Graduation Information

Graduation vs. Commencement

Graduation:
Refers to completing all of your degree requirements.

Commencement:
Is the recognition event at the conclusion of your academic career. For Commencement information, click here.

Diplomas & Outstanding Bills

Timeline

You can expect to receive your diploma 6-8 weeks after the end of the term to allow for final grades, degree conferral, and diploma printing and mailing.

Major vs. Degree

Definitions:
- Major: Your program of study (ex. Psychology)
- Degree: The degree you are graduating from UNI with (ex. Bachelor of Arts)
Your diploma will come with your degree printed on it (ex. Bachelor of Arts). If you need an official document listing your major, you should request a copy of your transcript.
Majors, Minors, & Certificates are only printed on the transcript, NOT on your diploma
If you have two majors that are the same degree (ex. Bachelor of Arts), you will only receive one diploma. Multiple diplomas are only sent if a student has received multiple degrees.

Mailing Address

Diplomas will be mailed to your permanent home address or the address listed in your Commencement RSVP. You can check the accuracy of your permanent home address or make changes to it prior to Commencement through your MyUNIverse account. A tutorial is available online here.
If you wish your diploma to be mailed to a different address other than your home address, notify commencement@uni.edu and include your student UID. Please do this within one week after the Commencement Ceremony.
Diplomas will not be emailed or faxed. They are only available via mail or pick-up.

International Students

International students who wish their diploma be sent to their home country, or to an address outside of the U.S. border, send an email to commencement@uni.edu with your complete international address and international phone number. International diplomas will be sent out by DHL express mail service.

U-Bill Holds

A diploma will not be mailed to any student who, at the time of degree conferral, has account holds with the university. Once the account hold has been removed, notify registrar@uni.edu.

Degree Conferral Requirements

Application for Graduation Deadlines

Application for Graduation Deadlines are as follows:

Spring Graduation: April 1st
Summer Graduation: July 1st
Fall Graduation: November 10th

Completing Your Degree Requirements

Completing your degree requirements means that all coursework and all departmental graduation requirements (e.g., comprehensive examinations, internships, student teaching, internship, research paper, project, recital, etc.) that are part of your degree program, are completed.

You can track your progress towards your degree through your Academic Advisement Report, which shows how your coursework applies to your degree requirements. For questions about your academic progress or your Academic Advisement Report, consult your academic advisor or Record Analyst.

Deficiencies

If you are not planning to meet requirements for your degree during the requested term, and you submitted an Application for Graduation, please notify your Record Analyst as soon as possible.

All deficiencies must be satisfied by:

Spring 2024: June 14, 2024
Summer 2024: September 5, 2024
Fall 2024: January 30, 2025

If deficiencies are not completed by this date, you must then complete the Application for Graduation for the term in which you plan to complete all remaining degree requirements.

Applying to Graduate

Undergraduate Candidates

If you are completing your final degree requirements and plan to have a degree awarded, you must submit an Application for Graduation.

Students with multiple majors need to submit only one graduation application and should apply under first declared/major/primary major.
To see if your degree has been awarded, please refer to your unofficial grade report. The graduation check-out process takes 2-4 weeks time to complete after all grades have been received. The Office of the Registrar’s Record Analysts verify that all degree requirements have been satisfied. Please be patient through the degree conferral process.

Graduate Candidates

If you are completing your final degree requirements and plan to have a degree awarded, you must submit an Application for Graduation.

Students with multiple majors need to submit only one graduation application and should apply under first declared/major/primary major.
To see if your degree has been awarded, please refer to your unofficial grade report. The graduation check-out process takes two to four weeks time to complete after all grades have been received. The Office of the Registrar’s Record Analysts verify that all degree requirements have been satisfied. Please be patient through the degree conferral process.

Candidates that wish to apply AFTER the deadline must complete a Graduate Student Request to be considered for degree conferral and a Late Graduation Fee will be applied.

Graduating with Honors

Summa Cum Laude: Students whose cumulative UNI GPA places them in the top 3% of those students graduating from their college are awarded Summa Cum Laude. They receive a medallion and are noted in the Commencement Program with 3 asterisks (***).
Magna Cum Laude: Students whose cumulative UNI GPA places them in the top 4% - 8% of those students graduating from their college are awarded Magna Cum Laude. They receive a purple cord and are noted in the Commencement Program with 2 asterisks (**).
Cum Laude: Students whose cumulative UNI GPA places them in the top 9% - 15% of those students graduating from their college are awarded Cum Laude. They receive a gold cord and are noted in the Commencement Program with 1 asterisk (*).

Must earn no less than 55 semester hours of credit at UNI
Only credit earned in residence at this university is considered in earning honor awards, except for students graduating with the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree, in which case, both residence and non-residence credit is considered.
The names listed in the commencement program with the designations Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude are based on grade point averages at the beginning of the final term. Students’ official honors designation will be listed on their transcript once grades from their final term are posted.

The names of the students tentatively receiving honors are identified in the Commencement Program and on the official academic transcript.
Students will be notified by letter from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs if they have qualified for the Summa Cum Laude award.
The Office of the Registrar will notify students if they have tentatively qualified for the Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude honor.
Students may pick up their award at the Office of the Registrar the week prior to Commencement any time between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday. If the student cannot pick up their award at this time, please contact commencement@uni.edu.

Award Levels

Summa Cum Laude: Students whose cumulative UNI GPA places them in the top 3% of those students graduating from their college are awarded Summa Cum Laude. They receive a medallion and are noted in the Commencement Program with 3 asterisks (***).
Magna Cum Laude: Students whose cumulative UNI GPA places them in the top 4% - 8% of those students graduating from their college are awarded Magna Cum Laude. They receive a purple cord and are noted in the Commencement Program with 2 asterisks (**).
Cum Laude: Students whose cumulative UNI GPA places them in the top 9% - 15% of those students graduating from their college are awarded Cum Laude. They receive a gold cord and are noted in the Commencement Program with 1 asterisk (*).

Criteria

Must earn no less than 55 semester hours of credit at UNI
Only credit earned in residence at this university is considered in earning honor awards, except for students graduating with the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree, in which case, both residence and non-residence credit is considered.
The names listed in the commencement program with the designations Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude are based on grade point averages at the beginning of the final term. Students’ official honors designation will be listed on their transcript once grades from their final term are posted.

Recognition

The names of the students tentatively receiving honors are identified in the Commencement Program and on the official academic transcript.
Students will be notified by letter from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs if they have qualified for the Summa Cum Laude award.
The Office of the Registrar will notify students if they have tentatively qualified for the Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude honor.
Students may pick up their award at the Office of the Registrar the week prior to Commencement any time between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday. If the student cannot pick up their award at this time, please contact commencement@uni.edu.