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.  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.

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.

Your name will be read as you cross the stage as well as any Latin Honors Received. 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.

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. 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.

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. In past years, it is typical for students to receive 4 commencement tickets. 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.

Graduates at Emmanuel receive their actual diploma on stage presented by the College President-this is pretty rare! December graduates who indicate they plan to attend the ceremony will receive their diploma in May, but we can provide a final transcript earlier as proof of graduation upon request.  December graduates who will not attend the ceremony will receive their diploma in late January (either by mail or pickup depending on preference).  December graduates who planned to attend commencement and then are no longer able to attend, should contact the Office of the Registrar at regmail@emmanuel.edu and we will mail your diploma to you right away. May graduates who do not attend the commencement ceremony will have their diploma mailed or made available for pick up the week following commencement.

Yes! We encourage all graduates to attend commencement, as it’s a beautiful ceremony and a special day. December graduates will receive their diploma on stage in May, but we can provide a final transcript with the degree conferral posted as documentation of graduation. 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.

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 the Assistant Registrar for Records at Emmanuel, Nathaniel Ellis at ellisn@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.

We can help! Kathleen Thoma is a Notary Public and is happy to notarize a diploma. Students should contact Kathleen at thomak@emmanuel.edu for more information.