Graduation Information

A student may complete the requirements for a degree at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters and Summer I and the final Summer II terms. One Commencement ceremony is held at the end of the spring semester. Degrees will be conferred and diplomas issued as follows:

Students who have applied for graduation, have received preliminary verification by the Registrar, have been approved by the faculty, and expect to complete requirements at the end of the semester may participate in the commencement ceremony.
Students who graduated the previous December will be invited to participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony. Undergraduate students who will complete requirements during the summer terms, may participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony if they are within 12 credits of completion with a 2.0 GPA. However, degrees will not be conferred and diplomas and honors will not be issued until all degree requirements are satisfied.
As one of the requirements for graduation, all Jacksonville University students must complete an important survey regarding their immediate professional plans after graduation. The survey's main function is to capture employment and continued education information from graduating students. This information enables the University to publish employment and graduate school statistics, which are vital to state funding, publication rankings, and admissions recruiting. The survey - commonly referred to as the "First Destination Survey, The Outcomes Survey, or the Graduate Survey" - will be administered during the students' final semester at JU and is required to be completed before Commencement. For further information or other questions regarding this survey, please contact the Career Resource Center.
Graduate students who will complete requirements during the summer terms, may participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony if they are within nine credits of completion with a 3.0 GPA. However, degrees will not be conferred and diplomas will not be issued until all degree requirements are satisfied.
Student transcripts will indicate that the degree was conferred as of the end of the semester in which degree requirements were completed.
Diplomas will be mailed to graduates within six to eight weeks following the end of the term. Each student is responsible for arranging schedules to satisfy degree requirements in anticipation of timely graduation. The University strongly recommends that each student outline his or her program in consultation with his or her academic advisor at the beginning of each academic year so that adjustments leading to timely graduation can be made, if required. A student’s academic advisor is responsible for giving sound academic advice, but the student ultimately is responsible for ensuring that all degree requirements for the student’s particular programs are fulfilled.

While efforts are made to ensure this Catalog’s completeness and accuracy, University regulations and policies are not affected by typographical or other errors.

Determination of degree eligibility and commencement ceremony participation are governed by the following:

Each student must make formal application to graduate on forms provided by the Registrar’s Office or through Web Advisor. It is recommended that prospective graduates should submit their graduation application one year in advance, but no later than:
- December 1st for students planning to graduate at the end of following Spring or Summer semesters.
- August 30th for students planning to graduate at the end of Fall semester.
The Registrar, in cooperation with the academic advisors, will verify that degree requirements can be satisfied by the projected completion date. The Registrar will notify students of any problems discovered during the verification process. The JU e-mail system is the University’s official means to communicate with students.
Commencement information can be found on the Commencement Webpage and will be e-mailed to the graduation candidates.
The commencement ceremony is an official University convocation designed to honor each graduate’s academic achievement and to recognize the support of parents, spouses and loved ones. All prospective graduates are encouraged to participate in the commencement ceremony, but participation is not mandatory.