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To earn your degree, all degree requirements as stipulated in the undergraduate catalog of your declared program(s) of study must be complete by the conclusion of the term in which you have applied, including all minors, concentrations and cognates (if applicable). Review your requirements on your DegreeWorks and consult with your advisor to determine if you are on track to graduate. Students should only apply to graduate for the term in which they anticipate completing their degree. 

A Graduation Application is required before a degree can be posted to a student's academic record. Students can apply to graduate online through the Graduation Application Tile in MyPortal. During the graduation application process, a graduation fee will be added to the student's account. This is a one-time fee of $25.  

Once you submit your graduation application, you will be charged a one-time graduation application fee of $25. This fee will be be charged to your student account and can be paid through your eBill account in MyPortal.

If you're applying to earn more than one degree, you will be charged $8 for each additional diploma. 

Students earning certificates must also submit the graduation application and $25 graduation fee before a certificate can be awarded.

Commencement Participation and Graduation Application Guide

Commencement is a ceremony celebrating your academic achievement, but it does not mean your degree has been officially awarded (i.e., graduation). To participate in commencement, here’s what you need to know:

Applying for Graduation

To officially graduate, you must submit a graduation application for the semester you will complete your degree. The application becomes available once you have earned  a certain number of credit hours:

• Fall or Spring Degree Completion: Eligible to apply after earning at least 101 credit hours.
• Summer Degree Completion: Eligible to apply after earning at least  92 credit hours.

If you haven’t reached the required earned credit hours threshold to apply, you must request an exception and provide proof of your progress toward completing your degree in the selected term. After this information is reviewed, you will gain access to a graduation application.

Commencement Ceremony Participation

Students who are on schedule to complete their degree requirements in the Fall are expected to participate in the Winter Commencement Ceremony in December.  All fall graduates who do not walk in the December ceremony will automatically be included in the lists to walk in May of the following year.

Students who are on schedule to complete their degree requirements in the Spring are expected to participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony in May. 

Students who are on schedule to complete their degree requirements during the Summer may request to participate in commencement exercises in the preceding Spring (as an Early Walk) or the following Fall (as a Late Walk) of the same year.   To be considered to walk either early or late, students must first submit their graduation application.

Degree Works provides you with access to your unofficial degree audit which lists information regarding your current program(s) of study including institutional requirements, general education requirements, major requirements (with concentration, cognate or track, if applicable) and minor requirements.  

You and your advisor can access your degree audit via MyPortal and the Academic Services tab.  

Please note:  You and your advisor may use this on-line tool to view your progress toward meeting graduation requirements, but it is not an official degree audit. Official final degree audits are only performed by the Office of the Registrar after a student applies for graduation. 

Graduation Status Notification

Students who apply to graduate will be e-mailed one or more Graduation Status Notification emails during their expected graduation term. 

Students who fail to apply to graduate will not receive a Graduation Status Notification email. 

 There are two types of e-mails: 

• Not Pre-clearing: Students are notified that they are lacking items to meet their graduation requirements for the term in which they applied. 
  
  
• Pre-Clearing: Students are on track to graduate as applied. 

Students who no longer anticipate completing their degree requirements by the conclusion of the term for which they have applied can move their application to a future term by submitting a Graduation Update. 

A student’s diploma name is not required to match their primary/legal name.

You will have the opportunity to select your diploma name when completing the graduation application in MyPortal. A student can choose any preferred first or middle name as their diploma name. Some examples of preferred names can include but are not limited to:

• First name, initial, or an alternate form of the first name
• Middle name, initial, or omission of the middle name altogether
• Inclusion of former or maiden name
• Inclusion of maternal surnames as culturally appropriate
• The following suffixes can be used in a diploma name: I, II, III, IV, Jr., Sr.

Individuals should refrain from any of the following in their diploma name:

• Symbols, numbers, unusual capitalization, repeating characters or punctuation
• Characters from multiple languages
• Titles of any kind, ex. professional, religious
• Offensive or suggestive words of any kind
• Not permitted is a prefix or suffix related to a title or credential (e.g., Dr., DMD, Esq., Mrs., Mr., etc.)

During the term when they apply to graduate, students will receive an email confimring the diploma name selected. Any corrections to the diploma name must be updated by the student’s degree conferral date by emailing graduation@cofc.edu.

Failure to update or correct the diploma name prior to degree conferral will require the graduate to order a replacement diploma. Standard replacement fees will apply.

NOTE:
The College strongly suggests that students who plan to live, study or work outside of the United States use their legal name on their diploma to avoid issues with the verification of their educational records. Additionally, diplomas requiring notarization must reflect the individual’s legal name. If a student uses a preferred name on their diploma and later needs a new diploma with their legal name, they will be required to order a replacement diploma. Standard replacement fees will apply. 

