Graduation Information

Verify Final Degree Requirements 

If you drop a course or withdraw from all courses during your final term, it may impact your graduation status.

Undergraduate Students: Unsatisfied requirements show with a red “Unsatisfied” indicator in the ARR. 

1. Review your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) to ensure that all university, major, and minor (if required) requirements are met, including total graduation hours earned.  
2. Verify you have satisfied all university requirements (upper division writing, scholarship in practice/formative experience, natural science lab, diversity courses, summer hours, a 2.0 FSU GPA, etc.).  

Graduate Students: 

1. All Graduate Students (MS/MA/MPA/MPH/MSP/PhD): Verify with your Graduate Director that you have completed all graduation requirements including major program, university (hours in the program, 3.0 FSU GPA, etc.).
2. PhD and MS Thesis students: Ensure you meet the manuscript clearance deadlines. Dates are published on the Graduate School’s website.

Grades 

1. All incomplete “I”, and non-reported “NG” grades must be resolved before you are able to graduate. Inform your professors that this is your graduating semester so all of your grades are submitted on time. Check your GPA and grades in Student Central. 
2. Transient Courses: transient courses must be posted to your academic record well in advance of the deadline for degrees to post.
   1. If required for your degree, degree approvals may be delayed.
   2. If not required, degrees may post to your transcript without record of the transient courses.
3. Incomplete or non-reported grades in your final semester will prevent you from graduating. This includes “I” grades, pending exchange program courses, and transient courses.  

Visit your Career Liaison or  Career Services for a virtual review of your resume, cover letter, personal statement, or other career-related documents. Your liaison will provide written and video feedback for how to improve of your document. You can submit your files using Career Docs.

Visit the Graduate School to begin researching graduate school options, if considering attending graduate school. 

1. Apply for graduation by the deadline date advertised in the Academic Calendar. 
2. Visit the Registrar’s Graduation page for detailed instructions on how to submit your application.
   • If you do not have the link to apply for graduation, please contact the Registrar’s Office at 850.644.1050 or email graduation@fsu.edu.  
3. Undergraduates must at minimum be on track to have 120 earned, unduplicated credit hours at the end of the semester.  
4. Undergraduate dual degree students must at minimum be on track to have 150 earned, unduplicated credit hours at the end of the semester including all major and required minor requirements for both degrees.
5. All students must satisfactorily complete at the end of the semester for which they applied all applicable graduation requirements for their program and degree with minimum required grades and credit hours including but not limited to university requirements, General Education, major, minor (if required), practicum, comprehensive exams, and thesis/dissertation.
6. Check your FSU email regularly throughout the semester to ensure you don’t miss any communication about your graduation status and/or your participation in the ceremony. 

Late applying to Graduation

Applying to graduate after the the two (2) week online graduation application window has closed. 

You will not be late added to the graduation list unless you are currently on track to complete all requirements with your current enrollment.

Additional information – including important dates and cap and gown details – can be found on the Registrar’s website. 

Important Note: Late Add to Graduation forms are completed via DocuSign. Once completed, signed, and submitted, they automatically route to the Office of Academic Affairs for review – there is no need to submit via separate emails.

Undergraduate students must meet with a COSSPP academic advisor (scheduled appointment or virtual drop-in). An advisor will complete an updated academic progress check with you to verify you are on track to graduate, and if you are, the advisor will initiate the Undergraduate Late Add to Graduation Form for you to complete, sign, and submit.

Graduate students should verify with their program director that they are on track to complete requirements that term and complete the Graduate Late Add to Graduation Form.

Submit the late add form to the Academic Affairs office for review and you will be copied on the email memo to the Registrar’s office asking that you be placed on the graduation list.

1. Commencement ceremony occur before final grades post each semester. Final graduation status reviews begin after grades post the week following the end of the semester. Participation in Commencement ceremonies is not the same as graduating and does not guarantee approval of graduation or earning your degree. 
2. Additional information – including Commencement ceremony details, important dates, and cap and gown details – can be found on the Registrar’s website Registrar’s website.  

1. Students participating in Commencement ceremonies do so prior to the semester’s grades posting. 
2. The timeline for final graduation review begins once grades are posted the week following the end of the semester.
3. Final graduation reviews begin may take up to between two and three weeks. 
4. All potential graduates are subject to final graduation review and either approval or denial.
5. Approved graduates will not receive any notification of approval from the Office of Academic Affairs. They will see their degree posted to their FSU transcript on the day listed by the Registrar’s Office.
6. If your degree is approved, your diploma will be mailed to you by the Registrar’s Office approximately four (4) – six (6) weeks after Commencement. 

1. Graduation denial notifications (along with other University communications) will be sent via email. You are responsible for checking your FSU email after the semester has ended and being aware if you received a notification of denial.  
2. Denial notifications will be sent both by the University Registrar’s office and by the Office of Academic Affairs. Notification from the College may include specific details about your denial or may instruct you to contact our office.
3. If you are denied graduation, your application for graduation will automatically roll-over to the next semester. 

Reasons a graduation application may be denied  

1. Not satisfactorily completing courses with required grades. 
2. Repeating a course for which you have already earned a D- or better grade (duplicate credit). 
3. Not meeting minimum GPA requirements
   • FSU GPA is calculated based on a student’s cumulative GPA of all courses attempted at FSU in their current degree
   • Undergraduates: require a 2.0 FSU GPA and a 2.0 GPA across each general education courses, major courses, or minor courses (if a minor is required for your major)
   • Graduates: require a 3.0 FSU GPA and a 3.0 GPA across major program coursework 
4. Waiting for transcripts from other institutions (transient coursework) 
5. Dropped a course needed to complete any requirement or withdrawing from the whole semester
6. Undergraduate students: not completing 9 hours of state-mandated summer residency coursework.
   • Transient courses taken at a Florida community college, private college and university in Florida, or out-of-state institutions do not satisfy the 9-hour requirement.
   • Courses taken at an SUS institution will count toward the 9-hour summer residency requirement.
   • Students may petition for a waiver of this requirement but any waiver must be approved prior to degree approval.