Commencement FAQs

Students should always consult the academic calendar for the “application for degree” deadline.

Students should complete their application for degree and pay their graduation fees the term before they plan to graduate. 

Application Deadlines

The application for degree may be downloaded from MyUWA by selecting the “Resources” tab and browsing “Forms” for important documents from the Registrar’s Office. Here, you’ll find applications for applying for degrees. Choose the appropriate form as noted in its title and description.

Application for Degree

Completing the application for degree and paying the graduation fee alerts a student’s academic dean’s office of pending graduation. The student’s file can then be reviewed to assure that everything is in order to allow that student to graduate as planned. If a student applied within the same term, there would be no time to address a missing class, test score, GPA requirements, etc . . .

Students applying late for graduation are assessed an additional fee: $100.00 for Fall 2019 applications and $75.00 for Spring 2020. In addition, these students often miss important correspondence from the commencement committee, and run the risk of not being able to participate in the ceremony because caps and gowns cannot be ordered, changes to the ceremony program cannot be made, and diplomas cannot be printed.

Application Deadlines

For Fall 2019, the graduation fee is $75.00 for undergraduate students, $100.00 for graduate students, and $125.00 for doctoral students.

For Spring 2020, the graduation fee is $75 for undergraduate students, graduate students, and doctoral students. There is an additional fee for cap and gown, purchased from Barnes and Noble.

The graduation fee covers the cost of processing student files, diploma print costs, commencement printing and mailing, and/or degree shipping if a student does not attend the ceremony.

If a student does not graduate, he/she must complete a new application for degree and resubmit their graduation fee. The fee does not rollover since the cost of processing the files, printing costs, etc. . . begin again.

Yes. According to UWA policy a student cannot participate in the commencement ceremony or receive a diploma until all degree requirements are met.

Two. There is a ceremony held in December and May of each year. At the May ceremony, students graduating during online Spring 1, online Spring 2, and campus Spring semester are recognized. At the December ceremony, students graduating during the online Summer 1, online Summer 2, campus Summer semester, online Fall 1, online Fall 2, and campus Fall semester are recognized.

Commencement exercises will be held Saturday, December 14, 2019 and Saturday, May 9, 2020. Students should consult the academic calendars for application for degree deadlines for all commencement ceremonies. Applications for degree are due the term before one plans to graduate, so students should check the academic calendars carefully. 

Instructions for Commencement will be mailed in October for the Fall Commencement Ceremony, and March for the Spring Commencement Ceremony. Online students will receive a letter from the Commencement Committee asking if the student wishes to participate in the ceremony. Students should respond to this correspondence, so that a complete follow-up graduation packet can be mailed. The follow-up graduation packet will contain graduation tickets for guests, instructions about the commencement ceremony, and a cap/gown order form. If online students do not respond to the correspondence, it will be assumed that the student does not wish to participate and he/she will be graduated inabsentia.

The Commencement Committee only mails information to students that have completed an application for degree and been approved as a candidate for degree by their respective academic dean’s office.

No. For students completing course work or other degree requirements in the term they graduate (campus Spring semester, online Spring 2, online Fall 2, or campus Fall semester), all coursework has to be completed before final approval. This also means that comprehensive exam scores and Praxis test scores must be on file.

A student with questions about his/her degree requirements should contact the academic dean about his/her degree requirement. The commencement committee chairperson does not have this information and cannot answer a student’s academic questions.

Questions concerning the commencement ceremony should be directed to Dr. Tina Jones, chair of the Commencement Committee and the Executive Director of the Division of Economic Development and Outreach. She can be reached at (205) 652-3833 or tnj@uwa.edu.

A diploma is a symbol of the commencement ceremony itself; therefore, the date on the diploma corresponds with the date of the commencement exercises. A student’s transcripts are the official record of completion of degree requirements. Typically, it is the transcripts that employers ask to see when seeking proof of the degrees held by an employee. Transcripts will also record the term in which a student completed all degree requirements.