2023-2024 Graduate Bulletin > Degree Candidacy and Requirements for Graduation > Graduation Procedures

Graduation Procedures

All students must submit a graduation application; the link can be found on the Degree Progress or the Registrar’s website. Degrees are conferred six times each year: March, May, June, August, October, and December. Submissions should be based on the following timeline: October 1 for spring graduation, February 1 for summer graduation, and April 1 for fall graduation. There is a $50 application fee.

Application for Graduation. Degrees are not awarded automatically upon completion of scholastic requirements. Students should submit a graduation application by the semester prior to their anticipated graduation date. Applications can be found on CentralLink or the Registrar’s website. It is the responsibility of the student to contact their advisor to obtain thesis and/or other graduation-related approvals.

Graduation Audit. After a student completes a Graduation Application, the student's record is audited to verify completion of program requirements. After the audit is complete, the student will be e-mailed an audit form indicating either that all requirements are satisfied or that the student has requirements left to complete, indicating what requirements the student must complete. Students who fail to complete requirements by the deadline will receive a letter indicating that they will not graduate. Students must reapply to graduate in a subsequent semester; the fee for each subsequent graduate application is $50. Students can monitor their own progress toward graduation via Degree Progress.

Diplomas. Following the graduation date and submission of all grades, diplomas are mailed over a six to eight week period. Diplomas are mailed to the permanent address on record. Diplomas are not distributed during graduation ceremonies. Students who fail to meet requirements will be notified and advised to apply for the next graduation period.

Graduation Ceremonies. All students receiving degrees and graduate certificates are invited to participate in the official graduation ceremonies conducted in May and December of each year on Central Michigan University’s main campus in Mount Pleasant.

To participate in the official graduation ceremony, students are required to have submitted a graduation application and be enrolled in all remaining requirements to graduate. Information about the ceremony is emailed to prospective graduates about four to six weeks prior to the event.

*There are two commencement ceremonies held each year: May and December. Spring graduates can participate in May commencement, and summer and fall graduates can participate in December commencement. See https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/office-research-graduate-studies/graduate-studies/student-services/deadlines for updates.