Graduation Checklist

Students must fulfill specific GPA and curricular requirements for graduation. Please check Degree Navigator for accuracy and contact the Office of Academic Services with any questions. After reviewing Degree Navigator in its entirety for accuracy and completeness, post any discrepancies in our DN Update Form. Your graduation year and month can be seen in Degree Navigator, left hand panel. If you feel your graduation date is wrong, please submit a request to have your graduation date changed.

*Seniors must complete the Graduation Checklist Form by October 15th.*

If you have completed or will be completing a minor or second major (non-engineering major), you MUST complete a Certification of Minor/Major form (by March 1st for May graduates) in order to get credit for the minor (i.e. post the major/minor on your transcript). Minors and second majors appear on the transcript only, not on the diploma. There are no other certificates or methods of recognition for minors/double majors other than the transcript and whatever you choose to post on your résumé. Once received, we will post confirmation in the Diploma Application. 

For students completing the Aerospace or Energy option (in ME), or the 4 course Packaging option, these options do not appear on the diploma or transcript. These options have a separate certificate that is mailed along with the diploma. To verify if you have completed an option, check in with the Mechanical or Packaging Office, respectively.

Students MUST complete the online Diploma Application (by April 1st for May graduates) to have their correct information at the graduation ceremony. Filling out this form does not take place of verifying that you are on track to graduate. Failure to complete the Diploma Application will result in a delay in degree posting. 

At graduation, when you walk across the stage, you will be handed a certificate. The actual diploma is mailed from the Registrar at another time. The mailing address is based on the information you provide in the Diploma Application. All students must complete a Diploma Application and update the permanent mailing address so that the diploma lists your name correctly and is mailed to the appropriate place. After all requirements have been completed and all grades, transcripts, etc. have been received and processed, the School of Engineering will have the Registrar post your degree on the Rutgers University transcript by June 30th (Sept 30th for August graduates, February 28th for January graduates). Diplomas will be distributed by the Registrar soon thereafter in July (in October for August graduates, in March for January graduates). Contact the Registrar for more questions about the distribution of diplomas.

Once the Office of Academic Services has reviewed seniors' files in the final semester, comments will be posted in the Diploma Application for each student so that students know their status (by April 1st for May graduates). After the final semester grades are posted, we will review student records for completion of the degree. At that time, we will update the messaging in the Diploma Application from "on track for May" to "May graduate". Similar messaging will be there for August and January graduates. Once we have reviewed student records as complete, we will communicate this information to the Registrar who will in turn post the degree completion to the transcript. The Diploma Application will say 'PENDING' under Dean Review until we complete our entire graduation review process for May, August, and January graduates (timeline respectively: mid-summer, mid-September, early February). This is normal and unchangeable. 

Please update your permanent mailing address prior to graduation (by April 15th for May grads) at https://personalinfo.rutgers.edu/pi/. Once you graduate and/or are not taking courses at Rutgers University, you may not be able to access the site. The information in the Diploma Application and your permanent address will be used in the printing and mailing of your diploma.

Students MUST complete the online UCS Post-Grad Survey starting in early April and until May10th (for May grads) to provide essential data for certifying the accreditation requirements for your degree.

Although there is only one engineering graduation ceremony in May, there are three possible times each year to complete your degree requirements at Rutgers School of Engineering. January and May graduates are automatically included in the May ceremony. Those finishing in summer (August) or fall (January) need to apply for special consideration as a Marcher below. If you feel your graduation date is incorrect, please submit a request to have your graduation date changed as soon as possible.  

May Grads: Students who complete their degree requirements in the spring semester have a May graduation date. Transcripts are posted by June 30th, diplomas are distributed thereafter. Students who have any grades or transcripts submitted after May 31st will NOT be processed as a May graduate (except for students on co-op or study abroad in the final semester). In this case, see August graduation information below.

August Grads: Students who complete their degree requirements in the summer session have an August graduation date. Transcripts are posted by September 30th, diplomas are distributed thereafter. Students who have any grades or transcripts submitted after August 31st will NOT be processed as an August graduate (except for students on co-op or study abroad in the final semester), see January graduation below. August graduates can participate in the May graduation ceremony provided summer classes are registered and paid for by April 1st.

January Grads: Students who complete their degree requirements in the fall semester or winter session have a January graduation date. Transcripts are posted by February 28th, diplomas are distributed thereafter. Students who have any grades or transcripts submitted after January 31st will NOT be processed as a January graduate (except for students on co-op or study abroad in the final semester), see May graduation above. The official graduation dates for this cycle are:

January 15th 
May 15th (the day of University Commencement)
August 31st 

If you will NOT complete all degree requirements by the end of May, it may still be possible to participate in the May graduation ceremony as a MARCHER. Marchers wear cap and gown, go up on stage, and receive a certificate (just like the actual graduates do). In order to be eligible to participate in graduation as a MARCHER, you must meet ALL of the following criteria:

-No more than 15 credits remaining after SPRING semester, AND
-All courses must be taken in the Summer and/or Fall, AND  
-2.0+ cumulative GPA and major GPPA by March 15th, AND 
-Submit a Permission to March Application* between March 15th and April 1st. 
*If you are an August graduate and you are registered and paid for summer courses by April 1st, then you don't need to submit the Permission to March app. We will include you automatically.
 
