College Programming and Orientation
Class of 2025
Students’ final year of undergraduate study is filled with opportunities to make fond memories while preparing for life after their time in the College. From Senior Week to Convocation, the College plans numerous events and unique traditions to help commemorate the UChicago experience. Find information below about how to make the most of your senior year and plan for the road ahead without missing important deadlines and opportunities.
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Information for Graduating Seniors
An abbreviated list of key dates and deadlines to consider during the quarter you intend to graduate can be found below. We hope you will find this information to be a useful guide as you approach graduation.
Week 1:
- Submit your Application to Graduate in the my.UChicago portal by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday of the first week of the quarter in which you intend to graduate with all degree requirements and coursework completed. If your area(s) of study and/or expected graduation term (i.e., EGT) do not match your intentions, please reach out to your academic adviser for assistance. Note: Summer Quarter graduates who wish to attend Convocation should follow the Spring Quarter deadline.
- If you are completing remaining coursework or degree requirements, but are not enrolled in classes this quarter, submit an Extended Enrollment Status Form or No Further Enrollments Required Form by 11:59 p.m. on Friday of the first week of the quarter in which you intend to graduate (if you haven't already done so). Note: This step is not required for Summer Quarter graduates.
Week 2:
- Confirm your degree audit in My Planner is showing you will meet all degree requirements by the end of the quarter. If you need to make changes to your schedule to ensure all requirements are met, do so prior to the end of the add/drop period. Reach out to your academic adviser as soon as possible regarding any discrepancies in your degree audit.
- Your assigned Diploma Ceremony site will be available in early March regardless of your quarter of graduation. Any requests for Diploma Ceremony site changes must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the second week of Spring Quarter if you plan to attend the Convocation and Diploma Ceremonies in June. A link to the request form will be available in the my.UChicago portal where your Application to Graduate can be found.
Week 5:
- If you determine you need to withdraw your application to graduate and complete your degree during a subsequent quarter, notify your academic adviser by 11:59 p.m. on Friday of the fifth week of the quarter in which you intend to graduate to avoid incurring a $65 late cancellation fee. Students who withdraw an application will need to submit a new Application to Graduate for the updated quarter in which they plan to graduate.
- If you have missing grades from previous quarter courses (I for Incomplete, NGR for No Grade Reported, or left blank), the grades must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the fifth week of the quarter to be taken into account for tabulation of various honors and awards.
Week 6:
- Resolve any outstanding balances with the Office of the University Bursar by 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the sixth week of the quarter in which you intend to graduate. Remaining balances may result in a hold placed on receiving your diploma.
- Any missing AP/IB/A-Level exam score reports or official transcripts from other colleges and universities being utilized following an approved Transfer Credit Petition must be submitted to your academic adviser by 11:59 p.m. on Friday of the sixth week of the quarter in which they intend to graduate.
Week 9:
- If you are enrolled in courses during the quarter in which you intend to graduate, you must have passing grades on record for any courses required to meet your degree requirements by the grading deadline for graduating students set by the Office of the University Registrar. Prior to final exam week, ensure your instructors have taken note that you are graduating and your final grades must be submitted by this deadline.
- If you borrowed federal student loans, you are required to complete an exit counseling session here by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday of the ninth week of the quarter in which you intend to graduate.
Week after final exams:
- Closely monitor your final grades and degree audit in My Planner to ensure all requirements are met by the grading deadline for the quarter in which you intend to graduate. Students without final, qualifying grades on record by the grading deadline risk being removed from the list of graduates if the grade is needed to meet degree requirements. Provisional grades are not permitted. Note: Grades entered by instructors on the grading deadline will feed to My Planner overnight and will be noted in time for graduation clearance.
As you prepare for life beyond the College, we've created a new series of videos to help you tackle the transition into adulthood and master best practices.
As you approach the end of the academic year, we encourage you to think about your future. We hope you will transition smoothly into your role as a new alumnus and embrace opportunities to continue your relationship with the College, as there are numerous ways for you to stay involved. Please take the opportunity to learn how you can stay connected to the University of Chicago through the Alumni Association and how the College can continue to be a resource to you post-graduation.
Scroll down on this page to find answers to a variety of frequently asked questions related to the graduation process. You may also consult the Convocation FAQ for questions related to the Convocation and Diploma Ceremonies.
If you have a question that you do not see answered below or on the Convocation website, please consult your academic adviser or reach out to seniors@uchicago.edu.
Senior Traditions & Celebrations
Preparing for Graduation
In order to indicate to the College that you plan to graduate, you are required to confirm your plans by submitting an application to graduate. The application can be found in the my.UChicago portal for students in an ‘Active’ status. Students graduating from a non-active status (e.g., leave of absence, suspension) will need to submit a .pdf of the application which they can request from their academic adviser.
You must submit your application to graduate on time AND complete your degree requirements by the grading deadline for your quarter of graduation in order to officially graduate. Students who do not complete both requirements will be removed from the graduation list and have their expected graduation term updated to a future quarter.
