Preparing for Graduation
Important terms
- Graduation: The conferral of degree upon successful completion of all academic requirements. There are three graduation cycles in an academic year: Fall, Spring and Summer.
- Commencement: The ceremony held in honor of completion, or anticipation of fulfillment of, all academic requirements. There are two commencement ceremonies in an academic year: December and May.
- “Walking Early:” Participating in a commencement ceremony before the term of graduation.
Participating or “walking early” in a commencement ceremony does not necessarily mean you are graduating. Commencement does not equal graduation.
Before you apply for graduation
Review your academic advising report
You can access your Academic Advising Report (AAR) on your MyNevada account. See Understanding your Academic Advising Report on MyNevada Help for instructions on how to find and read your report — using the “Student Center Classic” version is recommended, as it gives more detail with less clicking.
The AAR will load your course history, including your in-progress courses (current and future enrollment) and check against degree requirements for your declared program(s).
- If every academic requirement in the degree framework shows as “satisfied” on the AAR, then you can apply for graduation.
- If one or more academic requirement on your AAR shows as “not satisfied,” do not apply for graduation. Schedule an appointment with a college advisor in the CLA Student Center for review.
Common AAR issues
- All course substitutions and requirement waivers must be submitted in writing to the Office of Admissions & Records on the appropriate substitution/exception form by an academic advisor or designated individuals. Admissions & Records will update your student records or AAR in MyNevada to reflect the approved substitution/waiver.
- Substitutions/Waivers for requirements in liberal arts majors or minors must be approved by the appropriate faculty advisor.
- If you were approved for a substitution/waiver, but this is not currently reflected on your AAR, contact your academic advisor immediately for review.
- If your AAR or Transfer Credit Report shows previous enrollment from another institution where the courses have “IP” (in-progress) grades, you must send an updated official transcript to the University of Nevada, Reno showing the final grades for the coursework or that the courses were dropped. A degree cannot be conferred with IP transfer work on your student record.
- If you are taking relevant courses at another institution during the semester you intend to graduate, you must submit an official transcript to the University of Nevada, Reno showing enrollment in the course as soon as possible — this is necessary to allow your AAR to show requirements as satisfied. A second official transcript will be needed immediately after final grades are available for the transfer courses.
- Students who were given an “I” (incomplete) in a previous course must resolve the unfinished coursework with their instructor. The instructor must submit a final grade report for the incomplete to Admissions & Records.
- Warning: An “I” will automatically convert to an “F” grade if the course is not successfully completed by the end of the next regular semester.
- If you plan to study abroad during your final term/year of study, you are highly encouraged to meet with a college advisor in the CLA Student Center to discuss the process. You may also need to meet with a major/minor advisor to discuss major/minor substitutions.
- Studying abroad in your final year of study, especially during your graduation term, is not recommended. Transcripts from some international institutions take a long time to reach the University of Nevada, Reno, which may delay graduation.
Graduation application procedures
| Important date | Fall graduation cycle | Spring graduation cycle | Summer graduation cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application available on MyNevada | When fall enrollment appointment begins (typically on or shortly after April 1st) | When spring enrollment appointment begins (typically on or shortly after November 1st) | When summer enrollment appointment begins (typically during or shortly after Spring Break) |
| Last day to apply for graduation on MyNevada | October 1st | March 1st | June 1st |
| Discrepancy reconciliation and move application term deadlines | October 1st | March 1st | June 1st |
Steps
- Review your AAR, as outlined above.
- Apply for graduation on your MyNevada account. Review Applying for Graduation on MyNevada Help for detailed instructions. (If you are pursuing multiple majors or multiple degrees, you may need to repeat the process for each major/degree).
- Update your contact information on MyNevada, and remove anything outdated — review Updating your Personal Info on MyNevada Help. Enter a “degree name” to ensure your name displays exactly as you want it to appear on your diploma.
- Pay the $95 non-refundable graduation application fee. The fee will be due with other term registration and fees (or will appear on your account within about three business days if your application was submitted after the term began).
- Be sure to check your graduation status.
- Visit the commencement webpage and review the commencement ceremony checklist.
Checking graduation status
The top section of the of the traditional AAR will note your graduation application status. Graduation status is updated weekly.
- Eligible: Students that have 99 units completed or in-progress and have at least 2.00 cumulative and University of Nevada, Reno GPAs. Eligible status does not necessarily mean that you are ready to graduate — review your AAR before applying.
- Applied: You have applied for graduation and your application has been received, but the application has not yet been reviewed.
- Needs to finish pending work: This is “the good status.” Upon successful completion of in-progress coursework, your degree will be conferred at the end of the expected graduation term.
- Program in review: Your AAR has at least one discrepancy, meaning not all degree requirements are satisfied. See a college advisor immediately.
Program in-review/discrepancies
If you have applied for graduation and your graduation status shows “program in review,” there is a discrepancy on your AAR. This means at least one of the degree requirements is not showing as satisfied and your graduation application cannot proceed forward to pending.
College advisors will attempt to contact you and/or faculty advisors multiple times to help resolve discrepancies in advance of deadlines. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that all requirements on the AAR are satisfied, and you may need to take initiative to ensure any issues are resolved. All discrepancies on the AAR must be cleared by the reconciliation deadline for the graduation term. If a discrepancy cannot be resolved and you will not be eligible to graduate during the term listed on your application, it is your responsibility to change your graduation application date prior to the deadline.
“Walking early”
Students who are within 12 units of completing graduation requirements and in good academic standing may apply to participate in a commencement ceremony prior to their official graduation term. Some examples of walking early include:
- Participating in the May commencement ceremony while finishing degree requirements in the summer immediately following. This results in a summer graduation.
- Participating in the December commencement ceremony and taking a final class during Wintermester. This results in a spring graduation, since Wintermester enrollment is part of the spring semester.
If you wish to walk early, you must submit an “application to participate in a commencement ceremony prior to your official graduation term” form to Admissions & Records. If you exercise this option, do not apply to graduate for the semester you are walking early — you will submit a graduation application for the future term in which you will complete remaining degree requirements.
Note: The event program distributed at commencement ceremonies will not include the names of students who are walking early.
Related forms
Additional forms related to graduation can be found on the Admissions & Records forms page. Be sure to read the forms carefully for more information and check with a college advisor before submitting. Paper versions of these forms should be submitted to Admissions & Records.
- Undergraduate graduation application deadline appeal: Submit if you missed the deadline to apply for graduation on MyNevada, and only if all degree requirements will be complete on your AAR at the end of the current term.
- Application to participate in a commencement ceremony prior to your official graduation term: If you wish to walk early and finish remaining coursework in a later term.
- Undergraduate graduation date change: If you need to move your graduation application to a later term because all degree requirements will not be satisfied in the graduation term.
- Request to cancel graduation application: If you wish to cancel your graduation application, especially if you are unable to complete degree requirements in time to graduate and the deadline to move your graduation date has passed.
Questions
Contact the CLA Student Center to schedule a graduation evaluation or discuss your degree requirements.
For general graduation questions, please contact the graduation office.
Review the frequently asked commencement questions or email the commencement office.