Student FAQs:
Graduating Semester Requirements
I intend to graduate this semester, but I'm not completely sure that I will. What should I do?
If you think there is a good chance you will graduate, submit a degree application online via
ISIS
by the published deadline. There is no fee, and it starts the administrative process. The UF Graduate School reviews your file, the UF Office of the Registrar orders a diploma, your name is included in the commencement program, and you are given instructions for commencement.
I'm not planning to attend commencement; do I still have to apply for graduation?
Graduation involves degree certification and commencement, which are two different things. Degree certification is the awarding of the degree; commencement is the ceremony. You must always apply for graduation, in order to have your degree certified and awarded, even if you are not attending the ceremony.
What is degree certification?
Degree certification at the University of Florida is a four-step process:
(1) Your department certifies to your college that all specific course and program requirements have been satisfactorily fulfilled.
(2) Your college then certifies to the UF Graduate School that all college degree requirements have been fulfilled satisfactorily.
(3) The UF Graduate School certifies that all UF Graduate Council policies and UF requirements have been fulfilled satisfactorily.
(4) UF then awards you your degree.
Read "Awarding of Degrees" in the UF Graduate Catalog, in either its printed or online versions, for more details.
I missed the UF Office of the Registrar's deadline to apply for graduation. Can I still apply?
The UF Graduate School will accept late degree applications until the midpoint deadline of the semester, published in the UF Graduate Catalog. Students who miss this deadline will have to "clear prior" and reapply for the next semester.
What is "cleared prior" status?
"Cleared prior" means a student is exempt from the usual final semester registration requirements because he or she has met all those requirements during the previous semester, but not by deadline. Students exempt from final semester registration and qualifying for "cleared prior" status must meet all of the following conditions before the start of the first day of classes for the semester following the one in which they met all graduation requirements:
(1) He or she must have been correctly registered in the preceding semester.
(2) He or she must have completed all degree requirements, including final submission of the dissertation, thesis or project and the final examination report.
(3) He or she must have submitted a final examination form, if receiving a nonthesis degrees.
(4) He or she must have cleared up all I (Incomplete) or other unresolved grades on his or her transcript.
(5) He or she must have filed a new degree application for the upcoming semester with the UF Office of the Registrar.
I applied to graduate last semester, but it didn't happen. Do I need to reapply again?
A degree application does not "carry over" from the previous semester. You are required to reapply for the new semester in accordance with the published deadline. This is also the case for students approved by the UF Graduate School to "clear prior" for the current semester.
I missed the UF Office of the Registrar's deadline to apply for graduation. Can I still apply?
The UF Graduate School will accept late degree applications until the midpoint deadline of the semester. Students who miss this deadline will have to "clear prior" and reapply for the next semester.
Do I need to be registered in the final semester, when I am due to graduate? What if I don't need the credits to fulfill my degree requirements?
Unless "cleared prior," students must meet minimum registration requirements (or be appropriately registered for the assistantship or fellowship) and be appropriately registered in courses that count toward the degree. Doctoral students not on appointment should be registered for 7980 (three credits in fall or spring, or two credits in summer); master's thesis students should be registered for 6971, or project hours if appropriate (three credits in fall or spring, or two credits in summer). Students on appointment should check the Graduate Catalog for specific requirements regarding their appointments.
I submitted a thesis or dissertation to the UF Graduate School Editorial Office last semester, but I didn't graduate. Do I have to resubmit?
Students who submitted a thesis or dissertation, but did not graduate and did not clear prior for the next semester, are not automatically included with the next semester's graduation submissions. To graduate in the next semester, you must meet the first submission deadlines for theses or dissertations.
I need to change from thesis to nonthesis or change my supervisory committee. What is the deadline to make those changes?
All changes to supervisory committees for degree candidates, including a change from thesis to nonthesis status, and final requests for transfer of credit must be completed by the midpoint deadline of the final semester, published in the UF Graduate Catalog. No changes can be made after the final defense of a thesis or dissertation, regardless of the deadline.
I'm submitting a thesis or dissertation. Does it have to be submitted electronically?
If you were admitted to your degree program from Fall 2001 onward, then you are required to submit an electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD). Students admitted before Fall 2001 have the option of submitting a paper-format or electronic-format thesis or dissertation, but are encouraged to submit an ETD. For more information about ETDs and their benefits, click here:
UF Graduate School Editorial Office FAQs.
I "cleared prior" for Fall, Spring or Summer C Semester, or finished my department degree requirements in Summer A or off cycle for the semester. Now I need to provide documentation to an employer or licensing board that I've graduated. How can I do that?
Although you may have fulfilled department requirements, you have not been awarded your degree until the UF Graduate School certifies the degree to the UF Office of the Registrar. That is done at the end of Fall, Spring, and Summer C Semesters for all students who applied to graduate. The UF Graduate School can provide a degree candidate verification letter that many employers and licensure boards will accept, but check with them first. (You must fill out and submit a
Degree Status Verification Form
to request this letter.) Some employers and licensure boards require the degree statement on the transcript and that will not be available until about three days after degree certification in December, May and August.
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