When getting ready to graduate, the first step is to review your academic information and the graduation requirements for your degree. This should ideally be done every semester with the guidance of an advisor but checking in at least once a year to make sure you are on track is a good start. 

It is best to meet with an advisor early on in the semester you plan to graduate. Your advisor will help you go through your requirements and make sure that you have everything you need, but it is a good idea to have a decent understanding of the requirements yourself before you meet with your advisor in order to make the visit more efficient.   

Once you have met with your advisor and you are fairly certain you meet the requirements, it is very important that you apply for graduation before the deadline for that semester. For this spring semester, the deadline is February 18th. The process of applying is fairly short and straightforward. You apply to graduate through campus connection by navigating to the Academic Records box and then selecting “Graduation” from the menu. Once you have applied, you should be able to view your graduation status under the graduation tab. If you are eligible to graduate, your status should show that your application was successful and display your expected graduation term.   

After successfully applying for graduation, you will need to resolve any potential issues with your academic status, such as an incomplete or missed GPA requirements. If there are no issues, then you are ready to graduate. Before you finish the semester, though, you will also need to complete exit loan counseling if you have any federal loans with UND. This counseling will help you understand the repayment process in order to keep on top of your loans after graduation.   

Finish your last semester strong by staying on top of your classes and making sure you stick with your GPA requirements. You will also want to make sure that your campus connection balance is fully paid before you graduate.   

If you would like to walk at the commencement ceremony, gowns, tassels, and caps are purchased through the UND bookstore. If you are graduating with multiple degrees, you will have to choose which program you would like to walk with as you cannot walk with both. If you are not sure which program you would like to walk with, a list of tassel colors for each college can be found on the UND website that might assist in or perhaps influence your decision.   

If you have any honors cords you would like to wear at the ceremony, you will need to have them approved ahead of time by the academic dean as well as Ceremonies and University Events. Cords are obtained from the honor societies to which you belong.   

Once all the details are in order, you are ready to graduate, congratulations! If you have not already, meet with career services to help polish your resume and LinkedIn account for job searching. Finding out about opportunities available to you, whether that be jobs, graduate schools, or other programs or institutes of study is a great way to set yourself up for success after graduation so make sure to be proactive and meet with your advisor and career services early. Graduating from college is a great achievement so be sure to celebrate and take pride in your accomplishment!   

Gabrielle Bossart is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].