Quick Links
- Upcoming Ceremony Information and Deadlines for Graduates
- Commencement Registration
- Commencement Participation Policy
- Petitioning to Participate in Commencement
- Diplomas
- Graduation FAQs
Commencement Participation Policy
Participation is limited to the following groups:
- Students/alumni who received their degrees* during the Summer and Fall semesters that immediately precede the current Spring semester and who have not participated in a previous ceremony for the same degree**
- Students graduating during the Spring semester who have not participated in a previous ceremony for the same degree
- Students who will graduate in the upcoming Summer term and have had a Commencement Participation Petition approved by their academic department and the Provost.***
*Degrees are defined as master’s or doctoral degrees. Students who received or are receiving a certificate only are not eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony and their names will not appear in the commencement program.
***Due to regalia ordering deadlines, students who register for commencement late or petition to participate in commencement may incur additional fees, including any rush or special handling charges for regalia.
Petitioning to Participate in Commencement (For upcoming summer degree recipients only)
Students graduating in the current spring term or who graduated in the previous fall or previous summer term do not need to submit a petition to participate in Commencement.
Petition Eligibility
If you plan to receive a degree during the Summer term following the commencement ceremony and wish to participate in the current year’s ceremony, you must submit a Commencement Participation Petition to be allowed to participate. Eligibility requirements are as follows:
You must complete your degree requirements and graduate during this year’s Summer term. Because you must be enrolled for the semester in which you expect to graduate, your student account must be free of any financial obligations and other academic holds. Please note that you must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards in order to graduate from CGU. If you are on academic probation, you may not petition to participate in Commencement.
Doctoral students: You must have submitted and expect to successfully defend and complete all revisions to your dissertation by the deadline published for the summer term.
Master’s students: Three requirements must be met. (1) At the end of this Spring semester, you must need no more than eight (8) units (12 units for graduates of the Teacher Education degree program) to complete your degree program. (2) You will complete your degree program during the Summer term. (3) You must be enrolled for the Summer semester.
Petition Process
To participate in Commencement, you must complete a Commencement Participation Petition (available on the Forms webpage). Petitions are reviewed and approved by the Provost upon recommendation from a student’s academic advisor, school/center Dean, and the Registrar’s Office.
If your Petition to Participate in Commencement is approved, your name will appear in the 2023 digital Commencement Program and will appear in the hard copy program for your respective graduation year.
Students who have successfully petitioned and participated in a commencement ceremony, are not eligible to participate in the ceremony again for the same degree.
Deadline for Commencement Participation Petitions
Students completing degrees in Spring should refer to the degree completion deadlines/timelines in the Academic Calendar and are not required to submit a Commencement Participation Petition. The deadlines below apply to students who anticipate graduating in the upcoming summer term and are requesting permission to participate in this year’s commencement ceremony.*
Note that Commencement Participation Petitions require both the approval of the academic advisor as well as the school or program’s Dean/Director before they can be considered by the Provost. Please allow sufficient time to obtain these approvals. No petitions received by the Registrar’s Office after the Commencement Participation Petition deadline below will be reviewed or approved.
| Apr 7 | Deadline for submission of Commencement Participation Petitions |
*Students who register for commencement late or petition to participate in commencement past the regalia deadline will be directed to Huntley Bookstore to purchase their regalia. Please note, hood colors for your respective degree at Huntley Bookstore are limited and may not be available for late orders.
2/23
Graduation FAQs
Graduation forms are available on the Forms webpage. They include:
- Intent to Receive a Degree
- Final Approval Master’s/Certificate
- Request for Dissertation Defense Announcement
- Final Approval Doctoral Degree
Active Status – Requirements Complete: If all academic and institutional degree requirements, including the removal of outstanding Incomplete grades and receipt by the Registrar’s Office of all forms including all required signatures, are accomplished prior to the first day of classes for that next semester, the student may not be required to register in the semester of degree conferral.
In these cases, the academic department should confirm that all approvals have been recorded prior to the first day of the term and then inform the Registrar’s Office that the student is in degree requirements complete status. This status will be recorded on a student’s transcript, and they will remain in active status until the first available date of degree conferral and will not have to register for Continuous Registration or Doctoral Study.
This status is only applicable for students who were enrolled at CGU during the term immediately preceding the term of graduation (for fall graduates in degree requirements complete status, enrollment in the preceding spring or summer term is required). Students on a university-approved leave of absence in the previous term or who are reinstating to the university in the semester of graduation are not eligible. Students are also not eligible if they are working on additional degrees at CGU that are incomplete.
To see how your name appears in your student record, please consult your “Profile” information in your PeopleSoft student record the “Primary Name” listed in your portal. To view your “Primary Name” click the “Profile” tile after logging into PeopleSoft, then in the “Personal Details” screen, click the “Primary Name” option. A pop-up window should then appear listing all portions of your “Primary Name” contained in your student record. The first name, middle name, last name, and suffix contained in this record will be printed on your diploma.
Your primary/legal name cannot be changed through your portal. For information about changing your legal/primary name in your CGU record, please see the Changing Your Personal Information webpage.
- Spring graduates will receive the registration form via their CGU email.
- Graduates of the previous Summer and Fall terms will receive the registration form via the “Home email address” listed in their student record.
If you are a student or graduate who meets the eligibility guidelines (see above in Commencement participation) for participating in the upcoming Commencement ceremony and you have not received an email with a link to the Commencement Registration Form, please check your Junk and/or Clutter folders in your email account as it may have been misdirected. If you cannot find the email in these folders, please email student.records@cgu.edu.
For additional information about Commencement, please visit the Commencement information webpage.
You will receive one complimentary official transcript with your diploma; you may order additional copies online through the National Student Clearinghouse (www.nationalstudentclearinghouse.org). For more information about transcripts, please visit the Transcript Requests section of the Registrar’s webpages.
If your degree is not yet posted but you have fulfilled all requirements for the degree, you may request an official letter (form available on the Registrar’s forms webpage) from the Registrar’s Office.
See the Diploma Distribution section of the Student Records webpage.