Graduation Policies

The following information applies to University students except School of Law. Law School students should view the School of Law Graduation Policies for more information.

• "Graduation" is the conferral of your degree, which involves recording your degree on your transcript and issuing a diploma, and is administered by the Office of Records & Registration.
• "Commencement" is the annual graduation ceremony and is administered by the Office of Student Affairs. For information about the commencement ceremony, contact Student Affairs or call 415-442-7288.
  

You do not automatically graduate after finishing your academic program's requirements. If you do not apply for graduation the Office of Records & Registration will not be alerted to conduct a final degree audit and to confer your degree. Students who do not apply for graduation will not graduate, will not have degrees recorded on their transcripts, and will not receive diplomas. You do not have to attend the annual commencement ceremony in order to graduate.

To be considered a candidate for graduation, you must apply for graduation online via GGU4YOU. Click on "Apply for Graduation (University Degree Programs)" from the "Student" tab menu. All candidates are required to apply for graduation whether or not they plan to participate in the commencement ceremony.

To participate in the commencement ceremony, you simply need to apply for graduation via GGU4YOU as described above and your information will be provided to the Office of Student Affairs. NOTE: If you plan to participate in the commencement ceremony following the spring 2012 trimester, you must apply for graduation by February 1, 2012. Demand for seats at the ceremony is high. If you miss this deadline, your name will be placed on a wait list, but it is possible you will not be allowed to attend.

To be eligible to participate in the spring 2012 commencement, you must be either:

1. A fall 2011 graduate, spring 2012 graduate; or a summer 2012 degree candidate.
2. A summer 2012 degree candidate must have no more than fifteen (15) undergraduate units or twelve (12) graduate units remaining to be completed in the summer 2012 term.

Candidate's Final Term	Application Deadline*	Degree Conferral Date	Diploma & Transcript Mailed to Graduates by End of Month
Fall 2011	December 17, 2011	December 17, 2011	February 2012
Spring 2012	April 25, 2012	April 25, 2012	June 2012
Summer 2012	August 18, 2012	August 18, 2012	October 2012

*See earlier deadline above if you want to participate in the commencement ceremony.

Please note the following policies and procedures:

• Your degree date will be the last day of the term in which you have completed all of your program's academic requirements and applied for graduation, unless you failed to apply in a timely manner.
• Degrees are not awarded retroactively. If you completed all of your program's academic requirements in an earlier term but failed to apply for graduation, your degree date will be the final date of the term for which you apply.
• Your graduation application is valid for three consecutive terms, starting with the term you indicate when you applied. For example, if you apply to graduate in spring 2011, the application will be valid for the spring, summer and fall 2011 terms. If you have not completed your academic program requirements within those three terms, your application will expire and you will be required to reapply for graduation in order to graduate.
• Your degree conferral date is not dependent upon your meeting your financial obligations with the university. However, the university will not release your diploma or official transcript until this obligation is met.
• Doctoral students must apply for graduation. For other commencement eligibility requirements, consult with the Director of the Doctoral Program.
• Certificate program students should not apply for graduation, but should instead submit Certificate of Completion Request forms.
  

Honors are awarded to bachelor's degree graduates who have maintained cumulative grade-point averages in their Golden Gate University courses as follows:

Honors Distinction	Grade Point Average Required
cum laude	3.50 - 3.749
magna cum laude	3.750 - 3.899
summa cum laude	3.900 - 4.000

Honors are awarded to master's degree graduates who maintained cumulative grade point averages in their Golden Gate University courses as follows:

Honors Distinction	Grade Point Average Required
with honors	3.800-3.899
with high honors	3.900-3.999
with highest honors	4.00

To inquire about the status of your application, degree conferral, diploma and/or transcript, contact the Office of Records & Registration at 415-442-7278 or graduation@ggu.edu.

To inquire about participation in the commencement ceremony, commencement regalia, announcements and tickets, contact the Office of Student Affairs at 415-442-7288 or commencement@ggu.edu.