Your programs should be correctly declared before beginning your application to graduate. Prior to beginning the application, check that any major and minor programs you intend to complete (including any tracks and/or specializations) are listed correctly in the my.UChicago portal. If any details are incorrect, contact your academic adviser for assistance prior to beginning the application.
Applications to graduate in Autumn, Winter, or Spring Quarter are due on Saturday of the first week of the quarter in which you intend to graduate.
Applications to graduate in Summer Quarter are due on Saturday of the first week of Spring Quarter if you intend to participate in Convocation. This allows the Office of the University Registrar and College Programming and Orientation to collect students’ RSVPs for Convocation and ensure timely communication between offices about logistical details such as walking assignments for Diploma Ceremonies. If you do not intend to participate in the June Convocation ceremony, you should submit your application to graduate by Saturday of the first week of Summer Quarter.
If a September Session course is going to be your last course at UChicago, you will graduate in Autumn Quarter. Please submit your application to graduate on the same timeline as Autumn Quarter graduates. Although September Session courses are part of Summer Quarter enrollment, those grades are due after the normal grading deadline for Summer Quarter, and they cannot be used for Summer Graduation.
Information regarding the application to graduate and screenshots of what you will be asked can be found on the Office of the University Registrar’s website. If you are encountering technical issues, please contact the University Registrar with screenshots of your problem at registrar@uchicago.edu. Please direct other questions about your application to graduate to your academic adviser.
On any of these three enrollment statuses, you are still required to submit your application to graduate by Saturday of the first week of the quarter in which you intend to graduate. Your expected graduation term should align with when you intend to complete any remaining coursework to complete degree requirements, not your final quarter of full-time enrollment. Further information about these statuses, including who qualifies for them and the impact on tuition and fees, can be found in the College Catalog.
Your instructors should be aware you’re graduating as their class roster will indicate you are in your final quarter of enrollment. However, it is a good idea to confirm they are aware your grades need to be entered on or before the grading deadline so there are no uncertainties about your qualification to graduate.
Review your transcript for any missing or incomplete grades. Contact your instructors as soon as possible regarding any missing grades and confirm plans for resolving any outstanding incompletes that you expect to finish. Missing and incomplete grades are due at the end of the fifth week of the quarter to be included in the tabulation of various honors and awards. Instructors will not be able to alter grades after you graduate, so make sure your transcript is as complete as possible.
If your major or minor requires a thesis or portfolio for graduation, or you’ve elected to complete one in pursuit of departmental honors, make sure to coordinate with your thesis adviser or reviewers to be clear on submission deadlines. Theses and portfolios often take longer to review than a final exam, and more lead time may be necessary to ensure your projects are sufficient prior to graduation.
Grading deadlines are set by the University Registrar’s Office and can be found here.In Autumn, Winter, and Summer Quarters, final grades for graduating students are due on Tuesday following the end of the quarter, the same day as the regular grading deadline for all students. In Spring Quarter, final grades for graduating students are due the Sunday immediately following final exam week.
The College does not offer or accept provisional grading as transcripts are considered final upon degree conferral. You should expect grades entered by instructors at the end of the quarter to be final. If you are concerned that a final grade will not be entered on time, please reach out to your academic adviser to discuss next steps.
As a reminder, September Session classes will not issue final grades until after the Summer Quarter grading deadline and enrollment in these classes will necessitate updating your expected graduation term to Autumn Quarter.
Graduating students enrolled in business economics courses (i.e., BUSN 2xxxx) will receive final grades in these courses in accordance with the College grading deadline articulated above. Students in the College who enroll in higher level coursework (i.e., BUSN 3xxxx/4xxxx) offered by the Booth School of Business are not guaranteed to receive final grades by the College grading deadline and should not enroll in these courses if they are needed for graduation, unless the course schedule and syllabus display the attribute indicating early grades will be provided upon request for the course.
Your academic adviser will work closely with the College Academic and Student Services Office to confirm you are on track to meet the requirements for graduation in the quarter in which you apply, but it is your responsibility as a student to ensure you have completed your degree requirements based on what is listed in the College Catalog and appearing on your degree audit in My Planner.
All requirements listed in your degree audit must read as complete in My Planner by the established grading deadline for you to be cleared to graduate.
It is important that your degree audit accurately reflect your progress toward completing degree requirements. Students who notice a discrepancy with their remaining requirements outlined on their degree audit in My Planner should email their academic adviser with details about their concern. Course substitutions granted for core, major, or minor requirements will require an approved petition or email from the appropriate faculty contact and any such approvals should be forwarded to your adviser upon receipt.
If you are enrolled in a joint degree program and have questions about your program requirements, please reach out to your joint degree program contact directly. Graduation clearance for master’s programs is not managed by the College.
Prior to beginning your application to graduate, check that your major and minor declarations (including any tracks and specializations) are correctly declared in the my.UChicago portal. If anything is incorrect, submit an update to your records by navigating to Academics > Academic Records > Manage Majors and Minors. Please email your academic adviser to notify them that you’ve submitted an urgent change so they can review and approve your request.
