Graduation

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Graduation Office, Office of the Registrar
75 Piedmont Avenue, Suite 1150
registrar.gsu.edu/graduation

Application for Graduation

All candidates for a degree must file a formal application for graduation with the Graduation Office. Students apply online and pay the graduation fee by logging into PAWS. To access the Graduation Application, select the Enrollment tab. The Application for Graduation link is located under the Updates/Requests Student Record section of the page. Once the link is selected, step-by-step instructions will be provided regarding the application process.

Students should apply two semesters prior to their anticipated term of completion. Students pursuing an graduate/post-master’s certificate must also apply online for graduation. There are no minimum hours required to apply for graduation in a certificate program. However, the deadlines posted for each semester must be adhered to.

Master’s, specialist, and doctoral candidates must apply by the following deadlines before their expected term of graduation:

This allows the university to audit the student’s records for problems while there is still time for the student to correct those problems.

The Office of Graduate Studies of the student’s college will conduct an audit and inform the student of any remaining requirements. The Graduation Office conducts an independent audit the expected semester of graduation to ensure that all degree requirements will be satisfied.

Once a student applies for graduation by the deadline, the student can change his or her graduation date to a future date by completing the Change of Graduation form, located on the graduation website at registrar.gsu.edu/graduation.

Official transcripts of prior term course grades from institutions other than Georgia State University must be received by the last day of registration of the semester of graduation. Any other documentation pertaining to non-Georgia State courses which is needed to determine if transfer credit can be granted (such as catalog descriptions or course outlines) must be received by the student’s Office of Academic Assistance by the last day of registration of the semester of graduation.

Students who wish to be transient students or who wish to participate in cross-registration for their remaining course work will graduate one semester after the term in which the last course to be transferred to Georgia State University has been taken. Such students must obtain advance permission to complete their degree elsewhere from their college’s Office of Academic Assistance or Office of Graduate Studies.

Graduation Requirements

A degree will be awarded only to a student who meets both the university academic and residence requirements and the standards of performance, academic requirements, and residence requirements of their college. Students should examine the earlier sections of this chapter for university requirements and consult their college’s chapter of this catalog for degree meeting program’s requirements. Students must earn 1/3 or more of the credit hours required for the degree through Georgia State direct instruction.

Graduation requirements for all graduate degrees include at least a 3.00 minimum cumulative grade point average; however, some graduate programs require a higher grade point average. The minimum cumulative GPA includes all work attempted at the graduate level even if taken in two or more programs or departments. If a student takes a course multiple times at another institution or at Georgia State, the grade earned in the final attempt will determine the applicability of the course to the degree requirements.

All grades for courses taken during the semester of graduation at Georgia State University and all grades of incomplete for previous semesters must be received in the Registrar’s Office in writing by 5 p.m. the Friday preceding the graduation date. Students whose grades are received after this deadline will graduate in the following semester.

Official transcripts of prior term course grades from institutions other than Georgia State University must be in the Office of the Registrar by the last day of registration of the semester of graduation. Any other documentation pertaining to non-Georgia State University courses which is needed to determine if transfer credit can be granted (such as catalog descriptions or course outlines) must be received by the student’s Office of Academic Assistance/Office of Graduate Studies by the last day of registration of the semester of graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to see to it that incomplete grades are properly recorded in the appropriate offices by the deadline stated in this section.

Graduation Ceremonies

University Commencement Ceremonies are held at the end of the fall and spring academic terms. Individual academic areas may hold convocations at the end of both the fall and spring terms. You should consult with your academic college. In order to participate in the University Commencement ceremony, a student must have completed all degree requirements in accordance with rules and regulations found in this catalog. Students who have registered for all remaining degree requires in the summer and have applied for summer degree conferral may elect to participate in the spring ceremony. However, degree conferral will not occur until successful completion of the summer term. While the University holds only two Commencement ceremonies, degrees are conferred at the end of each term; fall, spring and summer, and diplomas are mailed approximately six to eight weeks following degree conferral. Diplomas are mailed to the student’s mailing address of record. Students should keep their mailing addresses updated through PAWS at paws.gsu.edu. Allow six to eight weeks following the official date of degree conferral for delivery of the diploma.

Students who indicated on the graduation application that they are attending the commencement ceremony are to purchase their regalia from the Georgia State University Bookstore. The bookstore can be reached at 404-413-9700, by e-mail at bookstore@gsu.edu, or online at services.gsu.edu/service/bookstore/. Commencement photography is also available. Complete information will be sent to degree candidates by the midpoint of their scheduled semester of graduation. If a student later decides not to attend the ceremony, he or she must notify the Graduation Office at 404-413-2248 or email at graduation@gsu.edu.

Additional information concerning graduation procedures can be obtained through the graduation website at registrar.gsu.edu/graduation.