Degree Completion - Doctoral Students

To complete your degree, you must meet all of the following requirements:

You must be registered in the semester in which you are intending to complete your degree (you cannot be registered for a Leave of Absence)
You must have applied to graduate for the semester in which you intend to complete your degree
You must have met the minimum degree GPA requirement for your program (for most programs this is 3.0)
You must have completed all of your degree requirements so that your DegreeMAP record shows 100% completion.

How to Apply to Graduate

Register for courses in the semester in which you intend to complete your degree requirements.
Apply to graduate in GWeb for the semester in which you will be completing your degree requirements by the application deadline. (If you will be completing your degree requirements in summer, be sure to apply to graduate for the summer term.)

Please note: A hold on your account might prevent you from applying to graduate. If you will be unable to resolve the hold by the application deadline, contact the CCAS Office of Graduate Studies at [email protected] for assistance.

Deadline to Apply to Graduate

All Ph.D. students must follow the deadlines listed on the Ph.D. Clearance Deadlines page in order to complete their degree requirements and graduate in the applicable degree completion semester.

Process After Applying to Graduate

Review your Diploma Address in GWeb. If you need to make any changes to your Diploma Address or Diploma Name after you apply to graduate, please refer to the Office of the Registrar’s Diplomas and Certificates page.
Successfully complete your final semester(s) at GW. Missing or Incomplete grades will make you ineligible for graduation.
Verify that there are no holds on your student account. If there is a hold on your account, the mailing of your diploma may be delayed or denied.
Your Department will notify the CCAS Dean’s Office that you have fulfilled all your program requirements for the degree.
CCAS will verify that you have satisfied all College requirements for the degree.
If you have successfully completed all program requirements, the Office of the Registrar will send you an email confirming that your application to graduate has been approved and that your degree will be awarded. (If your application to graduate cannot be approved because you will not be completing all program requirements in the semester you intended to graduate, the Office of the Registrar will notify you by email. You will need to reapply to graduate for the following semester or summer term.)
After the degree conferral date has passed, the Office of the Registrar will mail your diploma to the Diploma Address on file. Please refer to the Diplomas and Certificates page for the expected arrival time of diplomas.

Attending Hooding and Commencement

If you will be completing your degree requirements in Spring: You are eligible to participate in the Hooding and Commencement of the year in which you will be completing your degree requirements. Please be sure to apply to graduate by the spring application deadline. If you do not apply to graduate by the deadline, your name will not be included in the Hooding Program Booklet.
If you will be completing your degree requirements in Summer (Ph.D. Candidates): You are eligible to participate in the Hooding and Commencement of the year following your degree completion. Be sure to apply to graduate for the summer term by the application deadline in order to participate.
If you will be completing your degree requirements in Summer (Psy.D. Candidates): You are eligible to participate in the Hooding and Commencement of the year in which you will be completing your degree requirements if you will be completing your internship in the summer. In order to participate in Hooding and Commencement, you must apply to graduate for the summer term by the application deadline for those who wish to participate in Commencement events. If you do not apply to graduate by the deadline, your name will not be included in the Hooding Program Booklet.
If you will be completing your degree requirements in Fall: You are eligible to participate in the Hooding and Commencement of the year following your degree completion. Be sure to apply to graduate by the fall application deadline in order to participate.

Program Name on Diploma

Your diploma will only list the name of your degree (ex: Doctor of Philosophy) and not your field of study (ex: Biological Sciences).

Proof of Degree Conferral

After your degree has been conferred, you can request the Office of the Registrar to issue a letter certifying that your degree has been conferred from their Certifications page. It is also possible to order an official transcript or purchase a Certified Electronic Credential through GWeb. Please wait until after your degree has been conferred before making a request or purchase.

If you did not Receive your Diploma in the Mail

Please refer to the Office of the Registrar’s Graduation FAQs page for more details.