Commencement Information

Students who are anticipated to graduate will receive "audit" letters from the Office of the Registrar. These letters indicate to the student their current progression and eligibility for graduation.

A+S Students: Traditional Arts and Sciences students will receive an audit letter in August prior to entering the senior year. This letter will include the student's degree program, major(s), and any minors declared.  The letter factors in the student's fall course schedule and will indicate the course requirements needing to be completed in the following spring semester in order to graduate the following May.  Any A+S student who is not registered for enough credit to reach the 128 credit minimum in their final semester will be emailed notifying them of this discrepancy and encouraged to add the additional credits prior to the last day to add.   A+S students will receive another letter in March, after the add/drop period has ended and all student's progress can be audited by registrar staff, confirming their final eligibility for graduating that spring.  Students graduating in December will receive a final audit letter in October confirming graduation eligibility.  Students who fail final degree requirements in their final semester will be notified as soon as grades are collected as to their graduation status and will be encouraged to work with the Assistant Registrar for Records on developing a plan for requirement completion.

GPP Students: GPP students will receive a final audit letter either in October for December graduates and in March for May graduates confirming graduation eligibility.

All students must submit a degree application to ensure they are on our list for graduation. Students who have been enrolled at Emmanuel within the last year should submit their applications on EC Online Services. Students who no longer have access to EC Online Services should complete the fillable PDF application located on our Forms page. All students will receive a confirmation email that their application has been received sent to their Emmanuel College Email address (or non-Emmanuel email if not currently enrolled). There isn't a graduation fee, but students are responsible for academic dress at commencement- cap, gown, and hood.

Degree Application Deadlines:                                    

No. Students do not need advisor approval to apply for graduation. The Office of the Registrar will evaluate all students’ degree audits and clear them for graduation or connect with them on any outstanding degree requirements.

Undergraduate students who are within 8 credits of requirement completion by the May commencement ceremony, may in some circumstances, petition to attend commencement. Students must complete the online petition, available by contacting the Office of the Registrar. In collaboration with the Assistant Registrar, a petitioner upon approval of a degree completion plan with documentation of registration for the 8 or less outstanding credits. Guest tickets will be released to petitioners only upon approval of a degree completion plan.

Graduate students may not participate in Commencement unless all degree requirements are complete at the time of Commencement.

Graduates who attend Commencement will receive a diploma cover as they cross the stage.

December 2022 Graduates: Students who graduated in December received their diploma in late January. Digital diplomas will be issued in early January and students will have 72 hours to adjust their mailing address if there is a change from the address we have on file with Parchment for their physical diploma to be mailed within 2 weeks after claiming the digital diploma.

December graduates who planned to attend commencement, but no longer plan to attend, should contact the Office of the Registrar at regmail@emmanuel.edu. 

May Graduates: May graduates will receive a secured encrypted electronic copy of their diploma within a few hours of the Commencement ceremony to their email address via Parchment. Graduates will have 72 hours to make any adjustments to the mailing address we have on file with Parchment for their physical diploma to be mailed within 2 weeks after claiming the digital diploma.

December 2023 Graduates---with Approval to Attend Commencement with 8 Credits to Requirement Completion:  December 2023 graduates who have submitted and received approval for a petition to attend commencement as a “walker” will receive a diploma cover at the Commencement ceremony and then will receive their diploma in January 2024 via mail upon successful completion of the outstanding requirements.

All students attending Commencement will receive a diploma cover at Commencement.  Graduates interested in framing their diplomas may be interested in purchasing a diploma frame from the Emmanuel College Book Store.

If you are eligible for a digital diploma (beginning with December 2021 and May 2022 graduates), you may be able to use your secure, encrypted digital diploma in place of a notarization or apostille.

Please contact the Office of the Registrar at regmail@emmanuel.edu for more information.

We are happy to announce that graduates will receive a digital diploma via Parchment in ADDITION to their physical diploma. We view this as an exciting bonus.  You’ll gain access to your digital diploma after the Commencement Ceremony completion and the digital diploma will always be available to you via Parchment. You’ll receive an email to your post-graduation email address, which will prompt you to create and verify your account with Parchment and then access and download your digital diploma.

