Graduation Information

Candidates for a graduate degree or certificate must submit an Application for Graduation by the dates communicated by the Graduate School.  

Students must be enrolled in courses or at least one hour of continuous enrollment in the semester in which they intend to graduate.

Apply to graduate:

1) Log in to MyPortal
2) Click on the "Graduation Application" tile
3) Click on "Apply to Graduate"

Students who applied for graduation in a previous term but did not complete their requirements or had their graduation application canceled must reapply.

Once you submit your graduation application, you will be charged a graduation fee of $25 for every degree and/or certificate you plan to earn. This fee can be paid through your eBill account in MyPortal.

Students who miss the application deadline will have to pay an additional $25 (for a total of $50) and must apply in person at the Graduate School office.

If you have to reapply for graduation - either for not completing your requirements in a previous term or your graduation application was canceled in a previous term - you may have to resubmit the graduation fee.

Degree Works provides you with access to your unofficial degree audit which lists information regarding your current program(s) of study including institutional and degree requirements.

You can access your degree audit via the Degree Works tile in MyPortal. 

If your degree requirements changed during your enrollment, you may update your catalog year (this determines your degree requirements) to the current catalog year.  Consult with your program director if you think this applies to you.

Please note:  You may use this on-line tool to view your progress toward meeting graduation requirements, but it is not an official degree audit. Official final degree audits are only performed by the Graduate School at the time a student applies for graduation.

Graduation Status Notification

Students who apply to graduate will be e-mailed one or more Graduation Status Notification emails during their expected graduation term. 

Students who fail to apply to graduate will not receive a Graduation Status Notification email. 

 There are two types of e-mails: 

• Not Pre-Clearing: Students are notified that they are lacking items to meet their graduation requirements for the term in which they applied. 
• Pre-Clearing/Clearing: Students are on track to graduate as applied. 

Master's candidates who have submitted an application for graduation will be considered eligible to participate in that term's ceremony.  Students earning a graduate certificate are not eligible to participate in Commencement ceremonies.  The exception to this is if a student is also graduating with a master's degree.

Summer Graduates Seeking Permission to Participate in Spring Commencement Prior to Degree Completion

Students completing a thesis must:
- have defended or have scheduled a defense to take place no later than May 15
- be enrolled in final requirements or continuous enrollment credits
- submit Permission to Defend form to the Graduate School at time of request
- be in good standing (at least a 3.0 GPA) with no incomplete grades for non-thesis credits

Students not completing a thesis must:
- be within 6 hours of degree completion
- be enrolled in final requirements at time of request
- be in good standing (at least a 3.0 GPA) with no incomplete grades

Students seeking this permission should contact their graduate program director for more information.

Fall Graduates Seeking to Participate in Spring Commencement After Degree Completion

Students who earned their degrees in December, but wish to defer their participation to the May ceremony must contact the Graduate School no later than April 1.

Summer Graduates Seeking to Participate in Fall Commencement After Degree Completion

Students who earned their degrees in August, and wish to participate in the December ceremony must contact the Graduate School no later than November 1.

Master's candidates must wear black robes and caps, as well as their discipline's corresponding hood.

To purchase regalia online, visit Oak Hall's website.
The deadline to order regalia from Oak Hall is Wednesday, November 13.

To purchase regalia in person, visit the College Bookstore at 160 Calhoun Street.
The deadline to order regalia from the Bookstore is Friday, December 6.

To secure regalia from the Graduate Student Association contact them at gsa@cofc.edu.
GSA regalia is limited and is first come, first served.

Prices are subject to change and do not include SC sales tax or shipping costs.

• Hood, robe, cap, and tassel combo: $103.00
• Robe, cap, tassel combo: $55.00
• Hood: $46.00
• Robe: $37.50
• Cap: $11.00
• Tassel: $9.00

Check your regalia to ensure you have the correct color hood.

• Accountancy: Drab
• Business Administration: Drab
• Child Life: Sage Green
• Communication: Silver
• Computer & Information Sciences: Gold
• Concurrent MS/MPA: Gold & Peacock Blue (2 hoods required)
• Creative Writing: Brown
• Data Science & Analytics: Gold
• Education: Light Blue
• English: White
• Environmental & Sustainability Studies: Gold
• History: White
• Marine Biology: Gold
• Mathematical Sciences: Gold
• Public Administration: Peacock Blue

Students wishing to wear any additional regalia (cords, stoles, sashes, etc.) must have permission from the Graduate School and the Commencement Committee.  Students should contact the Graduate School for more information.

Graduate students do not receive Latin Honors or honor medallions.

Graduate students do not carry flowers during the ceremony.

