A student may complete the requirements for a degree at the end of any of the University's designated terms. One Commencement ceremony is held at the end of the spring semester. Degrees will be conferred and diplomas issued as follows:
Students who have applied for graduation, have received preliminary verification by the Registrar, have been approved by the faculty, and expect to complete requirements at the end of the term may participate in the commencement ceremony.
Students who graduated the previous terms will be invited to participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony. Undergraduate students who will complete requirements during the summer terms, may participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony if they are within 12 credits of completion with a 2.0 GPA. However, degrees will not be conferred and diplomas and honors will not be issued until all degree requirements are satisfied.
As one of the requirements for graduation, all Jacksonville University students must complete an important survey regarding their immediate professional plans after graduation. The survey's main function is to capture employment and continued education information from graduating students. This information enables the University to publish employment and graduate school statistics, which are vital to state funding, publication rankings, and admissions recruiting. The survey - commonly referred to as the "First Destination Survey, The Outcomes Survey, or the Graduate Survey" - will be administered during the students' final semester at JU and is required to be completed before Commencement. For further information or other questions regarding this survey, please contact the Career Design and Exploration Office.
Graduate students who will complete requirements during the summer terms, may participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony if they are within nine credits of completion with a 3.0 GPA. However, degrees will not be conferred and diplomas will not be issued until all degree requirements are satisfied.
Student transcripts will indicate that the degree was conferred as of the end of the term in which degree requirements were completed.
Diplomas will be mailed to graduates within six to eight weeks following the end of the term. Each student is responsible for arranging schedules to satisfy degree requirements in anticipation of timely graduation. The University strongly recommends that each student outline his or her program in consultation with his or her academic advisor at the beginning of each academic year so that adjustments leading to timely graduation can be made, if required. A student’s academic advisor is responsible for giving sound academic advice, but the student ultimately is responsible for ensuring that all degree requirements for the student’s particular programs are fulfilled.
While efforts are made to ensure this Catalog’s completeness and accuracy, University regulations and policies are not affected by typographical or other errors.
Determination of degree eligibility and commencement ceremony participation are governed by the following:
Each student must make formal application to graduate in Self Service. It is recommended that prospective graduates should submit their graduation application one year in advance, but no later than:
February 1st for students planning to graduate at the end of following Spring or Summer terms.
September 1st for students planning to graduate at the end of Fall terms.
Commencement information can be found on the Commencement Webpage.
The commencement ceremony is an official University convocation designed to honor each graduate’s academic achievement and to recognize the support of parents, spouses and loved ones. All prospective graduates are encouraged to participate in the commencement ceremony, but participation is not mandatory.