Fall Graduation occurs the day this issue comes out- October 16th, 2018! This graduation had no ceremony. Congratulations to everyone graduating this October! You did it! Take some time to celebrate before you start stressing about your student debt!
With a graduation coming and going, it brings up super important questions:
Do you know how to apply for graduation? The steps you need to take? Keep reading and you can find out!
To graduate in February of 2019 the deadline to apply is December 14th, 2018. If you want to graduate in May/June of 2019 the deadline to apply is March 22, 2019. While there are no ceremonies for graduations in February or October, grads are invited to join the May convocation ceremony.
Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor or the Chair of their major to make sure their credits are in order. Students must meet the requirements of their Major, Minor, and Liberal Education requirements. You need 90 credit hours for a three-year degree and 120 for a four year. GPA’s need to be at a minimum of 2.0 in the major, minor and general areas.
You apply for graduation online and the dates I stated above are on the page you apply on so that’s handy to check out! When you apply online you will get an email confirming your application was received, and you keep checking back on the website to see if your application has been approved. All of these things should be something a student is constantly making sure of throughout their degree so there are no surprises at the end! When it comes time to apply for graduation have someone double check your credits!
To graduate your final grades need to be available and all fees need to be paid. Turns out the university won’t let you leave if you owe them money. According to BU’s website if you have any outstanding money owed to the University you will not get your degree or transcripts. So, get that shit figured out ASAP if you plan on graduating this year.
Okay, now you’ve applied, and your request has been accepted, now what?
What do you wear? Grads are required to wear blue caps, blue gowns, a tassel, and the hood in the colours of your department. You need to rent these items from a specific company that Brandon University works with. These items MUST be pre-ordered if you plan on attending your graduation ceremony. This can be done online and doing it early saves you a ton of stress (it also saves money, if you grab your gown the day of grad it is more expensive). When you come into grad on the day of and you did not order a gown ahead of time, there are a limited number of extra ones, so you may end up with one that is not the correct size. There is also no guarantee there will be enough hoods for your department if you do not pre-order.
Remember you will be sitting in the gym for your ceremony so wear something under your gown that is light, or you are going to be a sweaty mess by the time it is your turn to come up and get your degree.
So, in summary; Check your credits, apply online, and once your application has been accepted ORDER YOUR ATTIRE!