Graduation
www.unco.edu/registrar/
Degrees and majors are approved through the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Students may not pursue both an undergraduate and a graduate degree program simultaneously without prior approval from both the Office of the Registrar and the Graduate School.
Questions regarding multiple majors and concurrent degrees should be directed to the Office of the Registrar.
Application for Graduation
Students who intend to graduate must apply for graduation through the Office of the Registrar. A $50.00 non-refundable graduation application fee will only be charged one time per degree and is applied to a student's account.
Applications are only accepted:
- After the student has registered for their final semester
- After any course adjustments are processed and the student is showing that they have met all requirements on Degree Works. The only exceptions are students who are transferring in coursework in their last semester or completing an Oral Proficiency Exam, Biology Exit Exam, Chemistry Exit Exam, Art Portfolio, or Senior Music Recital.
To Apply:
- Please complete the Undergraduate Graduation Application form by clicking the following link https://onbase.unco.edu/Registrars/GraduationApplication to apply for graduation. Once you have completed the application, please make sure to select the submit button located in the bottom left hand corner of the form.
Once the Office of the Registrar receives a student’s intent to graduate, a response will be sent to the student’s Bear email to confirm or deny the graduation application.
If a graduation application is denied the student is responsible for speaking to and following up with their advisor about any missing requirements. The Office of the Registrar will not advise on missing degree requirement(s). The student must re-apply when there are no longer any missing requirements.
If the application has been accepted, the student and his/her advisor will receive a detailed email via Bearmail within 5 to 10 business days showing any outstanding graduation requirements.
All course adjustments must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before a student applies for graduation.
It is highly recommended that students generate an updated Degree Works report each time they register or when changes are made to the student’s record (i.e. course substitutions, transfer work, major/minor changes, etc.)
To generate a current Degree Works report, student can go to URSA and sign in with their respective username and password, click on the Student tab to view a degree audit report and access various Degree Works tools.
For commonly asked questions about Degree Works, see
Degree Works FAQ’s.
If students make any of the changes listed above or if a student requests to change their graduation date, the student must notify the Office of the Registrar at 970-351-2231, option 3.
To graduate in any given semester, all graduation requirements must be completed (with relevant documentation submitted to the Office of the Registrar, as necessary) two weeks before the release of official transcripts.
For transcript and diploma release dates, click
here.
Degrees are not awarded during the Interim term; students who complete their graduation requirements in Interim term are considered graduates of the subsequent spring semester.
Participating in the Commencement Ceremony
In order to participate in a Fall or Spring commencement ceremony, students must be on the tentative graduation list prior to the date of the respective commencement ceremony. If students have not applied for graduation they will not appear on any graduation list.
There is no Summer commencement ceremony; all Summer graduates are invited to participate in the Spring ceremony. Students completing their graduation requirements in the Interim term will participate in the Spring commencement ceremony and will have their degree conferred the respective Spring semester.
Exceptions can be made for students who will be doing their student teaching or internship out-of-state their last semester. An exception form to Petition to Participate in Commencement can be found at
http://www.unco.edu/registrar/pdf/graduation-permission-commencement.pdf.
Documentation is required from the advisor stating that they have approved the student’s internship/student teaching out of state. Documentation is also required from the facility hosting the student stating that they are allowing that student to do his/her internship/student teaching at their facility.
Graduation with Honors
Graduation with honors is determined on the basis of a student’s cumulative UNC grade point average at time of degree completion: 3.90-4.00 for summa cum laude, 3.80-3.89 for magna cum laude, and 3.70-3.79 for cum laude. This GPA must be based off of at least 56 semester hours of UNC credit.
Each student’s record will be reviewed at the start of their semester of graduation; students with qualifying cumulative grade point averages and the minimum 56 semester hours of UNC credit (including coursework enrolled in during the final semester) will be recognized at the commencement ceremony.
Students who meet the qualifications upon completion of their degree (including grades earned during the final semester) will have their Latin honors designated on their diploma and official transcript.
Diploma Release
Emphasis and minors are not printed on the diploma. Only the degree and major(s) are printed on the diploma.
Diplomas will be released two weeks after the release of official transcripts.
Diploma mailing addresses must be updated/provided at least three weeks before the release of diplomas. If the student does not provide a diploma mailing address by that time, the student's diploma will be mailed to his or her permanent address. In the event there is no permanent address on file, the parent address will be used instead. If the student does not have an active mailing address on file, his or her diploma will be held for one year. After one year, a fee will be required to re-issue the student's diploma.
The student may change their Diploma Mailing address through the Update Addresses and Phones link up to three weeks before the diploma release date.
The student's diploma will not be released if the student has a hold on his or her account. If the student's hold is released after the release date of diplomas, please contact the Office of the Registrar at
graduation@unco.edu or 970-351-2231, option 3.
For exact deadlines, please visit the Office of the Registrar website:
http://www.unco.edu/registrar/graduation/graduation-deadlines.aspx