Commencement

In order to be eligible to participate in the Spring commencement ceremony and receive a diploma on a May date all documents, final grades, official transcripts, test scores, and applications for majors must be received in the Registrar’s Office no later than the Monday prior to commencement. Students completing requirements in December are encouraged to participate in the Spring ceremony following the completion of degree requirements.

Students who are in their last semester prior to graduation may be exempted from the final exam at the discretion of the instructor provided that they have at least a B average.

Since there is no commencement ceremony in August if, by the Monday prior to the May commencement ceremony, you have one or two courses outstanding (a maximum of seven credits) you may participate in the May commencement ceremony as an August candidate provided you have an approved plan to complete all requirements by August of the same year. No Latin honors will be noted in the graduation program and you will not receive a diploma until all requirements are met and the degree has been conferred. You may only participate in ONE commencement ceremony.

(not applicable to associate’s or master’s degree students)

Bryan College awards honor based on the final cumulative grade point average. In order to earn honors, you must earn a minimum of 48 hours through coursework at Bryan College. Your grade point average is based only on courses taken at Bryan College. Honors will be noted on your academic transcript once the degree has been posted.

Honors are awarded as follows: cum laude 3.6-3.74; magna cum laude 3.75-3.89; summa cum laude 3.9-4.0. Note that GPAs are not rounded.

If you are participating in the commencement ceremony you will be given an honor cord to wear — red for cum laude, silver for magna cum laude, and gold for summa cum laude. These cords will be available in the Registrar’s Office the day prior to the commencement ceremony or can be distributed at the rehearsal. Note that candidates for graduation do not have Latin honors recognized during the ceremony.

Your actual diploma will not be included in the case that you receive on stage at graduation. If your account with the Business Office is clear, your diploma can be picked up in the Registrar’s Office immediately following the graduation ceremony. If your application for graduation was not received at least one semester prior to your graduation we may not have a diploma for you on commencement day. If you are completing all degree requirements by August or December the diplomas will be ordered subsequent to the graduation date and you will be notified when they are available.

Your degree will be posted to your academic transcript within two weeks following graduation. You will be sent an unofficial student copy of your final transcript about one month following your graduation. This copy should be kept for your own records. If you need an official transcript you must request it in writing. 

Request Transcripts

We will not be able to release your diploma to you if there is an outstanding balance in the Business Office. This includes tuition, fees, fines, and graduation fee. In order to receive your diploma on commencement day, your account must be paid in full two days before the ceremony.

Graduation fees are due prior to the anticipated graduation date whether or not you plan to participate in the ceremony.