Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

Applying 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. If a student plans to complete a Certificate program as well, another $50 fee will be charged to their student account once their second application is accepted. If the student is completing both a Bachelor’s Degree and a Certificate program and apply for graduation and certificate completion in the same semester, the student will only be charged the $50 graduation fee once. 

The graduation fee covers the cost of processing and posting a student’s degree, covering the ordering and postage of the diploma. All graduating students are assessed the graduation fee independent of their participation in a commencement ceremony.

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 visiting 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 their 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 more information about Degree Works, see www.unco.edu/registrar/graduation/graduation-degreeworks.aspx.

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 970-351-4UNC (4862), option 2.

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, see www.unco.edu/registrar/graduation/graduation-transcript-diploma-release.aspx.

Degrees are not awarded during the Interim Winter Session; students who complete their graduation requirements in Interim Winter Session are considered graduates of the subsequent spring semester.