The digital diploma is a real, encrypted official credential, that will NOT replace the physical copy of your diploma.

The digital diploma helps graduates:

• Celebrate with friends and family, including on social media
• View or download a verifyiable and secur copy of your diploma
• Share with employers for degree verification or on LinkedIn
• Use as an alternative to a apostille

Claim Your Digital Diploma (Post Commencement Ceremony): https://www.parchment.com/claim-your-diploma/

Watch a video on claiming your Digital Diploma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB2ytWHjPY8

No, graduates will receive one diploma as only one degree is earned. Students who successfully complete two majors only earn one degree with a double major. If both majors fall within the same degree (such as History and Secondary Education, both under Bachelor of Arts), they will automatically receive one degree that the majors fall under. The two majors will be listed on the final transcript.

Students who earn a double major where each major is from a different degree program (such as one major within a B.A. like English and one major with a B.S. like Biology) will be able to choose the degree they graduate with and that is on all final official graduation documents. Once the degree has been conferred, students may not change their degree designation. Both majors will be listed on the final transcript.

Additional information on the degree conferral and final transcript please see the academic policies.

Diploma:

Name (as indicated on your Degree Application)
Degree
Latin Honors (if applicable) *Distinction in the Field and major are not listed on the diploma

Transcript:

All coursework, credit and respective grades
Degree
Major(s)

If applicable: any Minor (s), Language Certificate, Latin Honors, and Distinction in the Field

Traditional A+S undergraduate students are eligible for Distinction in the Field. Candidates for Distinction in the Field must be approved by the individual student’s major department and the student must achieve a final major GPA of 3.500 or higher.  This is determined after all final grades are submitted. Students who achieved Distinction will be notified by the Office of Academic Affairs.

All undergraduate students must have completed a minimum of 64 credits at Emmanuel College in order to be eligible for Latin Honors. BSBA students need a minimum of 48 credits at Emmanuel to graduate and BSN students need 32 credits at Emmanuel to graduate. Thus, if an undergraduate student within GPP did not meet the 64 institutional credits, they are not eligible for Latin Honors.

Graduation is the act of having your degree conferred and being considered “graduated” from a degree program. Commencement is the ceremony associated with graduation. Emmanuel has two degree conferrals per year- May and December. This means that students could graduate in May or December. Emmanuel only holds one commencement ceremony-in May.

Commencement typically lasts around 2 hours.  The commencement ceremony will begin promptly at 11 a.m. and generally ends around 1 p.m. However, graduates are expected to be in the gymnasium for check in by 9:45 a.m. and guests with tickets should be seated under the tent no later than 10:45 a.m.

Your name will be read as you cross the stage. Distinction in the Field (for A+S students) and Latin Honors (for undergraduates) will be listed next to your name, along with your major(s) in the Commencement Program. 

Graduates should check in on Commencement day in the JYC Gymnasium no later than 9:45 a.m. on May 13, 2023. Signage will be posted around campus directing graduates to the gym.

Tickets are determined by the number of students in the graduating class as well as those who indicate on their degree application that they will be attending commencement. Degree applications are due on February 15, 2023. The guest ticket alotmment will be noted in the official initial commencement communication sent by Academic and Student Affairs in March.

In the past, graduates will receive 4 commencement tickets for guests. Graduates do not need their own ticket. Tickets grant access to seats underneath the commencement tent. However, the ceremony is typically simulcast in multiple locations on campus and weather permitted there will be additional seating outside of the commencement tent, that does not require a ticket, and has great views of the commencement stage.

No.  Once a student’s degree is conferred, the student’s record for that academic program and level has permanently closed and changes will not be made to the record after the conferral date. Students will be asked to verify any changes to their degree and program in writing prior to the degree conferral. Any additional coursework completed after the degree conferral will not impact the credentials nor final cumulative GPA at the time of the conferral. Failure to notify the Office of the Registrar about any undeclared programs for which a student may have earned prior to conferral, will result in the academic programs declared at that time being the final academic record for that program for the student. Additional majors or minors will not be added to the student record retroactively.

