Graduation and Commencement

Students will receive a diploma cover when they walk across the stage at commencement. Since commencement is held before all final grades are posted for the spring semester, diplomas are not distributed during the ceremony.

The names of students receiving degrees or certificates will appear in the commencement program and are released to the media, with the exception of students who have placed a directory hold on their account.

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The difference between Graduation and Commencement

Graduation is the official completion of your degree. To graduate, your degree will be audited to verify that you have met all the requirements of your program. This takes place in your final semester. UAF accepts applications to graduate during each of the three semesters - summer, fall and spring. Applying to graduate notifies the Registrar's Office of your intent to complete your degree. If you have completed all of the requirements at the end of the term you applied for, your degree will be posted to your official transcript.

The graduation celebration, or commencement, is held once per year at the end of the spring semester. Students who applied to graduate in the spring, and in the previous summer and fall, can attend commencement.

Your graduation is complete only when you've finished all of your requirements and the degree is posted to your official transcript. Participation in the ceremony is not an official certification of graduation.

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Walking

Undergraduates

If you will not complete all degree requirements until after the spring semester, you may request to walk at the commencement ceremony with your advisor's approval. The process is as follows:

• Submit a “Request to Walk at Commencement” form on the Office of the Registrar Degree Services website by March 1.
• The form will ask both you and your advisor to certify that you will complete all degree requirements in the summer or fall semester immediately following commencement.  
• Apply to graduate for the future expected graduation semester. 
• You will not receive a degree audit for the spring semester. Your degree will be audited for the semester in which you applied to graduate and expect to complete all your requirements.
• Your honors are not calculated.
• Your name will appear in the commencement program as long as you have filled out a “Request to Walk at Commencement” form and your advisor has approved it.

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Graduates

Ph.D. candidates and master's students are not eligible to walk at the commencement ceremony if their requirements are not met at the end of the current spring semester. Candidates will receive information to participate in the following year’s ceremony.

Policies

Responsibility

Students are individually responsible for meeting all academic regulations and degree or certificate requirements. Students must submit an Application for Graduation during, or before, the semester they intend to graduate. See the "Deadlines" tab.

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Finish your Requirements

In order for you to earn your degree, you must complete all requirements by the end of the semester in which you are graduating.

• Incomplete or Deferred Grade — Your degree cannot be granted if you have an incomplete or deferred grade for a required course. Change of Grade forms must be received by the last day of the semester in which you intend to graduate.

• Transfer credit — If you are using transfer credit to complete your degree requirements, an official transcript must be sent to the Admissions Office as soon as your grades are available. All transcripts must be received by the last day of the semester in which you intend to graduate. Please email uaf-degree-services@alaska.edu to notify us to expect them.

• CLEP test scores — If you are using test scores to complete your degree requirements, official test scores must be sent to the Admissions Office as soon as they are available. All scores must be received by the last day of the semester in which you intend to graduate. Please email uaf-degree-services@alaska.edu to notify us to expect them.

• Credit sharing — There are some limitations on credits counting toward multiple requirement levels, such as General Education Requirements, Degree Requirements, Major Requirements, and Minor Requirements. Please refer to the Credit Sharing Quick Reference guide for specifics. Please note: both pages detail the same information in two different formats. 

Graduating with Latin Honors

Honors Recognition

Associate and baccalaureate degree students who meet the following criteria will receive gold honor cords or a gold sash to wear at the May commencement ceremony:

• Students who graduated with honors cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude in summer or fall semester
• Students who have potential honors for spring semester

In addition, the names of students receiving honors will appear in the Commencement Program and be released to the media (with the exception of students who have placed a directory hold on their accounts). Students may submit a written request to Graduation Services asking that their graduation information not be printed or released to the media.

Final grades will be verified prior to noting final graduation honors on the diploma or the official transcript (see next section). Spring commencement occurs prior to the deadline for spring semester final grades.

