Students may not receive a University of Denver degree or certificate without completing all requirements. Students must be in good academic standing and may not receive a degree or certificate with fewer than the published number of credits or with a cumulative program GPA below the minimum required for each program they are pursuing (2.3 for JD students in Sturm College of Law, 2.7 for master's students in the Sturm College of Law, 3.0 for all other graduate programs).

Application for Graduation

All graduate students completing an academic certificate or degree should submit the graduation application two quarters in advance of the intended graduation date. Applications are accepted up to the eighth calendar day of that term. For example, to graduate in the spring quarter (June), the graduation application is due by the eighth calendar day of winter quarter (January). Law students planning on graduating spring or summer semester may apply as of November 1st of that academic year. For those planning on graduating fall semester, the application will be available the first day of that semester. Failure to complete the degree or certificate during the expected graduate term may require a new graduation application and payment of a fee for additional evaluation and services.

Prior to applying to graduate, students need to verify that their curriculum records are accurate and up-to-date. Students who did not apply for graduation by the deadline should review the Graduate Request to Participate in Commencement Ceremony for Students Not Graduating policy. All requests for walking in commencement and late petitions for graduation must be approved by the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education or the Senior Vice Provost's designee.

Note: Students completing a Specialized Graduate Certificate do not need to submit a graduation application and may work with their program directly to ensure they have met all requirements for the Specialized Graduate Certificate.