Yes! We encourage all graduates to attend commencement, as it’s a beautiful ceremony and a special day. December graduates will receive their diploma in early January. If attending the May ceremony, you will receive a diploma cover on stage, otherwise, it will be mailed with your diploma. All graduates will provide a post-graduation email address with their degree application, so December graduates can expect to receive emails regarding commencement in March.

Of course not, but we’d love if you attended so we can celebrate your achievements!  If you have completed all of your degree requirements for the degree conferral you will graduate. Students graduating receive confirmation of their graduation eligibility in mid-March (for May grads) and October for December grads. You will be notified if you make a schedule change or receive a non-passing grade that impacts your eligibility to graduate for that degree conferral.

It depends. Travel courses with travel over spring break will not impact graduation. Students who are registered for a travel course with travel over the summer and whom need the credit for this course for either credits to reach the 128 credit minimum or to fulfill a degree requirement (major, minor, or general requirement) will not be able to graduate (but will be permitted to attend the ceremony pending all other requirements are complete) and will be considered December graduates. Students with questions on how travel courses may impact their graduation eligibility should contact the Office of the Registrar at regmail@emmanuel.edu. 

It depends. Students are encouraged to cross-register for courses at other COF institutions, but we do not recommend cross-registering in your last semester. This is because every institution has different grades due dates and while this typically is not a big deal, it matters for degree conferral. All grades must be confirmed prior to the degree conferral date in order for a student to receive their diploma at the commencement ceremony in May. If a student must cross-register in their last semester, we suggest having the COF instructor email Assistant Registrar for Records, Caitlin Charette at charettec2@emmanuel.edu confirming that the student's final grade will be above a C from their official institutional email address. This confirmation should be received by Emmanuel's grades due date, which is the Wednesday before Commencement at 10:00 a.m. The COF registrar's office will send over the official grade after the grade has been officially posted at the COF school. Emmanuel will post the COF grade once received by the COF Cross-Registration Liaison. You will receive your diploma once the final official grade has been received.

It depends on what degree you are receiving! Below find where your tassel should start prior to the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony an undergraduate and a graduate tassel turner will be on stage and will prompt all graduate to turn their tassels simultaneously.

Undergraduate Degrees (BA, BFA, BS): Your tassel should start on the RIGHT FRONT side of your cap. Once your degree is conferred you’ll be prompted by the tassel turner to move your tassel across to the left side signaling you now have earned your bachelor’s degree.

Graduate Degrees (MBA, MEd, MSA, MSM, MSN, MSHRM, MSRA): Graduate students should have their tassel initially on the LEFT FRONT side as you have already earned a bachelor’s degree. Upon the degree conferral, you’ll be prompted by the tassel turner and move your tassel from the left front side of your cap to the left back side of your cap signaling you now have earned your master’s degree.

Official transcripts may be ordered through our partner vendor Parchment. Graduating students who require their final grades degree posted to their transcript should ensure that grades and/or the degree conferral has been posted to their records PRIOR to ordering a transcript.

Due to the automated nature of the transcript request process, if you need final grades posted or your degree has not yet been posted and you require this information, wait to submit your transcript request until you have confirmed they are on your record. Otherwise, your transcript will be automatically sent out and may not have the information you need and you will need to request an additional copy.

Although students will graduate on a Saturday in May or December 31^st (depending on the graduation for the student), the degree conferral is posted to the transcript once all necessary record confirmations are completed. While the dates below are the typically dates for posting the degree to the transcript, graduates should check their unofficial transcript to confirm the degree is posted on the transcript. Please note that students who finish their final degree requirements over the summer, whether at Emmanuel or via transfer credit, will be considered December graduates and should refer to the December graduation conferral posting date. Students who complete over the summer and have all requirements complete, may request a letter of requirement completion in the interim until the degree is posted using the following form: Graduation Verification Request Form.