Undergraduate Students

Applying to Graduate/Announcing Candidacy

Students must identify the term in which completion of degree requirements is expected. A student must declare this term through an application for graduation to receive a final degree audit. 

To qualify for a bachelor’s degree, students must earn at least a C average (2.0 grade point average) in all courses taken at any U.C. campus. Students must also satisfy university, college, and department requirements. Undergraduate students must follow the guidelines outlined in The Navigator: Undergraduate Handbook. For more information about degree requirements, go to Section 3 of the Navigator.

Commencement vs. Graduation

Your college commencement ceremony and graduation from UCSC are two separate things.

  • At UCSC, graduation is the act of conferring an academic degree – receiving your degree or diploma.

  • Commencement is a ceremony, where you walk across the stage, symbolizing the end of your undergraduate career.

Graduation and commencement have separate online processes and timelines.

Graduation

Apply to graduate (degree completion and diploma) for the quarter in which you will finish your graduation requirements. DO NOT apply to graduate for spring if you will finish your final graduation requirements in a subsequent quarter. However, you can sign up for commencement, which only happens once per year in the spring.

To apply to graduate, you must submit an application via your Student Portal by the posted deadlines to announce candidacy. Students without MyUCSC access, or those who need to reschedule a previous application, may use the Apply/Reapply for Graduation (Undergraduates) form. For additional information about how to apply to graduate, visit the Registrar’s website.

Confirmation of your graduation status can be found by navigating from your MyUCSC student portal. Follow these steps:

  • Log into MyUCSC
  • Select Student Center ("Full Site Login" for mobile devices)
  • Select Student Advising Summary at the top of the Student Center.
  • Select the Degree tab. Your degree status will be displayed. If your degree has been conferred, your “My Academics” tile will no longer show academic records and access. When reviewing, make sure you are looking at “Student Center.”

Commencement

UCSC commencement ceremonies are held each June for students who graduate that year. See commencement for additional details.

Deadlines

All application forms must be completed and turned in to the Office of the Registrar via mail, email, fax, or in person by the deadline to be accepted. Quarterly deadlines for announcing candidacy can be found on the Academic and Administrative Calendar. Students applying for graduation after the posted deadlines will be billed a $75 or $100 late application fee as appropriate.

Once you are in applied status, the deadline to complete all requirements and receive transcripts from other institutions is the end of the quarter. Failure to submit final transcripts and coursework by the deadline may result in rescheduling your graduation. After the quarter ends, your records will be evaluated to determine degree completion.

Final Degree Audit

The Office of the Registrar will begin evaluating student’s eligibility for a degree after the quarter has ended. Please allow up to six weeks for the status of your degree to be updated from “applied” to “degree awarded” or “denied.” To see your degree status, or find out if you have graduated, view the “Degree” tab in the Student Advising Summary at the top of the Student Center.

Students are only notified by the Registrar’s office if they have not fulfilled degree requirements. Students should check their @ucsc.edu emails and consult with their departmental advisors and college advising offices for specific questions about their program requirements.

Final Transcripts including degree information may be requested in advance by indicating on your online transcript order that you would like your transcript request to be held for processing until your degree has posted to your transcript.

Diplomas

Learn about diplomas here.

For more information about graduation, visit our FAQs.

Revised: 11/22/22