Commencement

Bryan College confers degrees three times each calendar year: early May, late August, and mid-December. There are two commencement ceremonies each year – one in early May and one in mid-December.

In order to be considered for graduation each student must submit an Application for Graduation at least one full semester prior to the anticipated completion of degree requirements. This application is normally submitted at the end of the junior year or two full semesters prior to the anticipated completion. If the application is received during the final semester we may not have a diploma available for you on commencement day.

Once the application is received a degree audit will be prepared and a remainder list will be produced and sent to the student and made available to the academic adviser as well as placed in the advising file for use by the student and his/her academic adviser. It is the student’s responsibility to know and understand what is required of him/her in order to complete degree requirements by the desired time.

In order to be considered a May or December graduate, be eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony and receive a diploma with a May or December 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 have the option of participating in the December ceremony or waiting until the following May.

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. In order to participate in the December ceremony all requirements must have been completed prior to the Monday before the ceremony.

Bryan College awards honors 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 gpa’s 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 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 form and information are available on the website.

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 the graduation fee. In order to receive your diploma on commencement day your account must be paid in full two days before the ceremony.

There is a $150 graduation fee. This is due prior to the anticipated graduation date whether or not you plan to participate in the ceremony.

All A&S graduates will be responsible to order their own regalia and have it shipped to the campus store. The cost of regalia and standard shipping will be covered by the graduation fee. Contact the college store at bookstore@bryan.edu or 423.775.7271 for additional information.

Each graduate will receive a limited number of electronic tickets through Eventbrite to be reserved by the graduate after grades are posted. Additional guests may observe the program on closed-circuit television in the Latimer Student Center Dining Hall.

Questions about tickets may be directed to the Academic Office at 423.775.7200 or to Rhonda Kettenring.