Policy Statement
The following policy defines the requirements that must be met in order for students to participate in commencement exercises.
Augusta University (“AU”) normally holds two commencement ceremonies each year, following the fall semester and spring semester. AU students who have completed all requirements by the end of the spring semester are only eligible to participate in the Spring Commencement. Students completing all requirements at the end of the summer or fall semester are only eligible to participate in the Fall Commencement. Any exceptions to the policy must be approved in writing and are at the discretion of the Provost.
Students wishing to participate in commencement must complete the graduation application by the published deadline for the relevant semester and pay the graduation application fee.
This policy is to establish a clear understanding of who is eligible to participate and the conditions for participation in commencement at AU.
Affected stakeholders
All entities and persons within the Enterprise that are affected by this policy:
Graduate Students, Health Professional Students, Undergraduate Students
Policy Owner
Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs
Definitions
- Commencement: A campus-wide ceremony recognizing the completion of an academic degree.
- Graduation: The official act of awarding a degree to students who have successfully completed, to the satisfaction of the University, the academic requirements necessary for the degree.
- Multiple degree recipients: Any students completing more than one degree at the same time (e.g. 2 bachelor’s degrees, or a medical degree and an MBA).
Process & procedures
Students who have an active application for graduation and who are enrolled in all courses to satisfy their degree requirements but who after midterm fail to satisfy requirements for degree completion may be allowed to participate in the ceremony but will not receive a diploma or graduate until all requirements are met.
The request for an exception must be made in writing on the appropriate form to the Office of the Registrar no later than March 1st for the Spring Commencement or October 1st for the
Fall Commencement. (The exception form for the Participation in Commencement policy is available in the Registrar Form Repository.)
Pre-Approved Exceptions to participation in commencement (no request to the Provost needed):
Graduate and professional students completing lockstep curriculum in the following programs are eligible to participate in the Spring Ceremony only:
- Master of Health Science in Occupational Therapy
- Master of Physician Assistant
- Doctor of Physical Therapy
- Doctor of Dental Medicine
- Doctor of Medicine
Undergraduate or graduate students participating in the Study Abroad Program in their last year before graduation are eligible to participate in either the Spring or Fall Commencement (with confirmation by an academic advisor) regardless of completion date. A participation form must be on file in the Office of the Registrar.
Additional exception for Provost approval:
AU will consider other exceptions to this policy, but does not guarantee approval, under the following circumstances:
- The remaining degree requirements must include no more than 12 hours of credit. (This must be documented by the Office of the Registrar’s degree audit.)
- The student must be able to complete all remaining degree requirements in time for degree conferral in the next commencement ceremony.
- The request must include a specific academic plan for completion of all degree requirements.
The Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs will consider all appeals and make recommendations to the Provost, who has authority for final approval. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis
If a student is approved to participate in commencement as an exception, the student’s name may not appear in the commencement program; however, the usual traditions will be performed during the ceremony for the student. A student who participates as an exception may not participate in a second commencement for the same degree.
Any students completing more than one degree at the same time will only be recognized (e.g. announced and/or called to the stage) one time during the commencement ceremony relevant to that semester. The highest ranking degree determines the when they will be called to the stage (e.g. Master’s outranks a bachelor’s degree and a PhD outranks an MD). The student’s name will be listed in the commencement program one time for each degree they are receiving during the same ceremony. If a student completes more than one degree during different semesters, they will be eligible to participate in more than one commencement ceremony but they must meet the application deadline and pay a graduation application fee for each ceremony.
References & supporting documents
Related policies
Intentionally left blank.
Approved by
President, Augusta University and CEO, AU Health System Date: February 27, 2017
Last Revision: February 16, 2017 Last Review: February 27, 2017