Graduate Student Resources
Graduation
General Information/Graduation Video Tutorial
A student planning to complete a degree during the current semester must apply for Graduation by the published deadline of the semester during which all degree requirements will be completed. (The deadline is posted below and o the Registrar's website.) It is recommended that students submit their applications after they have consulted with their program advisor and:
-have passed the comprehensive exam or its equivalent OR have been cleared to take it in the application semester
-will have completed all degree requirements by the end of the semester, including the removal of all incomplete (I), missing (M), and continuing (Z) grades.
-provided currency statements for all courses that have exceeded the University's stated time limits.
-submitting all applicable official test scores must have been received for all degree programs requiring them, (e.g. Florida Teacher Certification Exam, Florida Educational Leadership Examination, etc.)
-Additionally, all students must be registered for at least two (2) graduate credit hours during the semester in which they have applied for graduation.
-Doctoral student must successfully defend their final dissertation and submit all of their relevant ETD Paperwork by the current semester's ETD deadline. See the Defense Deadlines for the current semester's deadlines.
Graduation Application Deadline: Fall 2017 - Friday, September 22, 2017
Graduation Video Tutorial
Check out the Graduation Video provided by the Graduate Support Office
Applying for Graduation
Students apply for graduation via the Student Tab in their OASIS account which can be accessed via their MyUSF portal. When applying, as long as the information regarding your Curriculum Information/Current Program section is correct (in particular, your college, degree and major and concentration if applicable) you can submit the application. You will automatically be sent a confirmation to your USF email account.
Please Note: If you are applying for graduation, we request that you make sure your personal information (i.e. Name, Address, Phone Number, etc.) is up to date with the Registrar's office. The information that they have on file is what will be used when diplomas are generated and mailed. Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions or concerns.
Registering for Commencement
Commencement is the formal ceremony where students walk across the stage in their commencement regalia (cap, gown, hood). The commencement ceremony is a completely separate process from the graduation process. For more information regarding the commencement ceremonies and registering for this semester's ceremony please visit their website.
Late Graduation Application
Students who need to file for graduation after the published University deadline for the current semester will be considered late applicants. Late applicants must complete the online Graduation Application via their Oasis account and the Late Graduate Graduation Application Form. The Late Graduate Graduation Application form should be submitted to the Graduate Support Office (EDU 320).
Late applicants who want to participate in the graduation exercises should contact the University Office of Special Events and Ceremonies (see the section above on registering for commencement) regarding requirements to participate in the commencement ceremony. However, late graduation applicants should be aware that:
-their names may not appear in the commencement program
-academic regalia for participation in the graduation ceremony may not be available to them
-they may not receive their diplomas with those who filed their applications by the stated deadlines
-they may experience a delay in receiving their final transcripts showing degree completion from the Registrar's Office
Withdrawal from Graduation
A student who has applied for graduation for the semester and needs to delay degree completion should complete and submit the Graduate Graduation Application Withdrawal Request to the Graduate Support Office (EDU 320) as soon as possible before the last day of classes for the semester. This action removes the student's name from the official graduation list and the student will not be certified for the final degree for that semester.
Once withdrawn, the student must apply for graduation for the next term.
Certifying Degree Completion
Participation in the graduation ceremony does not guarantee certification for degree.
Once final grades for the semester are received, the Graduate Support Office (EDU 320) will certify completion of the earned degree (i.e., conduct a final review of the applicants' degree requirements and final transcripts to ensure that all graduation requirements are met).
A list of graduation applicants and their final graduation status (i.e. whether they have successfully earned the degrees or not) will be forwarded to the Registrar's Office approximately 4-6 weeks after the graduation ceremony.
Denial of Degree
In the event that a student does not meet the requirements for the academic program and is denied graduation, the Graduate Support Office will send the student and appropriate department faculty and staff a notice identifying the issues which prevented graduation.
The student must submit a new online graduation application for the new term of graduation by the application deadline for that term. The student should work with the academic department to successfully reconcile the issues which prevented the previous term's graduation.
In addition, the student must be registered for two (2) graduate hours in the semester of re-application for graduation.
Letters of Completion
A letter of completion verifying satisfactory completion of degree requirements is available to students who request it while they are still waiting for their degree to post to their transcripts. Please complete the Request for Letter of Completion form and submit it to the Graduate Support Office (EDU 320). The Letter of Completion is signed by the student's department, the Graduate Support Office for the College of Education, the Office of graduate Studies for the University, and the University Registrar and receives the university's seal.
Letters of completion requests are processed and completed once the final certification process is completed for the student. For masters students the final certification process will be completed after the current term's grades are released by the registrar (the Friday after commencement). For doctoral and specialists students the final certification process will be completed upon receipt of the ETD Confirmation email from the ETD Coordinator in the Office of Graduate Studies (Baring the student taking any other coursework in addition to dissertation/thesis hours). Once the Letter of Completion has been fully processed it will be mailed to the student at the address provided on the form unless otherwise indicated with a copy of the form emailed to the student as well. Please allow six (6) to ten (10) business days for a request for Letter of Completion to be processed once the final certification is complete for the student.
NOTE: Once transcripts reflect the degree earned a Letter of Completion will longer be available.
Order Transcripts
Students may order transcripts showing reflecting their degree from the university Registrar's Office. Please note that if you are ordering a transcript prior to the completion of the final degree certification process, check the box asking that your transcript be delayed until the degree has posted. For more information regarding ordering transcripts and the necessary links visit the Registrar's Office web-page below.