Examples:
15 credits in the fall --> acceptable for marching.
16 credits in the fall --> unacceptable, CANNOT march this year.
3 credits in summer and 12 credits in fall --> acceptable for marching. 
6 credits in summer and 9 credits in fall --> acceptable for marching.
9 credits in summer and 6 credits in fall --> acceptable for marching.
9 credits in summer, and 9 credits in fall --> unacceptable, CANNOT march this year. 

In Summary:

January and May graduates: No form required.
August graduates (registered/paid for summer by April 1): Form required. 
August (not registered/paid for summer by April 1): can apply to participate in the May ceremony.  
January graduates (with 15 credits or less left after spring): can apply to participate in the May ceremony.
 

Grade changes and awards of transfer credits for semesters other than the spring semester must be submitted by May 1st in order to be processed in time for graduation. Students who have any grades or transcripts submitted after June 15th will NOT be processed as a May graduate (except for students on co-op or study abroad in the final semester). If you anticipate any delays, you should contact a Dean in B100 by email or in person during office hours.

It is your responsibility to check whether you have a hold on your account for any reason. If you have a hold, you will NOT receive your diploma. You may check with the Registrar (848-445-7000) prior to May 1st to find out if there is a hold against your name. No amount is too small for your diploma to be withheld: unpaid parking tickets, a library book, immunization, unpaid tuition or fees. Please make sure all of your financial holds are cleared as soon as possible. 

Once the degree is posted to the transcript, the official transcript noting the completed degree can be used to show proof of degree completion for employment, graduate school, new car purchase, etc. The Registrar will handle diploma distribution (in the way indicated on the Diploma Application). Note, all holds must be cleared before a transcript or diploma or transcript can be issued.  

Rutgers University, Office of the Registrar, Telephone: (848) 445-7000 - Internet contact.

Viewing Your Unofficial Transcript And Grades

Currently enrolled students can view/print their Unofficial Transcript on the web. The log-in credentials are the same used to access RU email.

Ordering Transcripts - Official And Unofficial

Transcripts are ordered through the Registrar, Administrative Service Building (ASB)

Verification Of Full Time Status Or Degree Completion

To get verification of being a full time student, contact the Office of Verifications in ASB, Room 200L. Students can also request full time enrollment verification via the Registrar's website.

New Brunswick Registrar
Administrative Service Building (ASB)
65 Davidson Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8096
Telephone: (848) 445-7000

Once all requirements for the bachelor of science degree have been met, the student graduates. This is non-negotiable. The graduation date cannot be arbitrarily changed. Students can take courses after graduating as a non-matriculated student. As a non-matriculated student, grades are not calculated in the GPA.

The honors designations are based on the cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Rutgers University uses a 3 decimal place GPA on the transcript. It is not editable. The transcript CGPA is the official figure used in all honors designations. Example: 3.1994 rounds to a 3.199 on the transcript; 3.1995 rounds to a 3.200 on the transcript. The CGPA cutoffs for honors designations are:

3.200 to 3.399  With Honors/Cum Laude 
3.400 to 3.649  With High Honors/Magna Cum Laude 
3.650+  With Highest Honors/Summa Cum Laude  
 

Graduation Ceremony Announcement

At the May graduation ceremony, students will have honors designations announced based on their CGPA as of April 1st, which will not include spring grades. This announcement is unofficial and ceremonious only. This is because our records used at the ceremony must be processed in April, while spring classes are still in session. There is no way around this. Diploma and final transcript: The diploma and transcript are processed after the spring semester is over and will include the official honors designation including grades from the final semester.

Honors Cord

Please visit B100 to receive your honors cord. Offices are open for pick up Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. starting April 12th.

Academic regalia is required to participate in commencement and convocation ceremonies.

Rutgers–New Brunswick graduates can purchase regalia from Barnes and Noble Rutgers University Bookstore.

• Order online Monday, January 23 thru April 17.  Receive an early bird discount by ordering January 23, 2023 through February 28!
• Online orders offer these delivery options:
     o    Ship to store for no extra charge. Must order by February 28 and may pick up at Barnes & Noble starting April 5.
     o    Ship to home for an additional delivery charge. Ship to home ordering closes April 17.
•  Grad Fair will be held at Barnes and Noble in New Brunswick on April 5 & 6 from 10am-6pm. Join in the festivities, come for a complimentary professional headshot, and meet with representatives and see the selection of class rings, personalized announcements, diploma frames, and much more!

Past experience indicates there will be seniors who, for one reason or another, will not complete all of the degree requirements as scheduled. If there are any problems with the actual completion of your degree which would prevent inclusion of your name on the official graduation list, there will be a message for you in the Diploma application the week after graduation. Since diplomas are no longer given out at graduation, the main issue is to complete the requirement for the official receipt of degree/diploma. If you should receive an email or message, respond to the Office of Academic Services to correct the problem, or confirm deferring your graduation date to August or later.