Graduation
Graduation Dates
Degrees are awarded at the end of each Fall, Spring, and Summer semester. All degree requirements must be completed on or before the end of the term. Commencement ceremonies are held in December and May at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. With the exception of doctoral students, students who graduate at the end of the Summer Semester may participate in either the May or the December commencement ceremony. Doctoral students may participate in the December Commencement ceremony.
Doctoral students may participate in commencement ceremonies only after completing all requirements for graduation, including the successful defense of the dissertation and subsequent acknowledgement by the Graduate School of all required documentation. Specifically, a doctoral student intending to graduate in the Summer Term and who has not completed the successful defense of the dissertation and filed the appropriate documentation with the Graduate School may not participate in the Spring commencement ceremony. Summer Term graduates are welcome to participate in the December commencement ceremony following their Summer Term graduation.
Information regarding Graduation and Commencement is available on the UTSA One Stop Enrollment website.
Graduation Expectations
The State of Texas, The University of Texas System, and UTSA are concerned about the excessive number of years that today’s students spend in institutions of higher education pursuing undergraduate degrees. UTSA is seeking ways to encourage students to graduate in a timely manner by considering certain incentives and removing needless barriers.
UTSA expects students to graduate in a timely fashion and strongly encourages its undergraduates to set their goals to complete their baccalaureate degrees in four years, or if that is not feasible, in no more than six years. Students who make small sacrifices now to devote as much attention as possible to their academic endeavors in order to achieve timely graduation will realize significant benefits in the future. Students should contact their assigned academic advisor to discuss the benefits of timely graduation.
Undergraduate Students
Applying for the Degree
It is the student’s responsibility to officially apply for their degree by submitting an Application for Graduation online through myUTSA. Students must have earned at least 85 semester credit hours to apply online for graduation. Students must read and follow instructions carefully to ensure the application is accurate and successfully submitted. When the application has been accepted, students receive a confirmation number. Students having problems submitting the application should contact Graduation Coordination at graduationcoordination@utsa.edu.
While enrolled at UTSA, students who attend other colleges are required to submit official academic transcripts to the Office of Admissions from every college attended at the end of the semester during which coursework was undertaken, even if courses have been withdrawn. This includes concurrent enrollment while attending UTSA. Failure to do so may result in the rejection of the graduation application, cancellation of enrollment, permanent dismissal from UTSA, or other appropriate disciplinary action.
The following are deadlines for submitting an application for graduation:
Fall Semester Graduation
- Priority deadline: July 15
- Final deadline: September 15
Spring Semester Graduation
- Priority deadline: November 15
- Final deadline: February 15
Summer Semester Graduation
- June 15
- Summer candidates wishing to participate in the May ceremony must apply by February 15.
Students applying to graduate with multiple degrees, majors, concentrations, and/or minors may not apply online; they must download and complete the application from the One Stop Enrollment website, then submit the completed application via email to graduationcoordination@utsa.edu or by uploading through Document Uploader.
The student's assigned academic advisor is responsible for auditing the student’s degree plan. Students must apply one semester prior to the intended graduation semester to ensure that all degree requirements are met. Students should contact their assigned academic advisor for more information.
If all University-wide and degree program requirements have been satisfied, an undergraduate student is not required to be registered for classes during the semester in which they apply for graduation.
If requested by a student, a Letter of Degree Completion is prepared by the student’s assigned academic advisor after the close of the End of Term date of the semester in which all degree requirements have been met.
Degrees are posted to transcripts within 30 days of the End of Term date for the semester of graduation and diplomas are mailed within 60 days of the End of Term.
Degree Verification
Graduation verification is a two-step process.
- The student’s assigned academic advisor does a preliminary verification. The student is responsible for completing all coursework and submitting any or all of the following to UTSA within two weeks of the end of a term (see the Academic Calendar for End of Term dates) in which graduation is expected:
- Outstanding transcripts
- CLEP, AP, and IB credit
- Petitions or substitutions
- Change of major/minor
- Change of catalog
- A final degree verification occurs once all grades are posted for the graduation semester; the degree plan is reviewed by the student’s assigned academic advisor once again and the college Dean authorizes the certification for graduation.
