Graduation Checklist and Commencement Eligibility

Graduation checklist for students

Check your degree audit
Review your degree audit to verify that all degree requirements will be met. Contact your academic advisor if you have any questions regarding your degree requirements. Graduate students should contact their program director or the Graduate College.
Apply to graduate
Click on the Graduation Application and Status Review link in the "Graduation & Commencement" card in your My Missouri State. The deadline to have your name in the commencement program is March 31 for spring commencement and October 31 for fall commencement. Applications may be submitted through commencement day. Students completing their degree in the summer will have the option of participating in the commencement ceremony the spring preceding or fall following the semester of their graduation. Summer graduates will have their names included in the corresponding commencement program if their application to graduate is submitted by the deadlines listed above. Scholastic honors will be calculated based on the scholastic honors policy.
Check your graduation status & advising notes
Click on the Graduation Application and Status Review link in the "Graduation & Commencement" card in your My Missouri State. Undergraduate students should also check their advising notes in My Missouri State that can be accessed in the Advising Notes link in the "My Student Records" card.
Attend the commencement ceremony
Students who will have graduation requirements in-progress during their intended semester of graduation (includes transfer work from other institutions) are eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony. See Commencement Eligibility below for more information.
Commencement
Final transcripts & diplomas
Transcripts with final grades and degree earned will be available in your My Missouri State shortly following commencement, provided all graduation requirements have been met.

Diplomas are not provided during the commencement ceremony. Diplomas will be issued starting the week after commencement until graduation closes. Graduation closes the last day of June for the spring semester, the last day of August for the summer semester, and the last day of January for the fall semester. All graduation requirements must be satisfied by the time graduation closes.
Additional steps:

This event is come and go as you please and financial aid counselors will be present to answer any last-minute questions. Refer to the Senior Symposium website for event times and details. Students not able to attend the event should complete "Exit Counseling" at the Federal Student Aid website. Students who have a Perkin’s Loan will need to complete additional exit counseling through Financial Services.
Undergraduates: You will be notified when the survey is available through Handshake, the Career Center’s online career management system for students and alumni of Missouri State University. Login to Handshake to take the survey and to connect with employers. The Career Center is available to assist you with job and graduate school search and preparation.

Commencement eligibility

The University hosts commencement ceremonies at the end of the spring and fall semester. Students who will have graduation requirements in-progress during their intended semester of graduation (includes transfer work from other institutions) are eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony. Per university intersession policy, fall intersession (August) is part of the following fall semester, winter intersession (January) is part of the following spring semester, and summer intersession (late May/early June) is part of the following summer session.

Students completing degree in the summer have the option of participating in the commencement ceremony the spring preceding or fall following the semester of their graduation. Students will mark their choice on their summer application to graduate. These students will have their names included in the corresponding commencement program if they apply by the published deadline. Scholastic honors will be calculated based on the scholastic honors policy.

Participating in an early commencement ceremony

Students who wish to participate in a ceremony prior to their semester of graduation (except summer graduates who wish to participate in the preceding spring) may appeal to the Chief Academic Strategy Officer (undergraduate students) or the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate College (graduate students). If approved, the listing of their names in the commencement program will remain in the semester of graduation.

If you are requesting to walk early, you should be registered for all remaining coursework to complete your degree requirements.

- The Application to Graduate should be filed for your official semester of graduation, not the semester in which you have been given permission to participate in the commencement ceremony.
- Permission to walk in an earlier ceremony does not change your official semester of graduation.
- You will not be recognized with scholastic honors during your approved early walk commencement ceremony. Scholastic honors are based on eligibility at the conclusion of the semester preceding your official semester of graduation. Scholastic honors eligibility will be preliminarily recognized in the commencement program of your official semester of graduation. Final scholastic honors eligibility will be recognized on your diploma and transcript.
- You will be listed in the commencement program for your official semester of graduation not your approved early walk semester. You may request a copy of this commencement program through the Office of the Registrar at the time of the commencement ceremony for your official semester of graduation.
- Your diploma will list your official semester of graduation, not the semester in which you participated in the commencement ceremony. The diploma will be mailed during the regularly scheduled mailing of diplomas for that semester/session, which comes after final grading for that semester. Students who complete an intersession course do not receive their diploma earlier that other graduates of their official semester of graduation.
- Your transcript will not have your degree posted until the regularly scheduled posting of degrees for your official semester of graduation, which comes after final grading for the semester.
- You will not appear on departmental graduation lists for your approved early walk semester. It is your responsibility to contact your department/college to inquire about eligibility and/or information about any graduation recognition opportunities or information specific to your department and/or college.

Postponing participation in a commencement ceremony

Students are expected to participate in the commencement ceremony at the end of their intended semester of graduation (except summer graduates who are allowed to participate in the preceding spring or following fall). Students who wish to participate in a ceremony for a later semester may be given a one-time exception to participate in the ceremony for the semester immediately following their semester of graduation. Students should contact the Office of the Registrar to request to walk in a later ceremony.

Cooperative engineering students

Students who participate in Missouri S&T's cooperative engineering program are eligible to participate in Missouri State's commencement ceremony. They do not need to submit a Missouri State Application to Graduate. Scholastic honors (based on Missouri S&T scholastic honors requirements, which are different from Missouri State) are listed in Missouri State's printed commencement program and are included in the announcement of the graduate's name during the ceremony.

West Plains students

Students completing a MSU degree at the West Plains Campus may participate in the West Plains Campus commencement ceremony instead of, or in addition to, the Springfield campus ceremony. Refer to the MSU-West Plains Graduation Procedures website for more information.

News release of graduation candidates

Each semester, the Office of Strategic Communication sends the names of graduation candidates to their hometown newspaper. Visit the Office of Strategic Communication website or call 417-836-6397 for more information about how and when this list is distributed.

Know the difference

Commencement events are the congratulatory ceremonies hosted by university officials in which students are publicly and formally recognized.

Graduation is the process of being awarded a degree after successfully completing credit hours and other degree requirements. Actual diplomas are not awarded at the commencement ceremony and participation in the ceremonies is not a guarantee of degree completion. To officially graduate from Missouri State, a student must apply for graduation. A degree becomes official when it is posted to a student's transcript - not by their participation in commencement ceremony. A student does not have to be present at a commencement ceremony to receive their degree.