How to Graduate

Application for Graduate Degree

Master’s students must create a graduate application in GU Experience (instructions below) in order to be awarded their degree. Students at Georgetown graduate three times a year in December, May and August. Only in May is there a ceremony to celebrate graduations.

Application Deadlines

December graduation: Students who will complete their degree requirements in the Fall semester must apply to graduate by the first working day of December.

May graduation: Students who will complete their degree requirements at the end of the Spring semester are advised to apply to graduate for May by the first working day of February.

August graduation: Doctoral students must apply to graduate for August by the first working day of August. Master’s students who will complete their degree requirements in Summer are advised to apply to graduate for August by the first working day of February if they wish to appear in the Commencement Book otherwise by the first working day of August. 

Commencement Considerations for Master’s Students

Graduation indicates the official conferral of an academic degree following completion of all degree requirements. Commencement refers to Georgetown’s the annual graduation ceremonies held in May of each year. Note that there are no December or August ceremonies.

Master’s students who graduated in December prior to the May Commencement ceremony or who will graduate in August following the May Commencement are invited to participate in the 2026 Graduate Commencement ceremony. In all cases, students must apply to graduate in the semester in which they complete their degree requirements.

Master’s students who will complete their degree requirements in December 2025 or August 2026 should apply to graduate in those months. Choosing Spring 2026 as the graduation date is not the way to signal interest in participating in Commencement.

Graduation applications for students who do not meet all requirements by the deadline for the term in which they applied will be inactivated. Students must create a new Application for Graduate Degree for the following academic term in which the student intends to graduate.

How to Apply to Graduate

1. 1. Login to GU Experience .
   2. Choose the Student Dashboard.
   3. In the Student Information card, click on Student Profile.
   4. Within the Student Profile, go to Apply to Graduate toward the bottom of the column of links below your photo.
   5. Select the Date/Term/Year in which you will complete your degree requirements (Fall, Spring, Summer).
      • • Date: 12/31/2025 Term: Fall 2025 Year: 2025-2026
      • • Date: 05/31/2026 Term: Spring 2026 Year: 2025-2026
      • • Date: 08/31/2026 Term: Summer 2026 Year: 2026-2027
        • • 1. Click Continue.
            2. You can indicate whether or not you plan attending the Commencement Ceremony, but actual rsvp information is collected in a system called Tassel in March and April each Spring.Select the appropriate program or degree.
            3. Dual/joint degree students must create a separate graduation application for each degree. If a dual or joint degree student (i.e. JD/MSFS) is applying for both degrees in the same term, you must apply for each degree separately.
            4. Click Continue.
            5. Select the name you want to appear on your diploma.
               • • It is traditional to show your full name on a diploma, but middle names can be left off. The last name must match the name on your student record. Chosen first names that appear on the Personal Information section of GUExperience can be used for diplomas, but it is important to consider whether you will need the diploma name to match your legal name for future study or employment. If you would like a middle name to appear that is not included on your student record, it should be added through the Registrar’s process in the next bullet.
               • • Note that if you enter a name different from the one on the Personal Information section of GUExperience, you must submit a name change form and government-issued ID to the Registrar’s Office. If your name is not changed by the Registrar’s Office prior to graduation, the name used for the diploma will be the one on your student record.
               • • If your name has special characters such as accent marks, enter them in the graduation application. Please note that the diploma vendor cannot produce all special characters.
                 • Click Continue.

1. 1. Select the address to which you want your diploma mailed if you are unable to pick it up. If the address you want does not appear as an option, select “New” and enter the appropriate information.

1. 1. Verify the information you have entered. If everything is correct, click “Submit Request” to complete the process.

1. 1. Note that there is no email confirmation. Instructions on viewing an existing graduation application in GU Experience are below.

1. 1. The graduation application will remain active through the clearance process until the degree is awarded by the Registrar’s Office.

Note: When applying to graduate in May, select the May 31, 2026 option. Your graduation date will be May 14, 15, 16, depending on your school. See the Commencement web page for a list of all graduate ceremonies and dates.

During the weeks following the graduation application deadline, the Joint Office of Graduate Studies works with programs to review student records and clear students to graduate. The names of the students who have fulfilled their degree requirements are sent to the Registrar’s Office for posting.

If you have any questions regarding your graduation clearance status, please contact your program or department administrator. The Joint Office of Graduate Studies will work with your department to resolve any issues.

Doctoral Students

Doctoral students must create a graduate application in GU Experience (instructions below) in order to be awarded their degree. Students at Georgetown graduate three times a year in August, December, and May. Only in May is there a ceremony to celebrate graduations.

