Skip to content

Office of the Registrar

Enrollment Management | Academic Affairs

Main Navigation

FAQ - Undergraduate Advisors

The Graduation Application

Undergraduate Degree Audits (Degree Audit)

Changing a Current Application

Registrar's Office Evaluations and Degree Conferral

Additional Questions

The Graduation Application

What is the purpose of the Graduation Application?

The purpose of the Graduation Application is to make sure that students, advisors, and the Graduation Division are all aware of the student's intent to graduate. For the advisor(s) and student, it provides a chance to double check requirements. For the Graduation Division, it notifies them of the student's plans and asks them to begin the evaluation process. Back to top

When is the Graduation Application Due?

Graduation Term Due Date
Fall (December) September 4
Spring (May) January 17
Summer (August) May 20

*Applications received by March 1st will have names included in the Spring Convocation Programs.

After the due date, late applications will be accepted with a $25 late fee. Back to top

How do I check for duplicate transfer courses and why is this important?

In most cases students may only receive credit for taking a course once. While processes catch most duplicate courses transferred from other institutions sometimes these are not caught because of slight differences in names or numbering conventions or timing of when the duplicate course is taken at the U. Once a duplicate course is detected it will be removed from the student’s record which may negatively impact the student’s plans to graduate. Therefore, early detection of duplicate coursework from other institutions is extremely helpful.

Using Degree Audit, review the Summary of Transfer Credit and Summary of Courses Taken At the University of Utah sections to see if any courses look like they may be potentially equivalent based on number and naming conventions (see example below). If duplicate coursework is suspected and both courses are showing final grades, then have the student complete the Duplicate Course Notification form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office, Graduation Division. Note: The coursework taken at the U is always kept regardless of when the course was taken. Back to top

Duplicate

How do I check for repeated U of U courses and why is this important?

In most cases students may only receive credit once for a course. Automated processes detect most repeated courses and a student's record is flagged so that the course is only counted one time towards graduation. However, occasionally because of timing and how grading occurs two or more equivalent courses may not be flagged as repeated on a student's record. Once detected, the repeated course will be flagged and any equivalent prior courses will no longer count towards graduation. Some situations where this might occur include:

  • When a student gets an "I" (incomplete) or "T" (work in progress) grade on the recent attempt which then converts to a final grade at a later point
  • If a student record is migrated from a legacy system to the current system
  • When a course is added late through a petition process

Using Degree Audit, review the Repeated Courses section. If courses have been flagged properly they should be listed with a ">X" after the grade. If courses are listed without the ">X" symbol then it needs to be reported to the Registration Division as soon as possible:

  • Online: complete a repeated class notification form via the Campus Information Services
  • In person: visit the Registrar's Office in the Student Services Building, second floor, Window #13.

Back to top

What is the catalog year and why is it important?

The catalog year is associated with the academic year that a student declares their major/minor. However, students can use any of the five active catalog years: the current academic year and the four previous years. A new catalog year begins every Fall and expires every Summer. Because requirements change from year to year it is important that students and advisors ensure that the correct catalog year is listed in the student’s record, on their degree audit, and on their application for graduation. Back to top

What should students do who want to change their graduation date but have been previously denied graduation or have already renewed or reapplied to a future semester?

If undergraduate students have already renewed their application to a future term or have been denied graduation for a prior semester then they must complete the reapplication process. This includes submitting the reapplication form and paying a $25 fee. The due date is the last day of classes for any given semester. Back to top

A student has a discontinued row on his or her record. How do I find out if he or she has previously applied for graduation?

If a student has a discontinued row the Graduation Application is entered below it. To view this in PeopleSoft you can tab over or select view all to see all layers depending on your CIS security. Back to top

Undergraduate Degree Audits (Degree Audit)

As an advisor, what degree audit should I generate?

Students and advisors should normally use the Generate Degree Audits for Declared Major(s)/Minor(s) link in CIS. This will automatically generate the correct Major, Catalog Year, and Emphasis (if applicable). Students and advisors should only use the Generate Degree Audit Reports link in CIS if they are running a degree audit for a discontinued student, or for the analysis of another major or variations to a declared major. When using this tool be sure to select the correct information from ALL drop-down options. Degree Audit tutorials for you and/or your students are available on the Undergraduate Studies website.

Technical issues and questions regarding Degree Audit should be sent to dars@sa.utah.edu.

Back to top

The degree audit for an advisee with an associate degree does not show General Education requirements are completed. How can this be fixed?

In the majority of cases, the student brought in their transfer work before their associate degree was awarded from their transfer institution. They need to contact their prior school and have a final transcript sent or letter indicating that they have completed an associate degree to the Admissions Office. If credits are missing, a transcript will be required. For questions contact: admissions@utah.edu.

Please be advised that only an Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of Arts (AA) degree will clear general education requirements, however individuals must still satisfy the Bachelor’s Degree requirements. An Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Pre-Engineering (APE), or other similar degree does not clear General Education or Bachelor’s Degree requirements. Back to top

When do I need to have all exceptions entered into Degree Audit for my students?

