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Registrar
Degree Applications
Early Completion
Commencement Policy
Graduation with Honors

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Graduate Walking Stage

Degree Applications

WPI confers degrees and awards diplomas three times per year, in May, September, and December.  Commencement ceremonies for Undergraduate and Graduate students are held in May only.  

Degree Applications

In order to be considered for degree candidacy, each student MUST FILE AN APPLICATION with the Registrar's Office in accordance with respective deadlines below.  Graduate students must be registered in the semester in which the degree requirements are completed.  Both Undergraduate and Graduate Applications for Graduation are located below.

 

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE APPLICATION DEADLINES

Completion of Degree Requirements Application Deadline Degree Conferral Date
Fall Semester September 15th  December
Spring Semester September 15th  May
Summer Semester July 15th September

We are currently only accepting graduation applications for September 2020 and December 2020.  If you are completing your degree requirements in the summer or fall please complete the Undergraduate Graduation Application.  

GRADUATE DEGREE APPLICATION DEADLINES

Completion of Degree Requirements Application Deadline Degree Conferral Date
Fall Semester September 15th December
Spring Semester February 1st May
Summer Semester July 15th September

All degree candidates (Certificates, Master's, & PhD) must complete Step 1 below.  Then proceed to the applicable Step 2.

Early Completion

Early Degree Completion (Undergraduate Only)

Undergraduate students completing 100% of WPI graduation requirements by the end of A-term or C-term will be eligible for a 50% reduction of tuition for the semester of completion.  Eligible students must complete the forms available in the Registrar’s Office and submit by the end of B-term (for C-term completion) or D-term (for A-term completion).  Students/responsible parties will be billed for the full semester and then will be refunded 50% of the tuition bill once the graduation requirements have been signed off and the student’s withdrawal has been officially processed.  Qualified students receiving financial aid from WPI will retain 50% of any WPI scholarship, and their loan eligibility will be reviewed on an individual basis.  Students living in WPI housing will still be financially responsible for paying the full semester’s worth of room and board.

Early Degree Completion Application Form (PDF) at: https://www.wpi.edu/sites/default/files/2019/10/24/UGApplicationforEarlyDegreeCo...

Commencement Policy

Commencement Policy

Graduate Students

All degree requirements as outlined in the student's degree program must be 100% completed at the traditional end of the semester in order to participate in commencement and for conferral of the degree.

Undergraduate Students

The policy for allowing certain undergraduate students who have not completed all degree requirements to participate in Commencement exercises is:

  1. Undergraduate students who have not met all degree requirements will be eligible to participate in Commencement exercises only if all of the following are true:
    1. At the end of D term, the student is within 1/3 unit of one activity in all
    2. The student has completed at least 2 of the 3 WPI Project Requirements
  2. Undergraduate students who meet these conditions will be permitted to participate in Commencement exercises but will not receive their diploma.  The names of such students will not be included in the Commencement program.  The actual degree will be conferred only after all degree requirements have been completed.
  3. Undergraduate students seeking an exception to this policy have the right to petition the Committee on Academic Operations for a waiver due to extenuating circumstances.  Petitions must be received no later than noon the Wednesday before Commencement Day.

Graduation with Honors

Graduation with Honors (Undergraduate Only)

For all degree candidate students graduating from WPI after May 1, 2011, graduation honors will be determined as follows:

Graduation With High Distinction

An A or DIST grade on all four of the following:

  • MQP
  • IQP
  • Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum 
  • Eight units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).

Graduation With Distinction

A grade of A or DIST on the following criteria:

  • MQP
  • IQP
  • Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum
  • Four units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).

or a grade of A or DIST on the following criteria:

  • Two of the three projects: MQP, IQP and the SUFF/ Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum
  • Six units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).

Honors for Double Majors

If a student completes two majors, the student is awarded a degree with "Distinction" or "High Distinction" if the student meets the criteria above in either or both majors; if both awards are received, the degree is awarded with "High Distinction."

How to check your graduation status, honors and attendance:

Log on to BannerWeb (Self Service).

Click on the Student Services & Financial Aid Tab at the top of the main page.

Choose Student Records.

Choose Degree Candidate Information (under Student Records).

Graduation Status:

If you have applied for graduation, your status will be “Pending Final Review” until your final review has taken place.  Once you have been reviewed and cleared to graduate by the Registrar’s Office, your status will be changed to “Confirmed”.  Undergraduate students who are short 1/3 from meeting their degree requirements will be eligible to walk in the ceremony.  In this case, your status will be changed to “Walker” (undergraduates only).  If you are confirmed as a “Walker”, you must come in to our office and sign our “Walker” form.

Honors:

The process of review to see if you have earned Honors will take place after all students have been reviewed.  This can also be checked by using the instructions above so keep checking even after you have been confirmed.

(Please note that Honors only applies to Undergraduate students).

Attending Ceremony:

Your attendance status for the commencement ceremony can also be found on this page.  If you have notified us that you will be attending the ceremony, it will read “yes”.  If you will not be attending, it will read “no”.  If you see a “?”, you have not notified us whether or not you will be attending.  Please do so immediately by clicking on Commencement Attendance.