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 Sr. 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 Sr. 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 2021 Graduates: Students who graduated in December received their diploma in early January (either via mail or pickup based on preference). Those December graduates who indicated they would attend the May ceremony will receive their diploma cover on stage at Commencement. Digital diplomas will be issued within an hour following the conclusion of the Commencement ceremony to your email address.

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 cover to you right away. 

May Graduates: May graduates who attend the ceremony will be able to pick up their diploma immediately following the commencement ceremony in the JYC gymnasium after graduates recess from the commencement tent into the quad. 

May graduates who do not attend the commencement ceremony will have their diploma mailed or made available for pick up the week following commencement. Digital diplomas will be issued within an hour following the conclusion of the Commencement ceremony to your email address.

December 2022 Graduates---with Approval to Attend Commencement with 8 Credits to Requirement Completion:  December 2022 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 2023 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.

Diploma pick up for May graduates will occur immediately following the ceremony after the graduates recessional out of the tent and can be picked up in the gymnasium for ONE HOUR following Commencement.

Students who do not pick up their diploma may do so on the Monday following Commencement in the Office of the Registrar, EAB 340 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 pm. Those who do not indicate pick up and do not pick up their diploma on the Monday following Commencement will have their diploma mailed to their home address the Tuesday following Commencement.

Your name will be read as you cross the stage. As you cross the stage, your name, degree, and any applicable Latin Honors (for undergraduates) will be displayed on the lower third of the screen in the live simulcast.

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 14, 2022. 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.

For the May 2022 ceremony, 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.

Yes!  We are pleased that with our partnership with MarchingOrder we have the ability to live simulcast the ceremony to friends and family who may not be able to attend the ceremony in person displaying graduates' names and degrees on the lower third of the screen as the graduates' names are read as they cross the stage.

MarchingOrder is a company that specializes in parnering with insitutions in coordinating graduation events. Emmanuel has partnered with MarchingOrder to help us in providing a smooth process in celebrating with our graduates and their families! MarchingOrder allows us to:

• Employ an efficient way to electronically track, distribute and collect graduate guest tickets
• Track graduate attendance the day of Commencement
• Collect recording of graduates’ names to ensure accuracy in pronunciation
• Create the GradPass that is scanned to read the graduate’s name as they cross the stage and display the name and degree to those watching at home
• Create individual GradPages for each graduate which will be available on the College website and for students to download to share with friends and family which includes each graduate's name, degree, major and picture (if supplied by graduate)

The GradPage is your personalized graduation slide that will be on the website starting on Commencement day. Your GradPage/ Graduation Slide can also be downloaded from your MarchingOrder account to save and share with friends and family.

Your GradPage will include:

• Your name as you indicated for your diploma
• Degree
• Major
• Picture (if you submit one)

Please note that GradPage photos are subject to College approval.

MarchingOrder has wonderful functionality where professional voiceover artists will record our graduates name in high quality audio with accurate pronunciation.  On your MarchingOrder account, your name will be uploaded as one of our graduates. You will be able to see how MarchingOrder has listed the phonetic spelling of your name.  If this phonetic spelling is not representative of your name pronunciation, you will have the opportunity to either submit a spelling of your name that matches the pronunciation or upload a record of you saying your name for the reader to mimic.

All changes or uploads must be made on MarchingOrder no later than April 18, 2022 by 11:59 p.m. EST.

Please note changes or new uploads will close on April 18, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EST due to the timeline needed for the professional voiceover artist to record names. After this date, changes cannot not be accomodated.

The GradPass is a small piece of paper with a unique QR code associated with you. You’ll need to check in with the Registrar Team on Commencement Day in the gym and you’ll receive your “Grad Pass” and then scan in your Grad Pass to be “checked-in” for attendance purposes.  This first scan puts you into the computer system so that your information is queued that you are in attendance and will have your name read and telecast during the ceremony.  Hold onto this pass because you will scan it a second time during the ceremony to put you in the specific lineup for the timing of when your name will be read as you cross the stage.

