Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding graduation, commencement, degrees and diplomas.
Graduating/Completing Degree
It is recommended that you meet with your Counselor or Advisor to review your program requirements before applying for graduate.
Graduation is the conferral of a degree and the issuance of a diploma. A student gradautes when they have applied to graduate online, have met all formal degree requirements and their degree has been officially conferred.
Commencement is the formal ceremony that is held each May to recognize the achivements of degree candidates and graduate receipients.
No, if you participate in the commencement ceremony, this does not guarantee that you have completed your degree requirements for your degree to be posted.
Please submit the Graduation Application Update Request Form to make any edits/updates, including your graduation term, diploma name or mailing address.
Note: Changing your name or address with the University does not automatically change the information on your application.
You will be notified vai you Cal Lutheran email address that you are missing degree requirements. You may need to change your graduation term and complete the remaining requirements.
Some factors that intefere with completing degree requirements are:
- GPA below 2.0 - Baccalaureate degrees
- GPA below 3.0 - Master's and Doctorate degrees
- Failure of required course(s)
- Incomplete grades
- Not enough overall credits
- Failure to submit final transcripts from other colleges attended
You will need to submit a Graduation Application Update Request Form.
This is the date recorded on your transcript signifying when your degree was officially recognized. All requirements must be met by this date. Degrees are posted to the students academic record within 30-44 days from the conferral date.
Receiving Your Degree and Diploma
Review of your academic record begins approximately two weeks after your graduation term or the degree conferral date. Once all grades have been received, it takes 6 weeks to review all graduation applications. You will be notified via your CLU email address when the degree has been conferred.
An Anticipated Degree Letter Request can be submitted. We can provide an official letter recognizing a student's candidicay for graduation.
You can view the details of your graduation application in Self-Service through your MyCLU portal. If you need to change the information, contact us as soon as possible, by submitting the Graduation Application Update Request Form.
Diplomas are not presented at the commencement ceremony, you can expect your diploma to arrive approximately 6-8 weeks after your degree has been awarded/posted to your academic record.
Only students who have paid their graduation fee and have no Business Office holds can receive a diploma. You will be notified via your CLU email address when your diploma has been ordered.
Replacement or duplicate copies of your diploma can be ordered through the Academic Services office by filling out the Replacement Diploma Order Form.
Transcripts are the the formal verification of degree(s) earned. You can request an official transcript online.
Contact Academic Services to report a damaged or lost diploma.
Students have up to six months to report a lost or damaged diploma without having to pay the duplicate diploma fee.
Make sure you have recevied two separate email notifications from CLU, indicating that your degree was conferred and diploma was infact ordered.
If you have not, contact Academic Services for more information. Your degree requirements may not be complete or you have outstanding items that need your attention.