By Erica Soelberg
Those who are planning on graduating soon probably have questions about the graduation process.
Some of the most frequently asked questions about graduation can be answered by visiting the appropriate college advisement center.
One question asked by graduates is, “What do I need to do to apply for graduation?”
Although the deadline has passed to apply for April graduation, there is information on the BYU homepage, telling students what to do if they missed the deadline.
In order to apply for graduation, one must visit the designated college advisement center, pick up an application, complete it and bring it to the Cashier”s Office (D-155 ASB) with the $15 graduation fee.
Make sure to print the name on the application exactly as it is to appear on the diploma.
A letter will soon be sent to the local address printed on the application about deadlines and dates.
Another frequently asked question is what to do if one is not graduating in the semester for which he or she applied.
Do not reapply. Just visit the advisement center, talk to them and tell them what your plans are. They will straighten everything out.
If a name is different on the application from what is desired on the diploma due to a recent marriage, just contact the Graduation Office in B-238 of the JSB or call 422-3641.
For the April graduation, everyone should be lined up in the parking lots north of the Smoot Administration Building in the designated areas by 3 p.m. The procession begins promptly at 3:15 p.m.
If it is raining or too wet to conduct the ceremony outside, graduation students should be in their designated seating area in the Marriott Center by 3:45 p.m. Visit the Academic Procession page for more information.
Answers to questions about commencement and convocation can be found at www.byu.edu/graduation/ convocation. This will state where and when individual college commencements will be conducted.
BYU graduates should receive their diplomas in the mail about six to eight weeks after graduation.
For bachelor”s degrees, the diploma will include the university”s name, the university seal, the graduate”s name as it was given to the university, the degree, any honors distinctions, the date the degree was awarded and signatures of the Board of Trustees and of the president of the university.
Scholastic honors given by the university are determined about six weeks before graduation. They are calculated based on the GPA of the students who applied for graduation and have been submitted to do so.
In order to qualify for scholastic honors, a student must have at least 45 residency hours.
If a student does not have 45 residency hours, but does qualify for scholastic honors, he or she will not be recognized in the commencement, but the honor will be included on the diploma.
The top 1 percent of those submitted for graduation will receive a Summa Cum Laude. The top 1.1 percent – 5 percent of those submitted for graduation will receive a Magna Cum Laude and the top 5.1 percent to 10 percent will receive a Cum Laude.