*If you do not complete the Graduate Check-In and receive your individualized “Grad Pass,” your name and degree will not appear on telecast when you cross the stage and your slide will be telecast at the end of the ceremony along with the non-attending graduates.

Feel free to upload a picture of yourself that you love! A head shot of just you is great. Remember that this photo will be viewable on the Emmanuel website. Also, you have the option to not have a photo displayed and only your name, major, and degree with be posted on your graduation slide. All photos are subject to review. Any inappropriate photos will be not be accepted.

All changes or uploads must be made on MarchingOrder no later than April 18, 2022 by 11:59 p.m. EST.

Please note changes or new uploads will close on April 18, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EST due to the timeline needed for Emmanuel to approve photos and for MarchingOrder to create the Graduation Slideshow.  After this date, changes cannot not be accomodated.

If you don’t check in at commencement, you will not receive your “Grad Pass.” The Grad Pass tells us that you are in attendance and gets your information queued up in the software system that will display your name on the live broadcast of the ceremony when you cross the stage. Additionally, while we will do our best to ensure your name is pronounced correctly, we will not have the time access to the professional recording of your name (and any upload you provided with a recording of your name).

It depends on what time you arrive. If the graduate processional has not started, please go promptly to the gym and seek out a member of the Office of the Registrar team.  If the processional HAS started, please do NOT jump into line as you will not be able to get your GradPass which lets us know you are in attendance and loads your graduation information into the software to have your name read as you cross the stage and appear on the live broadcast. 

If you arrive after the processional has started, please proceed to the Commencement Tent and then wait for the processional to file in and tell a staff member (wearing gold name tag) you need to see the Registrar’s Office. A member of the Registrar team will be at the back of the tent in case of any late arrives. You should be able to get your GradPass at that time, BUT you will be processing across the stage at the end of the graduates and not necessarily with your degree.

Don’t Panic, but you do need to get in touch with a member of the Registrar team prior to crossing the stage in order to ensure your name is read.

If graduates are still in the gym:  Connect with a Registrar staff member within the gym.

If graduates are currently processing to the Commencement Tent or if you are already seated in the tent:  When your group starts queuing to cross the stage, a Registrar team member will ask you if you have your GradPass. If you do not, immediately notify them so they can write you a card so that a reader will be able to announce your name as you cross the stage. Because we won’t have your card to scan, your name will NOT appear on the telecast and we promise to do our best regarding pronunciation.

Guest tickets will be available for graduates to “claim” on their MarchingOrder accounts. You will receive an notification as to when you may begin to claim tickets. At that time, you will be able to log into MarchingOrder and indicate up to 4 guest tickets to claim. Graduates do not need a ticket.  You will enter the guests’ email addresses and they will be sent an email with their invitation including a QR code that will be scanned to allow admission.  Guests may choose to print out the invitation or may show the invitation on a smart phone.

Students who were approved to attend commencement with 8 credits outstanding, will need to receive approval of their degree completion plan prior to the release of their tickets to claim.

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 the Sr. 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. You will receive your diploma once the final official grade has been received.

Yes!  We are pleased that with our partnership with MarchingOrder we have the ability to live simulcast the ceremony to friends and family who may not be able to attend the ceremony in person. Please visit the main Commencement webpage for the link.

Students who studied abroad on an approved semester or academic year program will receive a sash from the Office of International Programs. Students who studied abroad on a summer program or on a faculty-led travel course will receive a pin from the Office of International Programs. Information regarding picking up regalia will be sent to graduating seniors in early May. Please email studyabroad@emmanuel.edu if you have any questions.

Students who will be receiving a study abroad sash or pin should do so prior to Friday, May 13th by 4 p.m. Sashes and pins will not be available the morning of commencement. Students may ask a friend to pick up their sash/pin on their behalf by sending an email to studyabroad@emmanuel.edu.

Students who may be receiving cords for certain honor societies should consult with either their faculty advisor or department chair; for group memberships consult with Students Affairs. Students who earned Latin Honors do not receive cords, but do have this honor recognized in the Commencement Program, on their Diploma and final transcript and will be displayed on the lower third of the screen on the live broadcast of the ceremony.

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.