Advisors should enter exceptions as soon as they have been discussed and approved. The last day to enter exceptions for students is generally within one day of the “grades available” day on the academic calendar.

Exceptions entered after the due date can result in the student being denied graduation. Please contact graduation@utah.edu for extreme circumstances.

If you are having trouble entering exceptions please verify your security authorization. For tutorials on entering exceptions please visit the Undergraduate Studies website or email your questions to dars@sa.utah.edu.

Back to top

Changing a Current Application

How can a student change something once the student has applied to graduate?

Once students apply for graduation any changes to their record must be done by the Graduation Division. They can use the Notification of Graduation Change form to request the following changes:

  • Update Degree Type including Honors Degrees
  • Add/Remove a minor
  • Update Catalog year
  • Add/Drop an emphasis
  • Withdraw an application

Please contact graduation@utah.edu from your umail account for more information. Back to top

What should students do upon realizing they are not going to complete requirements even though they have already applied to graduate?

If this occurs and has never occurred before, undergraduate students should alert the Graduation Division by sending a formal request through their umail account to graduation@utah.edu asking to renew their graduation application to a specific future semester. Undergraduate applicants are only allowed one renewal of their initial graduation application and the request must be submitted before the end of the initial application term. Note: students who have already used this option or have been denied graduation must complete the reapplication process and pay the corresponding $25 reapplication fee. Back to top

I can’t update a student’s record because they have previously applied to graduate. Who can help me with this?

For changes to a student’s existing application, the request must come from the student. See Notification of Graduation Change.

If a student is adding a major, the advisor must contact registration@utah.edu to add the new major. Once the major is updated, the student can then complete a new application for the new major.

To change a minor to a double major then the student would need to send a formal request to drop the minor through umail to graduation@utah.edu and the advisor would need to add the major by contacting registration@utah.edu. The student then submits an application for graduation with the additional major.Back to top

Registrar's Office Evaluations and Degree Conferral

What happens after a graduation application is submitted to the Registrar’s Office?

For Undergraduate students applying by the due date, three evaluations are done before a degree is awarded. All evaluations follow the Graduation Evaluation Process. We check and report any duplicate or repeated courses at this point. The first is an Initial Evaluation – students are sent a simple email referring them to check the degree audit report that we have generated for them. The second is the Provisional Evaluation and only students who have deficient requirements are sent an email listing those deficiencies and instructions for changing their graduation term. The last evaluation is done at the end of the semester – students will receive a Umail indicating their status has changed to “awarded” or “denied.” Denied students are given instructions on how to reapply. Awarded students are mailed their diploma. Although the final evaluation process takes approximately 4-5 weeks to complete, degrees are awarded daily and diplomas are mailed weekly during this time. Back to top

What does the Graduation Evaluation Process entail?

The Graduation Division uses degree audits to evaluate each undergraduate student for graduation. This begins by verifying the student’s major, degree type, emphasis (if applicable), minor(s) (if applicable), and catalog year. We then verify that the Hours/GPA in PeopleSoft match the Hours/GPA on the Degree Audit (formerly known as My Degree Dashboard) . If they do not, other steps are taken to correct the record before we continue the evaluation. We then review repeated U of U work and check for duplicate transfer credit that may have been misapplied. We verify that all requirements have been met; any deficiencies (red x’s) on the Degree Audit will cause the student to be denied graduation. GPA honors and certificates are evaluated before they are posted to a student’s record.

The schedule for posting degrees is as follows:

Early Qualifiers- Those with all requirements already showing as completed.

Start: End of term

End: Day before Grades Available.

First Pass- Any students with deficiencies will be moved to the second pass.

Start: Grades Available

End: Once all students have been evaluated (approximately 2-4 weeks)

Second Pass- Any students still showing deficiencies will be set to “denied”.

Start: Once the first pass is complete

End: Once every student moved to the second pass has been reevaluated (approximately 1 week)

Back to top

When do students have to have all of their work completed for a degree?

In order to qualify for graduation for a specific term students must have all work completed and turned in by the conferral date of that semester. For Summer/Fall students, this would be the last day of finals for the graduating term. Back to top

When should transfer work be posted to a student’s record in order to graduate on time?

All transfer work from other institutions needs to be posted to the student’s University of Utah record by the last day of classes. The Office of Admissions oversees this process and it takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks; therefore, students who are transferring in work during their last term should apply to graduate the following term. Transfer work that is not posted by the last day of classes for the final semester will result in the student being denied graduation and subsequently having to complete the reapplication process. Students studying abroad during their final semester also face this situation if their grades are not on the record by the end of the graduating term. Back to top

When is it reasonable for an undergraduate student to seek an exception to the residency requirement?