Doctoral students who graduated in August and December prior to the May Commencement ceremony are invited to participate in the 2026 Graduate Commencement ceremony.  Look for an email message (in January for August and December graduates and mid-February for May and August graduates) showing your information for review.

Dissertations and doctoral projects of doctoral students graduating for May must be accepted by the Joint Office of Graduate Studies no later than May 1 in order to graduate for May 2026. For information for December 2025 and August 2026, check Submission of Dissertation and Submission of Thesis for complete information.

Graduation applications for students who do not meet all requirements by the deadline for the term in which they applied will be inactivated. Students must create a new Application for Graduate Degree for the following academic term in which the student intends to graduate.

Deadlines for Applying to Graduate

Students must apply to graduate no later than the first business day of the month in which they intend to graduate. These deadlines also apply for students seeking a master’s in passing. Students should keep the deadline in mind when submitting a Student Petition for Change to Graduate Program to their DGS. Students seeking a master’s in passing should NOT apply to graduate in GU Experience.

• • *Special application deadlines for May graduates apply. Be sure to read the “Spring Graduation Deadlines” note below.

• • ^‡Commencement weekend is the only graduation date available for the month of May. Graduating on May 31 is not an option.

Spring Graduate Application Deadlines

Special deadlines apply for spring semester graduation:

You MUST apply to graduate NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 2, 2026 if you wish to have your name, previous degrees and graduation information printed in the Commencement Book. This early deadline is required by the production schedules of the Commencement Book.

Students requesting Master’s in Passing degrees should apply using the Student Petition for Change to Graduate Program as early as possible. Be sure to get the DGS signature on the form before sending it in. If you want the your name and degree information to appear in the Commencement Book, you must submit the form by the February 1 deadline.

Students who miss the February 2 deadline may apply to graduate up until May 1. Dissertations, doctoral projects and theses must be accepted by the Joint Office of Graduate Studies by May 1, though there is an earlier deadline for uploading. See the bottom of the Submission page for complete information. If you apply after February 2 for May graduation, you will be able to participate in the Commencement ceremony, but your graduation information WILL NOT be printed in the 2026 Commencement Book.

Diploma Information

August and December diplomas are ordered at the end of those terms. Consult the table below to find out when your diploma should be available.

Note: Address updates made in GU Experience are not reflected on the graduation application.

Diplomas are large, measuring 14″ x 17″ (36cm by 43cm) and are only printed in Latin. View the translation of the Latin wording on your Georgetown University diploma.

On request, the Registrar’s Office issues a personalized English translation of the diploma words on regular-sized 8.5″ x 11″ paper. It does not resemble the diploma, but it can be useful in cases were the diploma is required proof of graduation. There is no charge for this additional document.

The Diploma Translation Request Form  is online. Send any questions on the translation document to the Registrar’s Office at studentrecords@georgetown.edu .

Diploma Availability

University policy does not permit the release of either diplomas or final transcripts to students with unpaid balances greater than $100. Students with unpaid balances should contact the Office of Student Accounts for more information or to clear their accounts.

For more information about diplomas and transcripts, please see the Graduate Bulletin .

How to Check your Graduation Application (prior to graduation)

• • If you need to check the format of your name or the delivery address for the diploma, you can follow the instructions above to use GU Experience  to get to Student Profile.

• • Below the Graduation Information heading, click on the Active (#) link to the right of your photo.

• • This will bring up a new window with a heading of Graduation Application
    • • Under that heading, you will see the Request Date and confirmation that you have an “Active Application” that will be processed for the month noted in the Graduation Date in the next section. For May and August, the 31 date shown, but is not the actual graduation date.
    • • Under Diploma Name, you will see the name that you entered on the graduation application for your diploma. If the name differs, beyond writing out a middle name in place of a middle initial, from the one at the top of the screen next to ‘Information for’, you will be contacted about the steps for requesting a name change through the Registrar’s Office.
    • • The heading Diploma Mailing Address shows the address where the diploma will be sent if you are unable to come pick it up. We will email you to confirm this address after graduation.

• • If you need to change any of this information, please email gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu

How to Access Transcripts

Transcripts are issued by the Registrar’s Office and ordered through Parchment. Information is accessible on their Transcripts webpage under the Academic Records, Grading & Transcripts tab.

It is best to check the Student Profile in GU Experience for the “Awarded Degree” notation before ordering a transcript. Orders placed before you see the notation might be delayed or sent out without the award of the degree.

Contacting the Joint Office of Graduate Studies

All questions about graduation and other academic topics may be directed to the Joint Office of Graduate Studies’ Student Services email: gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu