Advising

Graduation Requirements & Procedures

The College awards the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and/or Bachelor of Science (B.S) degree to qualified students who are recommended by the faculty. In order to qualify for the degree, students must complete the following:

  1. All Core requirements, including the Language Competence milestone
  2. All requirements for completion of at least one major program
  3. A total of 4200 units of credit (i.e., 42 100-unit quarter courses). This number may be reached in part by examination credit. For students matriculating in Autumn 2017 or later, of the 4200 units, 3800 units of credit must be earned by course enrollment. Course enrollments may include faculty-led and direct enrollment study abroad programs affiliated with the College, as well as approved transfer credit.
  4. An overall GPA of 1.75 and a GPA of 2.0 in all declared majors and minors
  5. Fulfillment of the residency requirement: A student must be "in residence" at the University of Chicago for the equivalent of at least six quarters (excluding summers) and must successfully complete a minimum of 1800 units of credit by enrollment in UChicago courses. Additionally, at least half of the requirements for any majors or minors must be completed in residence. NOTE: Certain faculty-led study abroad programs affiliated with the College (e.g., the Civilization Studies programs) may be used to meet this requirement.
  6. Completion of an application to graduate on time for the quarter in which the degree is to be received
  7. Payment of all outstanding bills and return of all equipment and library books

Students should check in with their academic adviser regularly, be aware of their degree requirements as articulated throughout the Catalog, and monitor their progress in My Planner each quarter to ensure they have met all degree requirements by their quarter of graduation.

Additional Information

    For a student to indicate to the College that they intend to graduate, the student must confirm their plans by submitting an application to graduate. The application can be found in the my.UChicago portal for students in an ‘active’ status. Students graduating from a non-active status (e.g., leave of absence, suspension) will need to submit a .pdf of the application which they can request from their Academic Adviser. 

    Students must submit their application to graduate on time AND complete all degree requirements by the grading deadline for their quarter of graduation in order to officially graduate. Students who do not complete both requirements will be removed from the graduation list and have their expected graduation term updated to a future quarter.  

    All majors and minors should be correctly declared before beginning the application to graduate. Prior to beginning the application, students should check that any major and minor programs they intend to complete (including any tracks and/or specializations) are listed correctly in the my.UChicago portal. If any details are incorrect, students should contact their Academic Adviser for assistance prior to beginning the application. 

    Applications to graduate in Autumn, Winter, or Spring Quarter are due on Saturday of the first week of the quarter in which they intend to graduate.  

    Applications to graduate in Summer Quarter are due on Saturday of the first week of Spring Quarter for students who intend to participate in Convocation. This allows the Office of the University Registrar and College Programming and Orientation to collect students’ RSVPs for Convocation and ensure timely communication between offices about logistical details such as walking assignments for Diploma Ceremonies. Students who do not intend to participate in the June Convocation ceremony should submit their application to graduate by Saturday of the first week of Summer Quarter. 

    Bursar balances of more than $1,000 must be cleared by Friday of ninth week of the quarter of graduation in order to receive your diploma.

    Students who are completing their final degree requirement(s) in September Term are considered Autumn Quarter graduates. This is because final grades for September term will not be submitted by the grading deadline for Summer Quarter graduates. Students who are completing their final degree requirements in September Term should submit an application to graduate and an Extended Enrollment Status Request Form or No Further Enrollments Required (NFER) Status Request Form for Autumn Quarter and plan to receive their diploma at the end of Autumn Quarter.  

    By the start of the quarter of graduation, you should have:

    • Confirmed that the College language requirement is completed and posted to the transcript.
    • Confirmed that all AP, placement, and transfer credits are posted to the transcript. To order AP scores, contact the College Board.
    • Confirmed that all course names, numbers, and grades listed on the transcript are correct. The transcript becomes permanently immutable during the summer after graduation.
    • Confirmed that the information listed under 'Previous Institution' on the transcript is correct.
    • Updated your College adviser about the status of NGRs, Is, Ws, or blanks in required courses.

    Students who do not meet all graduation requirements by the appropriate deadlines will be removed from the graduation list, assessed a cancellation fee, and required to submit a new degree application prior to the anticipated quarter of graduation.

    Students receive a grace period of two quarters after their last quarter in attendance, after which access to many services will begin to close. University of Chicago alumni retain access to the services listed below:

    1. Campus wireless network
    2. Email forwarding for cnetid@uchicago.edu
    3. Online transcript access
    4. Course information in Canvas

    More information is available on the IT Services page: Account Closure Policies and Procedures FAQs

    If the name on the diploma will not match the name on the transcript, complete a Change of Name form. You can change your address in the my.uchicago.edu portal. If you have questions, call the University Registrar at 773.702.7891.

    For more information, review this page.

    The University holds one set of Convocation and Diploma Ceremonies each year at the conclusion of Spring Quarter. Graduates from the preceding Autumn and Winter Quarters, as well as the forthcoming Summer Quarter, are eligible to participate with the Spring Quarter graduates.  

    Further information for graduating students can be found on UChicago's Seniors or Convocation webpage.