Graduation Guidelines and Procedures

Catalog of Graduation

To graduate, a student must fulfill catalog requirements in effect at matriculation or any subsequent catalog during their period of enrollment. A catalog over six years old may be used to determine requirements for a degree only if the student has been enrolled continuously in fall and spring semesters. If a student has not enrolled at UT Tyler in the academic past year, the student is required to complete a readmission application. Students who complete a readmission application are admitted under the catalog in effect at the time of readmission.

Applying for Graduation

All students at UT Tyler must formally apply for graduation by completing the following guidelines:

1. Pay the non-refundable Graduation App Access Fee via their myUTTyler or at the One-Stop Service Center (STE 230).
2. Formally apply for graduation using the Apply for Graduation feature in myUTTyler between the application opening and closing dates for the semester in which they plan to graduate.

Graduation Application Dates: 

Students must apply for graduation no later than the Closing Date, as listed above, for the term in which they wish to graduate. All Closing Dates will be extended to the next available business day in the event they fall on a weekend or holiday. The Apply for Graduation feature will not allow students to apply for graduation in any term after the relevant Graduation Application Closing Date.

Students will receive updates on the status of their Application for Graduation from the department of their major field of study. Updates about the commencement ceremonies will be distributed by the Office of the Registrar. Participation in the commencement ceremony does not guarantee conferring of any degree.

The Office of the Registrar reserves the right to post degrees and/or certificates for current or former students who have met degree completion requirements but have not formally applied for graduation.

Additional information regarding graduation processes and commencement exercises is available at www.uttyler.edu/registrar/graduation and https://www.uttyler.edu/commencement/.

Graduating with Latin Honors

Candidates for the Baccalaureate degree may graduate with academic Latin Honors if they complete a minimum of 45 hours of undergraduate credit at UT Tyler with an eligible final grade point average. Only hours that earn grade point credit may be used to satisfy the 45 hour requirement. Second Baccalaureate degree candidates are eligible for Latin Honors only if they complete a minimum of 45 credit hours of resident credit in addition to the hours required for the first degree. No duplication of hours from a previous degree can be used toward the 45-hour requirement. RN-to-BSN, AND-to-BSN, and BAAS students are eligible for Latin Honors only if they complete 45 hours or more at UT Tyler.

Latin Honors will be awarded to the following final grade point averages:

This recognition will be noted on the student’s transcript and diploma after official verification of final grades. Honor Cords will be presented at the Commencement Ceremony based on the student’s semester credit hours and grade point average as of the semester prior to graduation; this may differ from the Latin Honors earned after official verification of final grades.

Verification of Degree

A degree will not be granted until all requirements have been verified. All graduation requirements (e.g. grades of incomplete, transcripts from other institutions) must be satisfied within 30 calendar days following the final day of the semester of graduation as listed in the Academic Calendar. If the requirements have not been verified by this date, the student will be denied graduation and must re-file for graduation subject to the filing for graduation guidelines.

Economics of Timely Graduation

Students must understand that there are real and significant economic benefits to maintaining good progress toward their degrees and graduating in four years or less. Delayed graduation involves paying additional fees, and other university-related expenses. Equally important is the earnings students lose by delaying graduation. In a study by Witteveen & Attewell (2021), they found graduates, regardless of how long it took for the degree, were employable and found jobs. However, study findings indicated the delayed-time-to-degree was associated with 8-15% decreased wages, depending on the length of the delay.

The actions below can facilitate your timely graduation.

1. Meet with your advisor each semester.
2. Follow your Patriot Advising Plan (PAR) and the suggested sequence of courses for your degree. 
3. Take an average of 30 credit hours annually.
4. Perform well academically to maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA.

Note: If you would like to take a course at another institution, work with your advisor to complete a transient form so your credits can be applied to your degree plan.