Graduation

APPLICATION

Graduation applications for both graduate and undergraduate students are available online within the student's WebEASI account. Completed applications and the application fee must be submitted to the Finance Office by the appropriate deadline. Deadlines for filing graduation applications are as follows:

FINAL REVIEW OF RECORD

Each semester and summer term the Office of Student Records and Registration reviews records of the students that have applied for graduation in the upcoming commencement. Students are responsible for meeting the requirements stated in the catalog at the time they matriculated at the University of Nebraska at Kearney as long as their enrollment was continuous.

SENIOR CHECK

Two or three semesters before a student intends to graduate, he/she can sign-up for a senior check in the Office of Student Records and Registration in Founders Hall. Senior checks are not required for graduation. Students are urged to closely monitor their Junior Checks as they complete coursework and update the Junior Checks accordingly.

If a student has taken a class that is to be substituted for a required class, a written substitution from the department chairperson must be in the student's file so that the student's diploma can be released.

COMMENCEMENT ATTIRE

All candidates participating in commencement exercises must wear approved traditional commencement attire.  In addition to the cap and gown, candidates will be allowed to wear cords and/or sashes/stoles if such items have been previously approved by the Commencement Committee.  Please refer to the guidelines below for seeking appropriate approval. Unauthorized ornamentation is prohibited.  If any commencement official deems the attire to be inappropriate, the student will be asked to remove the unapproved item or the student may be denied participation in the commencement ceremony. 

Approval Guidelines:

Requests for special ornamentation should be forwarded to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for University Relations at least 90 days prior to commencement in order to be placed on the agenda for consideration.

The Commencement committee will only consider items that represent academic achievement from a nationally recognized academic honor society which requires a minimum scholastic rank equivalent to a 3.5 GPA for membership.  National recognition may be in the form of membership in ACHS (Association of College Honor Societies) or via a demonstrated national governance structure including officers/board members elected by the membership and formal chartering of each campus chapter approved by official action of the governing body of the national organization.

The only candidates that may wear a medallion are those graduating with university-wide Latin honors or the UNK Honors Program.

The faculty/staff sponsor of the campus honor society should provide a written request outlining how the chapter meets the required guidelines.  The sponsor will be notified of the committee’s decision by the Office of the VCUR following the meeting of the Commencement Committee.

COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM

In order to celebrate the exemplary accomplishments of our graduates, notations will be placed in the commencement program recognizing students who have earned certain academic honors.  The notations are limited to those honors that are not discipline specific but are available to students in all academic areas.  Such university-wide recognitions include, Latin honors, Mortar Board, the Honors Program, and Phi Kappa Phi.

Honors and awards given specifically to students in a particular program should be recognized at the college honor convocations or other special events held for students in a specific program of study.