Application for Graduation

PWSC/UAA awards degrees and certificates and prints diplomas year-round. To be eligible for graduation at the end of a given semester, a student must:

• Be formally admitted to the degree or certificate program
• Submit an Application for Graduation through UAOnline

Application for graduation deadlines are the Friday before finals for the semester in which the student intends to graduate. Students wishing to have their name in the commencement ceremony program must apply by an earlier deadline. See the Academic Calendar for specific deadline dates.

If the student meets all requirements by the end of the semester, the certificate or degree is awarded after the completion of the semester. Students are held responsible for meeting all academic regulations and degree/certificate requirements and Occupational endorsement certificates. Students who complete requirements before the end of the semester may contact pwsc.registration@alaska.edu to request that their certificate/degree be awarded early.

Names of students receiving certificates and degrees appear in the commencement program and are released to the media unless a student places a directory hold on their record.  

Students who apply for graduation and do not complete their degree/certificate requirements by the end of the semester in which they have applied to graduate, but are within 6 or fewer credits of completion, will have their application for graduation moved to the following semester by the Office of the Registrar (spring to summer, summer to fall, or fall to spring). This courtesy change will be granted one time. Students with more than 6 outstanding credits of requirements remaining, or who have 6 credits or fewer remaining for a second semester, must reapply for graduation.

Graduation with Honors

To be eligible to graduate with honors, associate and baccalaureate degree-seeking students must earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 or higher in all college work attempted at PWSC/UAA. Graduate students are not eligible for university honors.

A transfer student who is earning an associate degree must complete a minimum of 15 resident credits with academic letter grades to be eligible to graduate with honors. A transfer student who is earning a baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of 30 resident credits with academic letter grades to be eligible to graduate with honors. All transfer students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher in all college work attempted both at PWSC/UAA and at all other accredited institutions attended and for all courses used to fulfill the degree program in order to graduate with honors.

At PWSC/UAA, graduation with honors represents a student’s entire academic history. All grades and credits earned (Ds, Fs, retaken courses, courses lost in academic bankruptcy, etc.) will be included in determining eligibility to graduate with honors. In addition, a student transferring coursework and grades must have a minimum of 70 percent of their credits submitted with letter grades to be eligible to graduate with honors.

Honors are awarded to associate and baccalaureate degree students with cumulative GPAs as follows:

Commencement

Students who complete certificate or degree requirements in the summer and fall semesters will be invited to participate in fall commencement ceremonies in December. Students who complete certificate or degree requirements in the spring semester will be invited to participate in spring commencement ceremonies in May. Undergraduate students will only be eligible to wear honor cords and be recognized in the commencement program as receiving university honors if their overall GPA (including transfer work) at the end of the preceding semester is 3.50 or above. If students earn university honors after their final grades are submitted, they will have honors displayed on their diploma and academic transcript and may request an honor cord with their diploma.