Graduation Policies

Students must complete and submit graduation applications to the Registrar's Office by September 1 for December graduation candidates and December 1 for May and July graduation candidates. December graduation candidates who wish to "walk early" must submit the form by December 1 immediately preceding the ceremony in which they wish to participate. All graduation candidates must submit applications in order to have their degrees conferred and receive diplomas ("graduation") regardless of whether they want to participate in the ceremony in May ("commencement").

1. Applications for graduation for December graduation candidates are due by September 1 of students' final fall semesters. Applications for graduation for May and July (August for LLM Tax) graduation candidates are due December 1 immediately preceding their final semesters.
2. One commencement ceremony is held in May for each year's graduating class. The academic year begins with the fall term and ends with the following summer term. Accordingly, a graduating class consists of those who graduate in December, May, and July in the same academic year. December graduation candidates who wish to "walk early" and participate in the commencement ceremony prior to the one for their graduating class must submit the application by December 1 immediately preceding the May commencement ceremony in which they wish to participate.
3. All forms must be submitted to the Registrar's Office. Original copies are preferred to faxed copies.

1. Students must be in good academic standing in order to participate in the commencement ceremony. December graduation candidates who are applying to "walk early" must also have completed enough units that graduation in December is possible without being in overload status during their final summer or fall terms.
2. Students' names will appear on the commencement ceremony program as they appear on the application form except that all names will be upper and lower case. No names will appear in all uppercase letters in the program.
3. JD students working towards certificates of specialization must submit separate JD Specialization Certificate Application forms in order for notations to appear in the commencement program and to receive certificates and have notations made on their transcripts.
4. Students may participate in one commencement ceremony per degree program.

1. Official transcripts from each school from which transfer credit is expected must be received by the Registrar's Office before the student's degree can be awarded.
2. If a student receives an extension of deadline to complete course requirements for the student's intended graduation term, the student must resolve the incomplete course by the deadline indicated below or the student's graduation will be postponed until the term in which the course is completed. The deadline for resolving an incomplete course before the grade is automatically converted to "W" (Withdrawn) is not altered by these deadlines. The incomplete course is deemed to be resolved when the instructor submits the final grade to the Registrar's Office.

Term	Deadline for resolving an incomplete course attempt in order to graduate
Fall	January 31
Spring	June 30
Summer	September 15

1. Before diplomas will be mailed or released to students, their account balances must be paid in full.
2. Graduates' diplomas will be mailed to the address provided on the form. Should graduates wish to change the address to which they want their diplomas mailed, they must submit an address change request specific to their graduation application. Simply changing their current mailing address with the Registrar's Office does not change the address to which their diplomas will be mailed. To change their diploma mailing addresses, graduates may submit a new graduation application, or they may send detailed messages to lawreg@ggu.edu.

1. Applications are valid for the anticipated graduation term indicated on the front of the form and two consecutive terms thereafter. Applications expire if students fail to graduate within the second consecutive term.
2. If students allow their applications to expire, they will be required to submit new application forms in order to have their degrees awarded if they later fulfill their program requirements.