Master's candidates are eligibile to receive 10 tickets.

Eligible students must complete the ceremony registration that is distributed to their student email account by the Commencement Committee.  The registration window is October 28 to November 8.  Tickets will be released to the student's College of Charleston email account the week before Commencement.

Download the Commencement App

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients

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Accessibility Information

Clear Bag Checks & Prohibited Items

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A student’s diploma name is not required to match their primary/legal name.

You will have the opportunity to select your diploma name when completing the graduation application in MyPortal. A student can choose any preferred first or middle name as their diploma name. Some examples of preferred names can include but are not limited to:

• First name, initial, or an alternate form of the first name
• First name which conforms with the graduate’s genuine expression of gender identity
• Middle name, initial, or omission of the middle name altogether
• Inclusion of former or maiden name
• Inclusion of maternal surnames as culturally appropriate
• The following suffixes can be used in a diploma name: I, II, III, IV, Jr., Sr.

Individuals should refrain from any of the following in their diploma name:

• Symbols, numbers, unusual capitalization, repeating characters or punctuation
• Characters from multiple languages
• Titles of any kind, ex. professional, religious
• Offensive or suggestive words of any kind
• Not permitted is a prefix or suffix related to a title or credential (e.g., Dr., DMD, Esq., Mrs., Mr., etc.)

During the term when they apply to graduate, students will receive an email confimring the diploma name selected. Any corrections to the diploma name must be updated by the student’s degree conferral date by emailing the Graduate School.

Failure to update or correct the diploma name prior to degree conferral will require the graduate to order a replacement diploma. Standard replacement fees will apply.

NOTE:
The College strongly suggests that students who plan to live, study or work outside of the United States use their legal name on their diploma to avoid issues with the verification of their educational records. Additionally, diplomas requiring notarization must reflect the individual’s legal name. If a student uses a preferred name on their diploma and later needs a new diploma with their legal name, they will be required to order a replacement diploma. Standard replacement fees will apply. 

Degree Information
Degrees and programs are listed on the diploma (ex: Master of Arts in Communication).  Concentrations, emphases, tracks, etc. are not listed on the diploma.  Diplomas for joint programs will reflect both the College of Charleston and the other institution.

Dimensions & Material
College of Charleston graduate diplomas are among the largest in the country at 20" long by 16" wide. College of Charleston graduate certificates are 13" long by 10" wide. These are made of archival quality parchment paper – not sheepskin.

Signatures
Diplomas are signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, the President, the Provost, the Graduate Dean, and by the academic school deans that offer graduate programs.  Certificates are signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, the President, the Provost, the Graduate Dean, the academic school dean offering the program, and the graduate program director. 

Diplomas will be mailed to the diploma mailing address listed on the Graduation Application 4 - 8 weeks following degree conferral.  

Check MyPortal to ensure your account is current and your Diploma Mailing Address (as listed on your Graduation Application) is correct before leaving the College to avoid delays in receiving your diploma.

Your Diploma Mailing Address should be an address where you can receive mail up to 12 weeks after graduation.

You may review the address by clicking on the Graduation Application Tile in MyPortal and then selecting Submitted Graduation Applications.

Diplomas and certificates will not be ordered for graduates who have outstanding holds. 

Common holds include:

• Account balance - check your eBill
• Account hold - check MyPortal
• Incomplete Financial Aid Exit Interview - contact the Treasurer
• Missing final report for travel or research funding received from the Graduate School

The Graduate School cannot store diplomas for students with unresolved holds.  Students who do not resolve holds within 30 days of notification will be required to pay for a replacement diploma if/when the hold is resolved.

Students are responsible for notifying the Graduate School when hold has been resolved.

Receiving you College of Charleston diploma is much-anticipated and joyous occassion. Unfortunately, there can be some instances where not everything goes as planned.

If your diploma was damaged during mailing, your name was misspelled, or something else is wrong contact the Graduate School for assistance.

Students with diploma issues must contact the Graduate School within a reasonable amount of time, typically within a year of the graduation term, and the original diploma must be returned before a replacement can be issued.

Graduate alumni may request a replacement diploma by submitting a Graduate Diploma Replacement form along with payment to the College of Charleston.

The replacement diploma fee is $25 (subject to change without notice).  Expedited processing is available for an additional fee.  Diplomas may be notarized for an additional processing fee of $15. 

Diplomas will be reproduced on the engraver's current paper stock using current signatures.   As a result, the replacement diploma may not be an exact duplicate of the original.  However, the diploma will match your official academic record on file (name, degree, major, and conferral date).  All replacement diplomas are 20" x 16".

Submit the replacement form to the Graduate School.