Applying for Degree
Degree Application and Commencement Participation (RSVP) form
Certification and Non-Certification
Graduating and Walking in Commencement Rules
Proving that You've Graduated to Employers
Can I get a letter stating that my degree is pending?
How do I know if my degree application is being processed?
How do I know if my degree has been awarded?
Please note:
"Graduation" refers to the academic process of degree completion.
"Commencement" refers to the annual ceremony held each May.
DEADLINES
Any student wishing to graduate should apply for graduation well in advance of their intended graduation date. For example:
Graduation Date | Application Deadline |
| May | March 15* |
| August | June 15 |
| December | October 15 |
The process will be much smoother if you apply for graduation well in advance so the University will have adequate time to review your academic records and certify you for graduation.
* Undergraduate students wishing to be considered for Valedictorian or Salutatorian must apply for graduation by this date. (We recommend applying before March 1.)
Note: failure to apply on or before the deadline will result in your name not being included in the Commencement program and/or exclusion from Commencement-related events (class t-shirt, class gift, etc).
CERTIFICATION and NON-CERTIFICATION
(How do I know if if I graduated or not?)Unfortunately, not all students who participate in the May Commencement ceremony will be certified for their degrees. The University will attempt to contact nongraduating students as soon as possible to alert them that they will not be certified for graduation.
You will still have access to your Banner Web account for a few weeks after you have graduated. Once your degree is awarded, you will be able to see it in the transcript area of your Banner Web account. You will also receive an email from the Registrar's Office after your degree has been awarded.
Students who do not meet the requirements for graduation will be notified via email by the Dean of their academic school. Questions regarding noncertification should be addressed either to your Dean or your Program Director.
In order to reevaluate your student record for graduation, students must reapply for graduation by completing the degree application form. You will not be charged the graduation fee a second time.
GRADUATING AND WALKING IN COMMENCEMENT RULES (Undergraduate and Graduate Students)
- Students must meet the total credit hours required for their program (assuming they will pass the courses they are currently registered for) in order to be eligible to apply to graduate.
- Students must be eligible to graduate to apply to walk in commencement.
- Students are eligible to walk in a May commencement only if they graduated the previous August or previous December, or will graduate that May or the subsequent August. (students in education certification programs who have completed all degree requirements except student teaching may participate in the May commencement).
- Students who graduated more than 2 semesters prior to a commencement ceremony are not eligible to walk in that ceremony. (E.g. a student who graduated in May 2021 is not eligible to walk in the May 2022 ceremony.)
- Students may not walk in more than one commencement ceremony per program, but may walk a subsequent time for an additional program. Eg. a student who completes a BS in Biology and then a BS in Nursing may walk twice, once for each degree program.
ALL students wishing to participate in commencement must complete the
Degree Application and Commencement Participation (RSVP) form.
HOW DO I PROVE THAT I'VE GRADUATED TO POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS?
Once your degree is officially conferred, you have three methods available to you for confirmation of your degree:
- Request an official transcript. If you are requesting the transcript prior to the degree date, be sure to check the box "HOLD for degree to be posted."
- Contact your school office to request a letter stating that the degree has been awarded.
- Utica University uses DegreeVerify (also known as the National Student Clearinghouse) to verify awarded degrees. To do so, the employer simply has to go to DegreeVerify's web site.
WHAT IF MY DEGREE HASN'T BEEN OFFICIALLY AWARDED YET?
The Office of the Registrar can provide a letter with the expected or anticipated degree date. If you need a letter stating you have met all requirements to receive your degree, you can contact your school office, or the Program Director, and they can provide this information.
WHAT IS THE GRADUATION FEE, AND FOR WHAT IS IT USED?
When you apply for graduation, a fee will be assessed to your account. It is not unusual for graduation candidates to return to school for another semester to complete course work for various reasons. If your degree is not conferred, the graduation fee is not refunded; instead, when you reapply for graduation, the fee will be waived.
- For Baccalaureate students (B.A., B.B.A., or B.S.), the graduation fee is $55.
- For Graduate students, the graduation fee is $80.
Note: This is a graduation fee, it is not tied to participation in the commencement ceremony. The fee is applied to your account for the term in which you apply.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DEGREE APPLICATION HAS BEEN PROCESSED?
Please recognize that sometimes degree applications for future terms will be held on file until we are able to process them. They are all processed manually; they are not added to the system immediately.
Once a degree application has been processed, you can go to your academic transcript in Banner Web. Scroll down to "Degrees Awarded" (it's the third gray banner). There are three options here:
- Sought - means the degree application has not yet been processed.
- Pending - means your degree application has been processed, and will be reviewed for graduation purposes.
- Awarded - means that your degree has been awarded.
DIPLOMA HOLDS
The two most common holds that are placed on diplomas are Balance Due and Exit Counseling. Both of these holds are placed by Student Financial Services. You must contact Student Financial Services to resolve these holds. Call them at (315) 792-3179.