Enrollment Services

Graduation/Degree Conferral

All graduating students must submit an official application for graduation on Spirit Online before the application due dates listed below. All of your coursework must be completed by the last business day of the conferral month you have submitted an application for. If your course requirements are not completed by the last business day of the conferral period, your application will be moved the next conferral term. 

Deadlines for filing graduation application

Conferral Period Application Due Date
February December 1
May February 1
August July 1
November September 1
December October 1

Students who file after the deadline may experience processing delays and may not be listed in the Commencement Program.

How do I apply for Graduation?

Current Students must log into Spirit Online, then click the “Apply for Graduation” link to submit your application. Don’t delay submitting your application! The application is quick and takes just a few minutes to submit.

Former Students that have not attended in a year or more should contact the Registrar’s Office for assistance. We will advise you if you need to be reinstated to complete more courses or if you do not need to complete more courses, then we will work with ITS to re-activate your SpiritOnline account.

What’s next?

  • Payment Processing: Evening students (undergraduate, graduate and doctoral) will be assessed a one-time graduation fee of $150 on their financial account, per degree awarded. A charge will be added to your account and will receive an email from Students Accounts instructing you to visit the Student Payment Center to make this payment online. If you do not see the fee, please contact studentaccounts@saintpeters.edu to review your account
  • Program Requirement Status: Review your academic evaluation to verify that your program requirements are complete for your entire program. If any area(s) are marked as “course needed” this means that you still need to complete that requirement. If you have questions regarding your academic evaluation you should consult your academic advisor(s) for clarity.

Requirements for Degrees

Undergraduate Degrees

  • Complete all core, major, minor, distributive and free electives requirements
  • All major/minor substitutions must be approved by the Dean and/or your Advisor/Chair
  • All incomplete grades must have a valid grade submitted (no IC grades)
  • Must have completed at least 120 credits to earn a baccalaureate degree and at least 60 credits for an associates degree
  • Must have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA
  • Must have satisfied the GPA in the major and the GPA in the minor requirement
  • All transfer work must be approved by the Dean and submitted to Office of the University Registrar
  • All CLEP exam paperwork must be approved by Dean/Chair of Dept. and submitted to the Office of the University Registrar
  • Graduation Honors -On your Name Card it states the honors announcement that will be called during the Commencement Ceremony. This is based on your current GPA which does not include spring courses that are in progress. After Commencement your GPA will be reviewed again and if you qualify then honors will be notated on your academic transcript.

Graduate/Doctorate Degrees

  • Complete all degree program requirements
  • Graduate Education Alternate Route Credits must be received and processed by the Office of the University Registrar
  • Doctoral Dissertation must be successfully defended and approved by the Program Director
  • All incomplete grades must have a valid grade submitted (no IC grades)
  • All transfer work must be approved by the Program Director/Dean and submitted to the Office of the University Registrar
  • Graduate students must have at least a 3.0 overall GPA

Commencement Ceremony Participation

The University has one commencement ceremony in May and five certification dates: February, May, August, November and December.

Students that graduated last December, February of this year or expect to complete their remaining program requirements in May or August are eligible to participate in the University’s annual Commencement exercises held at the close of the spring term. Effective Fall 2016, students who need no more than 6 credits remaining to complete degree requirements may participate in the Commencement exercises provided they have pre-registered for the remaining coursework or completed a Commencement Contract with the appropriate Dean indicating the program requirements that are still outstanding for degree completion. Exceptions to the credit requirement will be permitted for students in the School of Education who need to complete student teaching in the Fall term. Participation in the Commencement exercises is ceremonial and does not constitute degree conferral. Students may only participate in one Commencement exercise. 

Commencement Awards

To qualify for Commencement Awards, all program requirements must be successfully completed last December, this February May or August. Candidates that apply for the upcoming December and request participation in early Commencement are not eligible for awards. For further information, including Commencement ceremony details, see Commencement.

When will I receive my diploma?

Diplomas will be mailed to graduates who have completed all academic requirements and have no outstanding financial or other obligations to the university. Please review your Graduation Application on SPIRIT Online to verify that the address listed is where you would like your diploma delivered.  You can update your application on Spirit if a correction is needed. Please note that address corrections must be submitted 15 days prior to the certification date.

After final grades are received and a final graduation verification is completed, diplomas will be mailed approximately six to eight weeks after the conferral date to those who qualify. All obligations to the University, including financial, must be fulfilled before the diploma will be released.

Diploma Name

If the name indicated on your application does not match our records then you are required to submit two forms of legal documentation to the Enrollment Services Center to officially update your name on file. If you fail to submit appropriate documentation the name on your diploma will be your name on file.

Academic Majors, Minors and Concentrations

Diplomas list the degree of study only (i.e. Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Nursing, Doctor of Education). Majors, Minors, Concentrations, and Latin Honors are listed on the academic transcript which should be used to verify your degree or program of study. For students that are double majors seeking a major in both a BA and BS degree program, the degree on your diploma will be based on the first major or degree program that is listed on your record. The second major is listed under the degree program so only the degree associated with the first major will be listed.

Requirements Complete Mid-Term

If your requirements are completed in the middle of a term, your degree will be conferred on the next conferral date. For example, if you complete all your requirements in the month of March, then the next certification date will be in May. Your diploma and transcript will both list the May conferral date (but your requirements were completed in March). If your requirements are complete in October, your next certification date will be November.

Questions

We are happy to help!. Kindly contact 

  • your academic advisor for If you have any questions regarding your course requirements or substitutions
  • the registrars team for all other graduation or degree related questions at registrar@saintpeters.edu