Graduation Requirements
Graduation requirements are checked in accordance with the UNC Graduate Catalog and Degree Works. The student must specify the Catalog under which they wish to have their degree requirements be evaluated and must meet all published degree requirements in that Catalog. The Catalog used to meet degree graduation requirements is normally the one published for the academic year during which the student first enrolls after admission to the university.
The student may select any subsequent Catalog up to and including the current one, provided the student was in attendance at the university during that academic year. However, a student may not choose to meet partial requirements in one version of the Catalog and other requirements in another version of Catalog. See University Catalog Policy.
To graduate in any given semester:
- The student must submit a complete application for graduation to the Graduate School by the published deadline, and
- All graduation requirements must be completed (with relevant documentation submitted to the Office of the Registrar and Graduate School, as necessary) by the Wednesday prior to the date that diplomas are released for the semester.
Degrees are not awarded during the Interim Winter Session; students who complete their graduation requirements in an Interim Winter Session are considered graduates of the subsequent Spring semester.
Participating in the Commencement Ceremony
In order to participate in a Fall or Spring commencement ceremony, doctoral students must have successfully defended their dissertation prior to the date of the commencement ceremony. In the case of summer graduates participating in spring commencement ceremonies, the student must be admitted to doctoral candidacy and, in the judgment of the student's research advisor, prepared and intending to defend in the summer term.
If students have not applied for graduation they will not appear on any graduation list. Students will not receive their degree diploma until they submit an application for graduation.
There is no Summer commencement ceremony; all Summer graduates are invited to participate in the Spring or Fall ceremony.
Degree Conferral Policy
UNC confers degrees after the conclusion of the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms. The official date of conferral will be listed on official transcripts and diplomas. The conferral date is either the date of commencement (for Fall and Spring semesters) or the last day of the Summer semester. Transcripts and diplomas listing the final degree are typically available 4 to 5 weeks after the end of the term to allow time for the Office of the Registrar to verify that all degree requirements have been completed (See Semester Academic Calendar). Prior to the date final transcripts and degrees are available, a student who completes all requirements may request an official “Pending Conferral Letter” from the Office of the Registrar.
Academic records will be locked upon degree conferral. Under no circumstances will changes be made to the academic record after a degree has been conferred.
Diploma Release
Concentration 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 their 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, their 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 their account. If the student's hold is released after the release date of diplomas, please contact the Graduate School at grad.school@unco.edu or 970-351-2831
For exact deadlines, please visit the Graduate School website: unco.edu/graduate-school/student-resources/preparing-for-graduation/graduation-deadlines.aspx