All undergraduate students must earn at least 30 semester credit hours from the University of Utah and at least 20 of the last 30 semester credit hours earned towards a student’s degree must be earned from the University of Utah.  The University’s Graduation Committee has approved certain exceptions for this requirement including: 

  • Transferring 15 or fewer final credits from an approved learning abroad or international exchange program (does not apply to U of U courses held at the Asia Campus or other off-campus location);
  • Transferring more than the allowed 10 credits when those credits are not being used to fulfill graduation requirements; and
  • Being confronted with an involuntary change of residence (owing to military obligations, health, marriage, etc.) when the student is within 30 credits for graduation and has earned at least 90 credits from the University of Utah.

An Application for Residency Requirement Exception must be filed with the Registrar’s Office along with proper documentation prior to the last day of the student’s anticipated graduation term. 

Contact graduation@utah.edu for more information. Back to top

Is there any way to expedite the evaluation process?

No, the Graduation Division is not able to evaluate students individually; however degrees are evaluated and awarded as quickly as possible. The process for final evaluation takes approximately 4-5 weeks to complete after the end of each term, but degrees are awarded daily and diplomas are mailed weekly during this time. Once a degree has been awarded, the student will be sent a notification through the student's Umail account. Back to top

What/When is the Conferral date?

The conferral date is always the last day of finals in Fall and Summer or the Commencement day in Spring. This is the graduation date listed on the diploma and transcripts. Back to top

Who qualifies for honors at graduation?

Students must meet the hours and GPA requirement in order to qualify. Current information can be found on our website, Honors at Graduation.

Back to top

A student was denied graduation because of university error. How can this be resolved?

The Graduation Division will only reevaluate students for graduation without a reapplication if they were denied due to a valid university error and within a reasonable time frame. The university employee responsible must send an email request to graduation@utah.edu explaining their actions. The Graduation Division will notify the employee and the student of our decision. Back to top

What are the Graduation Review Statuses?

  • Application Received: Indicates that you have applied to graduate.
  • Initial Evaluation in Progress: The Graduation Division is reviewing your academic record.
  • Needs Additional Review Eval Pending: The Graduation Division has questions about your record and additional information is needed before the review can be completed. 
  • Initial Evaluation Complete: The Graduation Division completed an evaluation comparing your academic record with your Degree Audit (formerly known as My Degree Dashboard).
  • Provisional Review – In Progress: Occurring in your expected graduation term, the Graduation Division will review your academic record
  • Contact Advisor(s): Deficiencies have been noted in your expected graduation term.  Contact your advisor to consider if you should delay graduation or if your requirements can still be completed this term. 
  • Review Complete On Track: The Graduation Division has noted that your Degree Audit (formerly known as My Degree Dashboard) shows all requirements are either completed or are in progress. 
  • Review Complete Ready to Award: The Graduation Division has noted that your Degree Audit (formerly known as My Degree Dashboard) shows all requirements are completed. 
  • In Final Review: The Graduation Division will be reviewing your degree audit to determine if your degree can be awarded. 
  • Ready to Award: The Graduation Division has noted that all requirements are complete and your degree will be awarded at or after the conferral date. 
  • Awarded Degree: The Graduation Division has certified that all requirements are completed and your degree is now part of your student record. 
  • Denied – Contact Advisor(s):  The Graduation Division was unable to certify completion of all requirements.  Contact your advisor(s) to discuss reapplying for graduation in a future term.

Back to top

Additional Questions

Who may participate in commencement and convocation exercises?

Commencement and Convocation exercises are held at the end of each Spring semester. Since they are only held once a year all candidates/graduates from that commencement year and previous the Summer are allowed to participate (i.e. for April 2020 Commencement/Convocation candidates/graduates for Summer 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, and Summer 2020 can participate and will be in the program if they apply for graduation by March 1). Anybody outside of the allowed semesters are referred to their college for approval to participate, but their names will not appear in the program until the following year.

Note: Summer candidates are allowed to participate in the ceremonies either the Spring before or the following Spring with their graduating class. However, summer candidates who participate before they graduate will not be recognized for honors. Back to top

Can students complete a minor after they have graduated?

No. A University minor can only be received at the same time the student graduates with a major. The minor is an attribute to a degree and not an entity by itself. Students should declare the minor with the appropriate department before applying for graduation. Additionally,

  • Teaching minors must be completed in conjunction with a teaching major.
  • Students can complete more than one minor at a time.
  • If a minor is not complete upon graduation it can only be awarded if it is attached to another major completed at a later date.
  • Both the major and minor must be complete during our final evaluation for a degree to be awarded. They will not be awarded separately.
  • If a student decides not to complete the minor and would like their degree awarded with just their major they must formally request through umail to graduation@utah.edu to drop their minor before the end of the term.

Back to top

Graduation

Student Services Building
Second Floor,
Window 16
Phone: (801) 581-5808
Fax: (801) 585-7860

Office Hours

Mon 8am-5pm
Tue 10am-5pm
Wed 8am-5pm
Thu 8am-5pm
Fri 8am-5pm

Mailing Address

Graduation Division
201 S 1460 E Rm 250N
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9056

Email: Graduation@utah.edu

Last Updated: 8/27/21