If you are unable to access this screen in the portal, contact your academic adviser about the needed change to your declared programs. Your adviser will coordinate with the College Academic and Student Services Office and Office of the University Registrar to make the necessary changes. Please note that it can take a week or longer to be accurately reflected in the my.UChicago portal and My Planner. Changes to your major(s) made after the 5th week of the quarter may result in a delay in receiving your diploma.
Students who are enrolled in a course that is needed to earn back credit, language competency, or fulfillment of another degree requirement should check in with their academic adviser to confirm a plan for how the requirement will be checked off by the end of the quarter.
Convocation and Diploma Ceremonies
The University holds one set of Convocation and Diploma Ceremonies each year at the conclusion of Spring Quarter. Graduates from the preceding Autumn and Winter Quarters, as well as the forthcoming Summer Quarter, are eligible to participate with the Spring Quarter graduates.
If you are completing your final degree requirement(s) in September Term, you are considered an Autumn Quarter graduate. This is because your final grade will not be entered in time to meet the grading deadline for Summer Quarter graduates. If you are completing the last of your degree requirements in September Term, you should submit an application to graduate and an Extended Enrollment Status Request Form or No Further Enrollments Required (NFER) Status Request Form for Autumn Quarter and plan to receive your diploma at the end of Autumn Quarter.
The Convocation Ceremony is the University-wide ceremony during which degrees are officially conferred to all graduates. Convocation involves degree candidates from all divisions and schools. It includes the presentation of honorary degrees and an address from the Convocation speaker. Convocation Addresses consistently focus on the pursuit of knowledge and the power of ideas. The President of the University verbally confers degrees on candidates by division and school on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
Each division and school host a separate Diploma Ceremony where its graduates will be honored individually through the presentation of diplomas. Following the University-wide Convocation Ceremony, you and your guests will break off to attend a lunch, the Diploma Ceremony, and a reception that is assigned by residence hall. These ceremonies take place in various locations throughout campus. While students graduating from all four quarters will walk the stage and have their names read, you will only pick up your diploma on-site afterwards if you completed your degree in Spring Quarter.
Details specific to making arrangements for the Convocation and Diploma Ceremonies can be found on the Convocation website. This page is updated annually in Winter and Spring Quarters and contains detailed information about the events, lodging, accessibility, and regalia.
If you wish to participate in Convocation during a school year in which you are not eligible due to an extenuating circumstance, you will need to submit a General Petition Form with the details of your request to seniors@uchicago.edu. If you are approved to walk in a different Convocation ceremony than the one you are eligible for, you will only be permitted to participate in that Ceremony. In other words, students may only participate in a single Convocation ceremony.
Your Diploma Ceremony site assignment will appear in the my.UChicago portal beginning in early March along with a link to the Diploma Ceremony Change Form for requests to change sites. The due date for requesting to walk at a different Diploma Ceremony site via this form is Friday of the second week of instruction for Spring Quarter. You will also receive an email notification from the College Programming and Orientation Office with the link and due date.
Graduates looking to change sites will be asked to rank their top three alternative locations as some sites may have limited capacity. Once capacity is reached for a given site, no additional students will be approved for that location.
If you are a Veteran cohort graduate, you will be assigned to walk with Max P/Snell-Hitchcock. While you may request a change to your Diploma Ceremony site as well, you should consider the impact a change could have on attending the ROTC Commissioning Ceremony hosted after the Diploma Ceremony.
If a request to change your Diploma Ceremony site is approved, you will see the change reflected in your Diploma Ceremony site assignment in the my.UChicago portal. You will not receive an email confirmation. If your request to change Diploma Ceremony sites is denied, you will be notified directly.
Transcripts and Diplomas
Transcripts are typically finalized for graduates a few business days after the grading deadline for the quarter, or about a week following the end of final exams. Once finalized, the status on your transcript will be changed to "Completed" and the date of the degree conferral will be added.
If you believe there is a discrepancy that needs resolving on your transcript, start by emailing your academic adviser with details about your concern. Your adviser will help you identify the appropriate next steps and any helpful contacts to address the issue.
If you are graduating in Autumn, Winter, or Summer Quarter, your diploma will be mailed directly to you at the diploma address you provided on your Application to Graduate. Diplomas are typically mailed a few business days after the grading deadline for the quarter, or about a week following the end of final exams.
If you are graduating in Spring Quarter, your diploma will be available for pickup in a tent alongside the stage following your Diploma Ceremony. If you are a Spring Quarter graduate but do not plan to participate in Convocation, your diploma will be mailed directly to you at the diploma address you provided following Convocation.
Be sure to resolve any remaining balances with the Office of the Bursar by the end of week 6 and keep your diploma address up to date in the my.UChicago portal to ensure there will not be a delay in the receipt of your diploma.
A rendering of the UChicago diploma can be found here. Majors will be listed alphabetically, first by Bachelor of Arts majors and then by Bachelor of Science majors, for up to four majors. If you receive Latin Honors or Departmental Honors, this information will also appear on your diploma. Minors, tracks, specializations, and other honors and awards will not be listed on the diploma due to space constrictions.
If you wish to order a custom frame for your diploma, you will need to order one that supports a 9" x 12" document in a landscape format.
Information about ordering a replacement diploma can be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website. There is a charge for replacing and shipping the new diploma.
