Graduation Information

Deadlines to Petition to Graduate

Graduation Petitions must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by this date:

Term	Fall 2012	Spring 2013	Summer 2013
Deadline	October 18, 2012	April 11, 2013	June 20, 2013

How to Petition to Graduate

1. Obtain an “Admission to Candidacy for a Degree” form from the Registrar's Office or here. This is also known as a graduation petition.

2. Complete the graduation petition by including your name, address, student id number, email address, etc. Indicate the semester you plan to graduate. Include your signature. Provide your current schedule and the schedule you plan to use to compete your degree.

3. Submit the completed form to the Registrar’s Office.

4. You will be billed a $40 graduation fee when your audit is complete. You may pay online. (You will receive an email from Brenda Farrell in the Registrar’s Office once your audit has been completed. This email will go to your SPSU email account.)

History 2911

Most students will not need to take History 2911. However, if your US History/American Government credit was transferred in from a school that is not a University System of Georgia school or was awarded due to AP credit, you will need this course. It is a one-hour course designed to help these students meet the State of Georgia’s legislative requirement that all students have knowledge of the US Constitution and of Georgia history.

Holds

You will need to check BannerWeb to see if there have been any holds placed on your record. These holds may be for any number of reasons, some of which are parking tickets, library fines, monies owed the university, etc. These holds need to be cleared by graduation time.

Other Petitions

You will need to make sure that no other petitions are required for you to graduate i.e. Course Substitution Petitions, Petitions to the Faculty, etc. These petitions, if required, must be submitted in plenty of time for them to clear before you graduate.

Taking a Class at Another University During Your Final Semester

If you are taking a class at another university during your final semester, you need to have your grade submitted ASAP. If we do not have your final grade from the other university, we cannot award your diploma. If possible, submit an official transcript to us before noon on the day that final grades are due. Since that is not always possible, you may have your professor or the school’s administration office fax us your final grade on their school letterhead and follow up with an official transcript as soon as it is possible. Our fax number is 678-915-7292. We need your final grade no later than 5 pm on the Thursday preceding commencement.

Senior Grades

Senior grades are due to the Registrar’s Office by noon on the Thursday before the ceremony. Do not call or come by the Registrar’s Office to check on your grades. We are very busy processing grades. You will be able to check your grades online typically by Thursday evening.

Honors

Only undergraduate students with at least a 3.5 GPA and at least 60 hours in residence at SPSU earn honors. Honors are awarded as follows:

Cum Laude: 3.50—3.69 GPA
Magna Cum Laude: 3.70—3.89 GPA
Summa Cum Laude: 3.90—4.0 GPA

President’s Distinguished Honor Graduate

The President’s Distinguished Honor Graduate is the person who is graduating in a given semester who has the highest GPA and the most hours in residency at SPSU.

Walking But Not Graduating

Due to varying circumstances, we sometimes have students who are not actually completing their degree requirements, but would like to participate in the graduation ceremony. If you would like to do this, please contact the Registrar’s Office.