Information for Undergraduate Degree Candidates

Complete the online application for degree in your myGoucher. Instructions for accessing the application are provided below. Questions about the application can be directed to the Office of the Registrar at graduation@goucher.edu or  410-337-6090.

Instructions for accessing the Application for Graduation:

1. Log into MyGoucher
2. Click on "MyGoucher Links" tab
3. Click on the "Undergraduate Application for Degree" link (listed in the Student Links section)
4. Complete the application and submit via the "Submit" button

You must apply for your degree by February 9, 2024, as indicated on the Important Dates for Students page. Failure to complete the application by the deadline could result in your not being allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony. Requests to apply after the deadline should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar at graduation@goucher.edu.

The college provides all students with an advisor who can provide guidance in the degree audit process. In addition to routine advising meetings before the end of the add/drop period each semester, students should independently monitor progress toward degree completion using the unofficial transcript in myGoucher and the academic catalogue. The DegreeWorks degree audit also serves as a useful, but unofficial tool for monitoring degree progress, and can be imperfect in determining total degree completion. Students should seek assistance from their advisors for DegreeWorks functionality and interpretation support.

The Office of Financial Aid and the Bursar’s Office, as well as any other office having a hold on your account, will notify you prior to graduation if there are any holds on your record that will prevent you from receiving your diploma. If you receive financial aid, you must complete an exit interview with the Office of Financial Aid prior to graduation.

Office of Financial Aid - FinAid@Goucher.edu, 410-337-6141

Bursar's Office - billing@goucher.edu, 410-337-6022

The college confers (awards) degrees in May, August, and December each academic year. Students who complete their degree requirements the December prior to May commencement and who plan to complete their degrees in August of the same year are cleared for degree completion in the same manner as graduates completing their degrees in May. Likewise, once the clearance process has been completed and the degree conferred on the transcript, the Office of the Registrar mails diplomas to students at the address indicated on the Application for Graduation.

Graduating seniors may enroll in BSEP courses, but should be cautioned about delays in other institutions issuing final grades to the Office of the Registrar. If taking a BSEP course in the final semester at Goucher is essential, students whose grades are not provided to the Office of the Registrar during the standard degree clearance timeline may also experience a delay in the issuance of their diploma. In such cases, degrees will be conferred upon the Office of the Registrar’s receipt of the official transcript and will still be awarded for that final semester.

Degree candidates are not exempt from taking final exams.

Honors in the Major: Honors are determined by a vote of department faculty. Guidelines for honors are determined by the individual department. Consult your advisor or department chair for requirements.

Latin Honors: Students who have taken at least 60 semester credit hours on a letter basis at Goucher or as part of a Goucher-sponsored, study-abroad program may be awarded their degree:

• Summa cum laude with a cumulative grade point average of 3.90 or above
• Magna cum laude with a cumulative grade point average of 3.70-3.89
• Cum laude with a cumulative grade point average of 3.50-3.69

Grade point averages (GPA) are not rounded for Latin honors.

The minimum cumulative GPA required for graduating with an undergraduate degree is 2.0.

Each course required in the major, minor or concentration field of study requires a C- or above or P if the course must be taken Pass/No Pass. Major, minor, and concentration requirements must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is given only on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Goucher requires a minimum of 120 credits for graduation. Of that, candidates for the degree must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours at Goucher. Ordinarily, 12 of the last 24 credit hours must be completed at Goucher; a student may petition the associate dean for undergraduate studies to waive this requirement. This is called “completing out of residence.”

The timeline for other institutions issuing final grades to the Office of the Registrar is typically extended. Thus, students completing coursework out of residence in the final semester at Goucher should anticipate delays in final degree clearance, in addition to a delay in the issuance of their diploma. For instances in which student grades are provided to the Office of the Registrar after the standard degree clearance period, degrees will be conferred upon receipt of the official transcript and will still be awarded for that final semester.

Students are not issued diplomas at commencement, only a diploma cover. Diplomas are mailed to May semester graduating students between mid-June and the end of July. Graduating students not participating in commencement receive their diplomas according to the same timeline; a cover is not included, but may be picked up in person at the Office of the Registrar after degrees have been awarded.

The Goucher diploma has your name, degree (Bachelor of Arts), honors received, and the date of graduation. Majors, minors, and concentrations are NOT listed.

The Undergraduate Application for Graduation allows students to specify their preference for their name’s appearance on the diploma and in the commencement program. The information provided in the application will be used for the diploma and the program. While Goucher honors gender preferences in the appearance of these names, students should comply with the first, middle (name or initial), last name combination naming convention. Students whose name preference on their diploma changes after printing or who wish to obtain a duplicate can submit a request via the Replacement Diploma Request form; a $50.00 fee applies.

The form for changing a major/minor/concentration is available on the Office of the Registrar Forms page. When completed, submit the form to the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in Van Meter G24. The change will be made there.

Detailed information concerning all aspects of graduation can be found on the Commencement page.

The 2024 regalia website will be live near the end of January.

Go to herff.ly/goucher to purchase your regalia, announcements, thank you cards, and more. Early Bird Pricing lasts through April 27th. Any orders placed after this date may incur additional fees. The final date to place your order is May 8th.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to the College Store Customer Service at customer.service@goucher.edu

Commencement exercises are held once a year in May. To participate, a student must have completed all academic requirements for the appropriate degree and have settled all college accounts and all student disciplinary matters as either December (of the prior year) degree candidate or as a May degree candidate. The college reserves the right to not permit the attendance of any student who has not been cleared for graduation.

A student who is an August degree candidate, who is in good academic standing (cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0) and is within four credits of completing graduation requirements may participate in Commencement exercises only if documentation demonstrates that the remaining credits will be completed by August 31 of that year.  Permission to participate in Commencement must be granted to August degree candidates by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies. Students must submit a request to the online petition form to walk at Commencement. This request will be sent to the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies for approval. 

Exceptions to the Commencement policy can only be made by the provost and are generally rare. Petitions for exception are only considered from students who have been enrolled in the spring for all remaining courses needed for participation in Commencement exercises but who have been affected by unforeseen and unpreventable forces at the end of the semester that prevent them from completing those courses. Such petitions must be submitted in writing to the provost four weeks prior to Commencement, and they must be accompanied by an endorsement from one or more of the student’s faculty members or advisors.

Students can participate in only one undergraduate Commencement ceremony.

Commencement Roadmap

The Office of the Registrar oversees the provision of transcripts and ONLY issues official transcripts. To request an official transcript, students can complete the transcript request form on the Office of the Registrar website. All other details regarding transcripts can also be found on that webpage.

Current students can access their unofficial transcript at any time via myGoucher. Unofficial transcripts are not currently available to students after graduating, as access to myGoucher is suspended after students achieve alum status.

Please note that as many students request transcripts immediately following spring semester, processing timelines may be delayed. Students should expect delays in transcript request fulfillment during that time and plan accordingly.