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 Note to spring graduates with potential honors:

When calculating honors for spring graduation applicants, Degree Services assumes that students will receive "A's" in all of their in-progress, incomplete (I), and deferred (DF) coursework; thus allowing each student to be recognized for the highest level of honors they have the potential of attaining. These are called “potential honors.”

Your cumulative UAF GPA must be 3.5 or higher at the time of your initial audit for potential honors to be calculated.

These potential honors will be used to award gold honors cords at the commencement ceremony and be listed in the official commencement program.

Once final grades are posted, the final honors GPA will be re-calculated. Final grades will have an effect on your honors GPA (should you receive grades lower than "A's").

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Please note: When we receive your final grades, any remaining incomplete (I) grades will be calculated as “F’s” in the final honors calculation. Also, any remaining deferred (DF) grades will not be included in final honors calculations. See “Grading System and Grade Point Average Computation”

Any change between potential honors and final honors will be reflected on the student's diploma and official transcripts.

After Graduation

If all graduation requirements are completed by the end of the semester, the certificate or degree will be awarded within four weeks after final grades have been posted. A digital copy will be sent at that time.

• Paper diplomas are mailed out approximately six weeks after the end of the semester.
• Once your degree is posted you can view it on your unofficial transcript on UAOnline.
• Applications will be canceled for all students who are unable to meet their graduation requirements by the end of the semester. Students must reapply for graduation for the semester they intend to complete missing requirements. 

A minor is a requirement for most Bachelor of Arts degrees.

• UAF minors are minimum of 15 credits, but some minors may require more.
• Three UAF residency credits must be earned with in the minor. 
• UAF cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 (‘C’) in the minor.
• The same catalog year must be used to meet both minor and major program requirements.
• An Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)  or Certificate program of at least 30 credits earned at any accredited institution may be used to meet the requirements for a minor. 
• To declare your minor please fill out the Declaration of Minor form. 

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Thinking of changing majors?

DegreeWorks allows you to determine which classes you have taken that can count towards a different degree program of your choosing. By using the “What If” option, DegreeWorks will generate a new audit for you. This new audit will show you how close you are to graduation if you were to switch programs. Feel free to use it as much as you like, as it will not interfere with you current audit.

Deviations from academic policies or requirements must be approved by petition.

Core Curriculum Petitions: If your petition deals with baccalaureate general education requirements (GER), your advisor and department chair of the academic course you are petitioning must grant approval. Once the signed petition is received by the Office of the Registrar, it will be forwarded to the chair of the faculty senate GER review committee for consideration.

Do not use for AAS or Certificate programs

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Major or Minor Degree Requirement Petitions: If you want to waive or substitute courses within your major or minor requirements, you need approval from your advisor and the department chair and the dean of your major or minor area. Submit your signed petition to the Office of the Registrar.

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Petitions for Other Requirements: If your petition deals with general university requirements and/or specific requirements for your degree or other academic policies, you need approval from your advisor, department chair and the dean of your college or school in which your major is located. Submit your signed petition to the Office of the Registrar.

Apostille diplomas

• Other countries often require that official signatures and notarizations on your documents be corroborated by the Secretary of State before they will accept them - State of Alaska Lieutenant Governor's website.
• Attaining this extra authentication is done in the form of an apostille.
• If you need a diploma Apostille, complete the form below.  Indicate the country receiving records on the form.
• Apostille diplomas are notarized within the Office of the Registrar, then are forwarded on to the State of Alaska Lieutenant Governor's Office for final authentication.
• The student is individually responsible for paying all fees that are associated with ordering an Apostille diploma - both to UAF ($25 replacement diploma fee) and to the State of Alaska Lieutenant Governor's Office ($5 authentication fee per certificate/diploma).

Mini-diplomas

Mini-diplomas are issued by the UAF Alumni Association.

Applications will be canceled for all students who are unable to meet their graduation requirements by the end of the semester. Students must complete missing requirements and reapply for graduation for the semester they intend to graduate.