 

Seal and Ribbon
When the diploma ships, graduates receive and email with the tracking information along with how to attach the seal and ribbon. Included in the mailing tube with a student's diploma will be a satin ribbon and the gold foil seal of the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. Also included is a document detailing how these items should be placed on the diploma. If any item is missing, contact graduation@cofc.edu.

Majors and Honors
Major(s) and Latin honors (if applicable) are listed on the diploma (B.A./B.S./B.P.S./B.I.S.). PLEASE NOTE: A.B. (Latin) diplomas will not have the major listed. Minors and concentrations are not printed on the diploma, but are printed on the transcript. Information regarding earning more than one degree is available in the Undergraduate Catalogs beginning with the 2008-09 Catalog (see ).

Dimensions/Material
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø undergraduate diplomas are among the largest in the country at 20" long by 16" wide. These diplomas are made of archival quality parchment paper.

Signatures
Diplomas are signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, the President, the Provost and also by the current school deans and department chairs.

Diplomas will be mailed to the diploma mailing address listed on the Graduation Application 6 to 8 weeks following degree conferral.  

Check MyPortal to ensure your account is current and your Diploma Mailing Address (as listed on your Graduation Application) is correct before leaving the College to avoid delays in receiving your diploma.

Your Diploma Mailing Address should be an address where you can receive mail up to 12 weeks after graduation.

You may review the address by clicking on the Graduation Application Tile in and then selecting Submitted Graduation Applications.

• Complete and submit the Graduation Update Form if you have already completed a Graduation Application and need to update your expected graduation term or if you need to modify your program of study (i.e., change/add or undeclare a degree, major or minor, etc.) since applying to graduate.
  
  
  
  E-mail graduation@cofc.edu (for security purposes, e-mailed address updates will only be accepted from students' official college-issued email accounts

If your diploma arrives damaged or you have other questions or concerns, please email graduation@cofc.edu.

 

 

Contact the Office of the Registrar

Undergraduate alumni may request a replacement diploma through the ordering portal via our diploma vendor, Paradigm. Payment is accepted in the portal at the time of the request. Graduate alumni should contact the Graduate School for diploma replacement.

There are various replacement options available depending on your needs. For a standard order, please allow 4-8 weeks for processing. The standard order and our expedited options, along with their prices, are included in the drop down menu in our ordering portal. Please note that if you require notarization, it will add several days to the processing time since the diploma must first come to us for notarization before it is directed to its final destination. If you have questions or concerns about the delivery timeline, please contact graduation@cofc.edu.

Diplomas will be reproduced on the engraver's current paper stock using current faculty signatures.   As a result, the replacement diploma may not be an exact duplicate of the original.  However, the diploma will match your official academic record on file (name, degree, major, and conferral date).  All replacement diplomas are 20" x 16". 

Diplomas are ordered by degree:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Bachelor of Science (BS)
• Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS)
• Bachelor of Integrated Studes (BIS)
• Artium Baccalaureatus (AB).

Students will receive one diploma per degree earned. If a student completes two (or more) majors on the same degree in the same term, all majors will be included on one diploma (note: majors are not listed on the AB degree).

Degree types earned for each major are listed in the Undergraduate Catalog.  Minors, concentrations, emphases, etc., are included on the transcript, but are not listed on the diploma. Information regarding earning more than one degree is available in the   (see Second Bachelor's Degree Policy under Academic Regulations).

Students who choose to complete the requirements for two programs normally offered under different degrees, but have less than 153 earned hours, will receive one diploma; typically the degree type defaults in this order, AB/BS/BA. Students who do not wish to receive the default degree must send an email to graduation@cofc.edu prior to the conclusion of your graduation term.

Additional diplomas will not be ordered for students completing a second major in the same degree type in a different term from the first; the second major will be noted on the transcript but a second diploma will not be issued.

Contact graduation@cofc.edu if you have applied to graduate and have specific questions regarding your diploma as it pertains to multiple majors or degrees.

Graduation at the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is a celebration for all graduates and their families. In the past and with special consideration the College has allowed family members who are on the faculty or staff of the College to present their graduates with the "diploma" during the ceremony.

While this is a special moment for both the graduate and the family, the presentation of the diploma by a family member creates difficulties during the diploma distribution which causes problems for others, most notably those immediately behind the graduate whose family member is participating.

Effective spring 2011, any ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø graduate whose family member who is on the faculty or staff of the College and wants to participate in a graduate's ceremony will no longer be allowed to present the diploma to the graduate, but instead will be allowed to join the line of College representatives and faculty from the graduate's school and department at the end of the stage and will be able to shake hands with and embrace the graduate.

This will provide the opportunity for the graduate and the family member to celebrate the occasion in a more meaningful way and will also allow the procession of graduates to move across the stage more smoothly.

A posthumous degree may be awarded for a deceased student upon the recommendation of the relevant dean or deans and as approved by the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs or the president. 

  

View Policy on Posthumous Degrees