Students who apply for the degree in a given semester but do not fulfill all requirements must file a new Application for Graduation on or before the appropriate deadline for the next semester in which they intend to graduate.
Applying for an Undergraduate Certificate
It is the student’s responsibility to apply for the certificate by submitting a completed Application for Undergraduate Certificate via email graduationcoordination@utsa.edu or by uploading through the Document Uploader no later than September 15 for the Fall Semester, February 15 for the Spring Semester, or June 15 for the Summer Semester. The application form is located on the One Stop Enrollment website. Students with questions about the application should contact Graduation Coordination at graduationcoordination@utsa.edu.
Graduation with University Latin Honors
Students may graduate with University Latin Honors provided they complete a minimum of 45 semester credit hours (GPA hours) at UTSA by the time of graduation (excluding courses challenged by examination, courses whose credits were earned through the competency examination policy, or courses taken on a credit/no-credit basis in which only the symbol “CR” is recorded) and meet the following requirements:
- Undergraduate students who earn a 3.5 to 3.74 grade point average in all semester credit hours attempted at UTSA are eligible for graduation cum laude.
- Those who earn a 3.75 to 3.89 grade point average in all semester credit hours attempted at UTSA are eligible for graduation magna cum laude.
- Those who earn at least a 3.9 grade point average in all semester credit hours attempted at UTSA are eligible for graduation summa cum laude.
The grade point average (GPA) does not reset if a student decides the return for a second undergraduate degree. Core curriculum courses are only counted once in the cumulative GPA calculation.
No degree candidate shall be eligible for graduation with University Latin Honors if, at the time of graduation, disciplinary action has been taken against the student by the University.
Master’s and doctoral degree candidates are not eligible for University Latin Honors.
Commencement Honors
Students may receive honors at Commencement if they have completed at least 45 UTSA GPA hours with the above grade point average requirements at the time of the ceremony. Credits and grades for work completed at other institutions, credits earned by examination, or hours in which grades of “CR” were earned are not included in the UTSA grade point average. Commencement Honors is based on the last completed semester, courses in progress are not counted in the Commencement Honors GPA calculation.
Graduate Students
Applying for the Degree
It is the student’s responsibility to officially apply for their degree by submitting an Application for Graduation online through myUTSA. Students must read and follow instructions carefully to ensure the application is accurate and successfully submitted. When the application has been accepted, students receive a confirmation number. Students having problems submitting the application should contact Graduation Coordination at graduationcoordination@utsa.edu.
While enrolled at UTSA, students who attend other colleges or universities are required to submit official academic transcripts to Graduate Admissions from every college or university attended at the end of the semester during which coursework was undertaken, even if courses have been withdrawn. This includes concurrent enrollment while attending UTSA. Failure to do so may result in the rejection of the graduation application, cancellation of enrollment, permanent dismissal from UTSA, or other appropriate disciplinary action.
The following are deadlines for submitting an application for graduation:
Fall Semester Graduation
- Priority deadline: July 15
- Final deadline: Septemeber 15
Spring Semester Graduation
- Priority deadline: November 15
- Final deadline: February 15
Summer Semester Graduation
- June 15
- Summer candidates wishing to participate in the May ceremony must apply by February 15.
Students who apply for the degree in a given semester but do not fulfill all requirements must file a new Application for Graduation online through myUTSA on or before the appropriate deadline for the next semester in which they intend to graduate.
A student who completes all degree requirements but fails to apply for the degree may obtain a Letter of Degree Awarded from Graduation Coordination after the close of the semester in which all degree requirements are met.
Students who receive services from the University, including faculty supervision, during the semester in which they have applied to graduate must be enrolled for that semester.
Degrees are posted to transcripts within 30 days of the End of Term date for the semester of graduation and diplomas are mailed within 60 days of the End of Term.
Applying for a Graduate Certificate
It is the student’s responsibility to apply for their certificate by submitting a completed Application for Graduate Certificate to the One Stop Enrollment Center no later than September 15 for the Fall Semester, February 15 for the Spring Semester, or June 15 for the Summer Semester. The application of any student applying for a certificate after the established deadlines will be processed the following semester. The application form is located on the One Stop enrollment website. Students with questions about the application should contact Graduation Coordination at graduationcoordination@utsa.edu.