Registrar Graduation

Graduation refers to the completion of your degree. Commencement is the ceremony celebrating all the students who have graduated or anticipate graduating within this academic year. Since grades can be turned in after the Commencement ceremony has occurred, walking during the ceremony is not a confirmation that all degree requirements have been met. The Registrar’s Office will contact you concerning your graduation status once the final degree audit has been completed.

You must have a minimum of:

• 120 credit hours to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UST.
• 30 + credit hours to graduate with a master’s or doctoral degree from UST. Specific hour requirements vary by degree.

Yes! Your advisor, with your approval, must submit a graduation application on your behalf to graduate. Graduation applications are accepted from your advisors one semester before your expected graduation term. When the application period has been opened, we will email you and your advisors to provide full details of this process. Plan to meet with your advisor a semester prior to your anticipated graduation date to discuss this process and turn in your application.

Graduation applications are due by the last day of classes of the spring/fall term prior to your graduation term.

Submitting your application for graduation the semester prior to your anticipated completion is required. An email will be sent to your @stthom.edu email address when the application window has been opened.

The deadlines to apply for graduation are:

• May and Summer candidates– Last day of classes in the previous fall semester.
• December candidates – Last day of classes in the previous spring semester.

If you have missed the deadline to apply for graduation, you may submit an appeal using the Graduation Appeal Form. This form should be sent to graduation@stthom.edu. Approval for a late application submission is not guaranteed, and your degree conferral may instead be completed during the next available graduation date (May, June, August, or December).

The Office of the Registrar will review your record to confirm you are on track for the completion date you selected. You will receive correspondence to your @stthom.edu email address if there are any concerns about your degree progress.

Don’t give up! If for some reason you don’t pass a final class, we will move your graduation application forward to the next available semester to give you time to retake the course.

If there are other reasons why you know that you will not successfully complete all the degree requirements during the semester you intended to graduate, please contact your Academic Advisor to discuss what is needed to complete your degree. Next contact the Office of the Registrar at graduation@stthom.edu and notify us, so your record and graduation date may be updated.

If you do not have enough hours or have not completed all the degree requirements, you will receive an email from the Office of the Registrar indicating that you have not met the degree requirements. You will need to talk with your Academic Advisor about the specific requirements that still need to be completed.

Once final grades are posted at the conclusion of the semester you have applied to graduate, a final degree audit will be completed. The final audit verifies you have successfully completed all the degree requirements for your specific degree program. After the final degree audits have been verified, you will receive an email from the Office of the Registrar congratulating you on the completion of your degree. Please note that it may take up to 30 days from the term’s last date of final exams for your degree to be posted to your records. Be sure to keep checking your @stthom.edu email account for this information!

Your degree conferral date is typically the day after the end of the final examination period of your graduation term.

Your minor and/or concentration will be reflected on your transcript; they are NOT listed on diplomas.

Credits from other colleges or universities are considered transfer credits. To have credits transferred from another institution to UST you must submit an official transcript to the Office of the Registrar. Your transcript will be reviewed, and hours will be posted to your UST transcript if applicable. Transfer credit questions should be directed transcripts@stthom.edu.

You will need to apply to any new programs in which you wish to take courses. Please apply and/or contact Admissions to get the next steps required to continue here at UST. We would love to help you to earn another degree!

Once you have completed all your degree requirements, and a final audit of your record has been processed by the Office of the Registrar, your degree will be posted to your academic record (your degree will be conferred). As noted above, you must first apply to graduate, or your degree will not be flagged for conferral.

Diplomas are printed by our 3rd-party partner, Parchment. You will receive a separate email from Parchment that will contain instructions on how to access your digital diploma after your degree has been conferred. You should receive a physical copy of the diploma in the mail 3-4 weeks after you receive your digital diploma.

Please note that we do NOT hold diplomas for pick-up - they are mailed directly to the home address (or mailing address, if applicable) that you have on file. After the diploma is ordered, we are NOT able to change the mailing address, so it is important to ensure that your home address is current in myStThom!

If you have a past due balance with the University (owe the University any money) you will not be able to obtain your diploma until the balance is paid in full. If you have questions regarding your account balance, please contact the Business Office at 713.525.6992.

If you have a hold from the Financial Aid department for an exit interview hold or a hold from Career Services and Testing for a graduation survey hold, you will not be able to obtain your diploma until these holds are cleared. For the Financial Aid exit interview hold, students will need to complete an exit interview survey at studentloans.gov. After completion, you must contact the UST Financial Aid Office at 713.525.2170 to request that the hold be removed.

For the Career Services and Testing graduation survey hold, a link to the survey will be sent to you via your @stthom.edu email address. Once you complete the survey, we will automatically update the system to remove your hold. Please note that it may take 24-48 hours for the hold to be removed.

Your diploma will list the University of St. Thomas, your full official name as reflected in the myStThom system, the degree name (e.g., Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science, etc.), and your major(s) (e.g., Accounting, Theology, etc.). If you receive academic honors, or if you were in the Honor’s Program, these will be noted on your diploma as well.

Transcripts contain all the information listed on your diploma and includes minors and concentrations areas.

UST uses your full official name on all official documentation, including transcripts and diplomas.

No. Diplomas are ordered after Commencement. As you cross the stage at the Commencement ceremony, you will be handed a diploma tube or folder with a letter from the President and Alumni Relations inside.

Diplomas are ordered after your degree has been conferred, so there is no ability to pick them up early. You will be notified via an email from Parchment when they should arrive at the address you have on file.

Duplicate copies of your diploma may be ordered for a fee via Parchment. Please allow 4-6 weeks for the duplicate diploma to be processed and received.