of	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
October 20	A, B	A, B	C, D, E	C, D, E	C, D, E
October 27	F , G	F, G	H, I, J, K	H, I, J, K	L, M
November 3	L, M	L, M	N, O, P, Q, R	N, O, P, Q, R	S, T
November 10	S, T	S, T	U, V, W, X, Y, Z	U, V, W, X, Y, Z	U, V, W, X, Y, Z
November 17		Thanksgiving Break	Thanksgiving Break	Thanksgiving Break	Thanksgiving Break

Participation in Final Exercises (University Policy)

The University conducts a graduation ceremony each May to recognize and honor those students who have completed all degree requirements during the previous academic year. Students who graduate at the end of the summer or fall semesters are invited to attend the ceremony following their graduation. Summer and fall graduates may not participate in a ceremony conducted prior to the actual awarding of their degrees. Students must be enrolled in a degree-granting school in the semester in which they expect to receive a degree.  Degree candidates who do not enroll for credits must enroll for the non-resident status.

Participation in Final Exercises by BA/MT Students

Students in the BA/MT program know from the outset that this is a five-year program, with both diplomas being awarded in the fifth year. Students in the fourth year who have met all of the requirements for the B.A. may participate in Final Exercises on a limited basis. They are invited to "walk the Lawn" and, with the co-operation of the major Department, may be recognized at the diploma ceremony as "BA/MT students expected to receive both degrees in the following year." In this fourth year they receive neither a diploma, nor graduation tickets, and their name does not appear in the program. Students who wish to avail themselves of this opportunity will obtain from Judy Updike, College Registrar (Garrett Hall 102) a statement of completed degree requirements and take that to the Director of Undergraduate Programs in the major Department. Departments may, but are under no obligation, to recognize these students during the diploma ceremony.

Participation in Final Exercises by Students Who Have Completed Degree Requirements but Missed the Degree Application Deadline

Students who have met all of the graduation requirements, but who for whatever reason missed the final deadline for submitting their degree application are invited to "walk the Lawn." At the discretion of the Department during the graduation ceremony the Director of Undergraduate Studies may indicate that these students have met all of the academic requirements for graduation and are expected to receive the diploma in August. The student's name will not appear in the graduation program and there will not be a "dummy" diploma from the Registrar's Office.

These students must complete the following steps to participate in Final Exercises:

1. Print out your VISTAA form after April 1, and have your major advisor or the undergraduate director of your major department indicate on the form–by signature and date--that you will have fulfilled all major requirements upon completing your spring courses. No later than 12 noon on the Monday before Final Exercises, your dean must receive this verification that you will have fulfilled all major requirements upon completing your spring courses. You are responsible, not your dean or your advisor, for making sure that your dean receives this verification on time.
2. After you have completed your courses, have all course instructors enter your semester grade next to the course where it is listed on the VISTAA form. The instructor must sign and date the form. Alternately, you may request that the instructors e-mail your course grades to your association dean. Your dean must receive this verification of your grades no later than 12 noon on the Monday before Final Exercises. You are responsible, not your dean or your instructor, for making sure that your dean receives these grades on time.
3. Once you have provided to your association dean all grades and verification that your major is completed, your dean will inform Ms. Maggie Harmon (101 Garrett Hall) that you have been approved to pick up tickets for graduation. Tickets will be available no earlier than the Thursday before Final Exercises, and no later than the day following (i.e. the Friday before Final Exercies) at 4:00 P.M. Ms. Harmon will require you to sign a form that verifies that you understand that participation in the ceremony does not mean you have graduated. Your name will not appear in the graduation program and you will not receive a diploma.
4. You must contact the College Registrar and complete the appropriate graduation application by the mid-June deadline for August graduation.

Diplomas

To receive a diploma from the University, students must achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in courses required for graduation. Students who graduate in May can receive their diplomas at the Final Exercises held on the Lawn, or they may pay a fee to have the diploma mailed to them. Students who graduate in August or December may either pick up their diploma in the Office of the University Registrar or pay a fee to have the diploma mailed to them.

Persons receiving diplomas must be registered at the University during the semester in which they receive the degree. Those carrying no courses must register as non-residents and pay the non-resident fee in order to graduate from the University.

Students may earn a degree from only one undergraduate school in a semester. Students who complete the requirements for more than one undergraduate degree program will be awarded a double major. This notation is placed on the transcript but not on the diploma.

Lost or damaged diplomas may be replaced upon written request and payment of $50 plus a mailing fee. An original replacement will be issued. If the original diploma is lost, a notarized statement verifying the loss is required and the replacement diploma will have the word ‘replacement’ inscribed at the bottom.

In cases of legitimate professional reason, a one-time request can be made for a ‘duplicate’ diploma upon payment of $50 plus a mailing fee. A duplicate diploma will have the word ‘copy’ inscribed at the bottom.

Replacement and duplicate diplomas are printed in diploma format in use at the time of the request. When possible, the degree title and signatures of president, dean, and university registrar in use at the time the original diploma was awarded will be used, but the title and/or signatures currently in use will be substituted if necessary.

Diploma replicas will conform to the format and signatures in use at the time of request.

Additional information about replacement and duplicate diplomas can be obtained by contacting the diploma coordinator at the Office of the University Registrar.

The University reserves the right to withhold the diplomas of financially delinquent students or when students have engaged in Standards of Conduct violations at or prior to graduation ceremonies. The University also reserves the right to revoke diplomas previously conferred when the student has not satisfied the rules and regulations of the University.