After Applying for Graduation

Congratulations on nearing the completion of your degree! Use the information and tips on this page to advance toward your degree, avoid common roadblocks and graduate in a timely manner. If you haven't yet applied for your degree, see  for more information.

After filing for graduation, there are two key steps to follow in order to graduate on time.  These should be done on a regular basis all the way through to graduation.

  1. Consult with an academic advisor
    • Meet with your academic advisor to review degree requirements. Undergraduate students should ask about both major requirements and other non-major requirements, including general education, graduation requirements, and unit requirements.
  2. Check your “Status of Graduation Application” by visiting and selecting the 'Student Record Services' tile and then selecting the “Graduation Status/Commencement” link. The graduation status options you will see are as follows:
    • Applied – Acknowledgement that your application for graduation was received.
    • Major Check Received - Your major check was received by graduation evaluations and your evaluator will begin review of your file in the order received.
    • Degree Requirements Have Been Reviewed – Indicates your degree requirements have been preliminarily reviewed and your graduation evaluator has sent a summary of your graduation status to your Horizon email account. A record will stay in this “Reviewed” status until a student graduates or their graduation candidacy expires.
    • Awarded – Verification that your degree requirements were completed and your degree was awarded. You can view your degree posting on your transcript immediately and the diploma will be mailed to your Home address within 6-8 weeks of the degree being awarded.

After your department sends a major check to the Office of the Registrar, the volume of graduation candidates in any given term will determine when notification will be sent.  Please continue to check your Horizon email for an email from the Office of the Registrar; the information that you receive from your graduation evaluator supersedes any information shown in the Degree Audit Report (DAR) and is your official notification of remaining graduation requirements.

To update your term of graduation, submit a Request to Postpone or Cancel Graduation form located on the forms website. The form will electronically route to  your major department for approval. If you are a student with 144 semester units or more the form will additionally route to the Dean of Academic Programs and Services for approval and then will go to Registrar’s for processing. If you select to cancel your graduation then the form will route directly to the Registrar’s Office for processing. Once the request is implemented, your request to update or cancel graduation cannot be undone.

  •  Undergraduate students will be charged a $25 fee whenever their term of graduation is postponed; this fee will be charged whether the postponement is initiated by the student or a graduation evaluator has determined graduation is not feasible for the prescribed term. Graduate students are not required to pay the graduation postponement fee. There is no fee for any student to cancel their graduation. 
  • You can only postpone one time to the next consecutive semester, otherwise you will need to cancel your graduation and refile by the deadline.
  •  To receive a priority registration appointment time for your proposed new term of graduation you must update by the Priority Deadline listed below. Students that apply for graduation after the Priority Deadline will not be eligible for priority registration.
Graduation Term
Priority Deadline (for priority registration)
Late Deadline (not eligible for priority registration)
Spring
Oct 1
Nov 1
Summer/Fall
March 1
April 1

Follow these reminders during your final term of graduation.

  • Continue to meet with major and academic advisors as appropriate.
  • Inform your graduation evaluator of any transfer work that needs to be submitted, or any course substitutions approved after you received an email notification of your degree requirements from your graduation evaluator.
  • Check your major/minor/option on   during your final term of graduation to ensure accuracy. If edits need to be made, undergraduate students should submit a Change of Major/Minor/Concentration form to Records; graduate students should submit a Request to Declare or Change Concentration for Graduate Students form to Records.  Once a degree is awarded, a student’s record cannot be changed and no edits to major, minor, or option are allowed.
  • Complete degree requirements by the last day of courses of the term in which you are graduating. If any requirement is completed after this date, you will not be eligible to graduate in that term. A delay in graduation term may be required.
  • Check your address on . Any changes to permanent address must be done on  by the last day of instruction of your final term to ensure that your diploma is sent to your correct address.
  • Check your name on MyÂÌñ»»ÆÞ. If you need to change your name, complete a Personal Data Change form and submit to Records by the last day of instruction of your final term to ensure that your diploma has your correct name.