Graduate Student Resources

It is recommended that students submit their graduation application after they have consulted with their program advisor and met the following requirements:

• Will have completed all degree requirements and required coursework by the end of the semester, including the removal of all incomplete (I), missing (M), and continuing (Z) grades.
• Must be in good academic standing with a GPA of at least 3.00.
• All students must be registered for at least two (2) graduate credit hours during the semester in which they have applied for graduation.
• Must provide course currency statements for all courses that have exceeded the University's stated time limits.
• All applicable state test scores must be submitted for all degree programs requiring them (e.g., Florida Teacher Certification Exam, Florida Educational Leadership Examination, Subject Area Exams, etc.).

Additional requirements by program level:

• Master's and Education Specialist students must pass the comprehensive exam or its equivalent OR have been cleared to take it in the application semester.
• Master's and Specialist students who are required to complete a thesis or project must submit all related paperwork (ETD paperwork, record of project completion, etc.) by the semester deadline. See the College of Education Dates and Deadlines page for current deadlines related to the thesis/project.
• Doctoral students must provide verification of their Qualifying Exam results and their formal admission to candidacy. They must also have an approved Doctoral Supervisory Committee form on file.
• Doctoral students must successfully defend their final dissertation and submit all relevant ETD paperwork (Certificate of Approval form, Plagiarism Check, Survey of Earned Doctorates) by the ETD semester deadline.

In addition, graduate students must have all financial obligations and/or holds paid and cleared from their account in order to receive their final diploma and to participate in the Commencement ceremony. This includes ETD processing fees for students completing a thesis or dissertation. You will not be able to receive your final transcript and diploma until all financial obligations have been cleared. Check your Student Self-Service account and/or the Cashier’s Office to clear any balances or fees.

Commencement is the formal ceremony where students walk across the stage in their commencement regalia (cap, gown, hood). Participation in Commencement requires a formal RSVP, which can be done after you officially apply for graduation. Graduate students may not participate in commencement exercises until all requirements for their degree have been fulfilled and any outstanding financial obligations have been cleared. For more information regarding the commencement ceremonies and to register for this semester's ceremony, please visit the USF Commencement website.

Students who apply for graduation after the priority application deadline for the current semester will be considered late applicants. Late applicants must submit the online Application for Degree via Student Self-Service AND complete and submit the Late Graduation Application Form to the Graduate Support Office. 

Late Graduation Application Form

Although the Registrar's Office will still accept applications after the priority deadline, we encourage all graduating students to apply as early as possible during their final semester of coursework. Please note that if you apply for graduation after the priority deadline, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to review your record on time for the current semester. If we do not have enough time to review your application, you will be denied graduation and need to reapply in the following semester.

Late applicants who want to participate in the graduation ceremony should contact the University Commencement Office (see link in the Commencement section above) regarding requirements to participate in the commencement ceremony. However, late graduation applicants should be aware that:

• their names may not appear in the Commencement program
• academic regalia for participation in the graduation ceremony may not be available to them
• they may not receive their diplomas with those who filed their applications by the stated deadlines
• they may experience a delay in receiving their final transcripts showing degree completion from the Registrar's Office

A student who has applied for graduation but needs to delay degree completion should complete and submit a Graduation Application Withdrawal Request to the Graduate Support Office as soon as possible before the end of the current semester. This action removes the student's name from the official graduation list and the student will not be certified for their degree in that semester. Once you withdraw, you will need to formally reapply for graduation in the next semester (or whichever semester you intend to complete all degree requirements).

Graduation Application Withdrawal Form

If you do not formally withdraw from graduation by submitting the Withdrawal Form, you will be denied graduation and need to reapply in a future semester.

Participating in the formal Commencement ceremony does not guarantee that students will be certified for their degree. Once final grades for the semester are published, the Graduate Support Office will certify completion of the earned degree by conducting a final review of the applicants' degree requirements and final transcripts to ensure that all graduation requirements are met.

A list of graduation applicants and their final graduation status (i.e., whether they have successfully earned the degrees or were denied) will be forwarded to the Registrar's Office approximately 4-6 weeks after the graduation ceremony. Diplomas are mailed to each student’s permanent address approximately 8 weeks after commencement and the conclusion of the student’s final semester.

In the event that a student does not meet all of their program requirements and is denied graduation, the Graduate Support Office will send the student and appropriate program advisors a letter identifying the issues which prevented graduation. Denied students must submit a new Application for Degree for the new term of graduation by the application deadline in that semester. The student should work with their program advisors to successfully reconcile the issues which prevented the previous term's graduation.

In addition, students who were denied must register for at least two (2) credit hours in the semester they reapply for graduation. The only exception is for students who were denied due to missing state test scores or state teaching certification requirements. If you have successfully completed all of your program's required coursework, and only need to pass a state certification exam to graduate, you do not need to register for additional credit hours in the following semester. Contact your program advisor or the GSO team for more details.

If students need formal verification that they have successfully completed all degree requirements prior to receiving their diploma (often for employment purposes), they may request a Letter of Completion from the College. This letter states that the student has finished all the requirements for their degree and lists the date the degree will be conferred on. Students must complete the Request for Letter of Completion Form and submit it to the Graduate Support Office (EDU 320). The Letter of Completion is signed by the student's Department Chair, the College Dean, the COEDU Graduate Support Office, the Office of Graduate Studies, and the University Registrar and receives the university's seal.

Letter of Completion requests are processed once the final degree certification process is completed for the student. The Graduate Support Office completes the final certification process approximately 4-6 weeks after final grades are released by the Registrar. To be certified for their degree, students must have completed all degree requirements listed in the General Graduation Requirements section above, which may include completing comprehensive exams, defending the thesis or dissertation, and/or submitting ETD paperwork (for the thesis or dissertation) to the Office of Graduate Studies. Once the Letter of Completion has been fully signed and processed, it will be mailed to the student at the address provided on the form with an additional (unofficial) copy emailed to the student. Students may also pick up the letter in person from the Graduate Support Office. Please allow 6-10 business days for a Letter of Completion request to be processed once the final certification process is complete for the student.

Note: Once transcripts reflect the degree earned, a Letter of Completion will longer be available. The final transcript and/or diploma serve as proof of degree completion.

For additional information about ordering official transcripts, please see the Registrar's Transcripts webpage.