“Graduation” and “commencement” refer to two different activities. “Graduation” is the posting of your degree, and is administered by the Office of Enrollment Services. “Commencement” is the ceremony marking the end of your program, and is administered by the Office of Student Affairs.
To be considered a candidate for graduation, you must complete an application for graduation and pay the application fee. All degree candidates must apply and pay the fee whether or not they plan to participate in the commencement ceremony. (Executive MBA students are not required to pay this fee, as it is included in their tuition). You can apply for graduation online through GGU4YOU, or obtain an application from either the Office of Enrollment Services or a regional site administrator.
The deadline to submit your graduation application depends on your final term:
Fall 2007: Nov. 3, 2007
Spring 2008: March 22, 2008
Summer 2008: July 5, 2008
If you miss these deadlines, your degree will be awarded in the subsequent term.
If you plan to participate in the commencement ceremony, you must submit your application for graduation by Feb. 1, 2008. Demand for seats is high. If you miss this deadline your name will be placed on a waitlist, and it’s possible you will not be allowed to attend.
The application is valid for three consecutive reporting terms, beginning with the one you list on the application. (For more information about reporting terms, see Enrollment Status Classifications and Disclosures on p. 126). Afterwards, the application expires and you’ll be required to submit a new one and repay the application fee.
Students who have applied for graduation and are subsequently academically disqualified will be refunded the application fee provided they submit a written request to the Office of Student Accounting Services.
Doctoral degree candidates also must file the application for graduation and pay the appropriate fees. They should consult further with the director of the doctoral program for other commencement eligibility requirements.
It is not necessary to apply for graduation from certificate programs. Instead, submit a Certificate Order Form to Enrollment Services. Refer to the “Certificate Studies” section on p. 113 for more information.
The university has three degree and certificate award dates per year, each corresponds to the final day of a reporting term. (For more information about reporting terms, see “Enrollment Status Classifications and Disclosures” on p. 126.)
Fall Award Date: Dec. 22, 2007
Spring Award Date: May 24, 2008
Summer Award Date: Aug. 23, 2008
Your degree or certificate will be awarded when you have satisfied all of your program’s academic requirements, submitted the application for graduation and paid the application fee. The degree term will be the one in which all of these criteria have been met.
The degree date is not dependent upon you meeting your financial obligations with the university. The university will not release your diploma or transcript, however, until this obligation is met.
The dates of the commencement ceremonies are different from the degree award dates. The university has four commencement ceremonies, all of which are in the spring. One is in San Francisco and is for San Francisco, Walnut Creek, CyberCampus, Los Angeles and Seattle students; the other three are held in or near Sacramento, San Jose and Monterey, and are for students based at those sites.
To be eligible to participate in commencement and to be listed in the 2008 commencement program, you must be either
1) A summer 2007, fall 2007, or spring 2008 degree candidate; or 2) A summer 2008 candidate with no more than 15 undergraduate units or 12 graduate units remaining in the summer 2008 term.
All tuition and fees must be paid prior to commencement unless other arrangements have been made. All candidates with an outstanding balance who expect to participate in commencement must be cleared by Student Financial Services two weeks prior to commencement.
Honors are awarded to bachelor’s degree graduates who have maintained cumulative grade-point averages in their Golden Gate University courses as follows:
cum laude 3. 50-3.749 magna cum laude 3.750-3.899 summa cum laude 3.900-4.000
Honors are awarded based on a cumulative grade-point average at the academic level, awarded as of the date the degree is granted. These honors appear on both the diploma and official university transcript.
Honors are awarded to master’s degree graduates who maintained
References:
Archives