How to Graduate

Students must apply to graduate through MyAccess (instructions below) in order to be awarded their degree. Students who wish to graduate in August or December must apply to graduate by the first working day of those months. Students who wish to graduate in May are advised to apply to graduate by the first working day of February. Those who apply later than the first working day of February may be cleared to graduate, but they will not have their names in the Commencement program book and their diplomas may not be available at the Commencement ceremony in May.

Dissertations, doctoral projects or theses of students whose programs require them must be accepted by the Graduate School no later than May 1 in order to graduate for May 2023 or August 18 to graduate for August 2023. Check Submission of Dissertation and Submission of Thesis for complete information. In December, the date by which the dissertations, doctoral projects, or theses must be accepted generally corresponds with the end of the exam period.

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.

1. Login to MyAccess.
2. At the top of the page, click on Students, find the Student Profile item, possibly at the top of the right column.
3. Within the Student Profile, go to Apply to Graduate toward the bottom of the column of links below your photo.
4. Select the term in which you want to graduate (fall, spring, summer). The default date will appear as the last day of the month regardless of the date set for graduation in that month.
5. Select the appropriate program or degree
   • 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, the student must apply for each degree separately. A student may not use one graduation application to apply for both degrees.
6. Click Continue
7. Indicate whether or not you will be attending the commencement ceremony. Your response can be changed later, though not through MyAccess.
8. Click Continue
9. Select the name you want to appear on your diploma
   • It is traditional to show your full name on a diploma, but the first and last name must match the name on your student record. If no middle name appears it must be added through the process in the next bullet.
     
   • The Graduate Bulletin states that the name on diplomas must match the one on a student’s record. If the name that appears differs from the name you want on your diploma, select “new” and enter the name as you want it to appear. Note that if you enter a different name, you must submit a name change form and documentation to the Registrar’s Office. If your name is not changed by the Registrar’s Office within a month of your application to graduate, the name used for the diploma will be the one on your student record.
   • Chosen Names entered in MyAccess are NOT acceptable for diplomas. Please submit the name change form along with documentation to the Registrar’s Office.
   • If your name has special characters such as accent marks, enter them in MyAccess. Please note that the printer cannot produce all special characters. After you have completed the application to graduate, email gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu so that we can track the exception.
10. Click Continue
11. Select the address to which you want your diploma mailed. If the address you want is not currently listed, select “New” and enter the appropriate information.
12. Verify the information you have entered. If everything is correct, click “Submit Request” to complete the process.
13. There is no email confirmation. Instructions on viewing an existing graduation application in MyAccess are below.
14. 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, 2023 option. Your graduation date will be May 18, 19, 20, or 21, based on your school.

During the two weeks following the graduation date, the Graduate School 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 Graduate School will work with your department to resolve any issues.

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 MyAccess.

• *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.

Special deadlines apply for spring semester graduation:

You MUST apply to graduate NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 1, 2024 if you wish to: (a) have your diploma available at the May graduation ceremony and (b) have your name and graduation information printed in the Commencement Book. This early deadline is required by the production schedules of both the diplomas and Commencement Book.

Students requesting Master’s in passing degrees should also apply for the degree using the relevant Student Petition for Change to Graduate Program as early as possible. Be sure to get the DGS signature on the form before sending in the form. If you want the degree to appear in the Commencement book, you should submit the form by the February 1 deadline.

After the initial February 1 deadline, you may apply to graduate up until May 1. Dissertations, doctoral projects, and theses must be accepted by the Graduate School by May 1 though there is an earlier deadline for uploading. See the bottom of the Submission page. If you apply after February 1 for May graduation, you will be able to participate in the Commencement ceremony, but your diploma MAY NOT be available at the ceremony and your graduation information WILL NOT be printed in the 2024 Commencement Book.

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. Information on May diplomas will be posted here in Spring 2023.

Graduates will receive an email message when they are cleared to graduate and again when diplomas arrive in DC and are ready to be picked up. The message includes the mailing address entered in the graduation application. It asks students to confirm whether they can pick up the diploma or if it should be mailed and to confirm or update the address if it will be mailed.

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

Diplomas are large, measuring 14″ x 17″ (36cm by 43cm) and are only printed in Latin. Click here for a 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 as 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

MONTH DEGREE AWARDED        DIPLOMA AVAILABILITY

MAY                                 late May/June

AUGUST                              late September/October

DECEMBER                            February

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.

• 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 MyAccess 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, 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 an initial, fro 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

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 MyAccess 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.

All questions about graduation and other academic topics may be directed to the Dean’s Office’s Graduate Student Services email account at: gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu