What is the difference between graduation and commencement?
• Graduation is the process of being awarded a degree. All students wishing to graduate must apply for graduation by the application deadline. Applying for graduation is a University Degree Requirement that must be met by each student wishing to graduate. If you do not apply for graduation, you have not met all your degree requirements. • Commencement ceremonies are the services held at the end of each Fall and Spring semester. These are ceremonies in which the achievement of the degree is recognized and celebrated by the University community and the students’ friends and family. You must apply to graduate to participate in Commencement.
Commencement is the formal ceremony that is held each May to recognize and honor the achievements of degree candidates, graduates, and teaching credential recipients. It is NOT the same as graduation. Graduation is the conferral of a degree and the issuance of a diploma. A student graduates when he/she has filed an application for graduation and has fulfilled all the requirements for their degree. Students who have applied for graduation may participate in the Commencement ceremony, but this participation does not imply that they have graduated or that they have completed degree requirements.
Graduation is the date your degree is awarded. UMUC confers degrees three times each year–May 30, August 30, and December 30. Commencement is a traditional recognition ceremony for students who have graduated. Commencement is held once a year in Asia with ceremonies in Tokyo, Okinawa, and Seoul. Your local base or education center may also hold a recognition ceremony.
Graduation is the term for completing your course of study at the University and fulfilling all the requirements for your degree. In order to graduate and obtain your diploma, you must submit an Application for Degree or Certificate with the Office of the Registrar. Commencement refers to the ceremony celebrating those who are receiving their degrees from Columbia in a given year. At the Commencement ceremony, degrees are symbolically conferred on candidates by the president of the University. Attending Commencement is not required to graduate from the University and receive your diploma. There is only one University Commencement ceremony for the year, which is held in May. All graduates from the previous October, and from February and May of the current year are invited to attend. For more information about graduation, please visit the Office of the Registrar. For more information about Commencement, please visit the Commencement Web site at www.commencement.columbia.
