Degrees & Graduation
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Graduating with a Degree at SOU
Degrees are awarded four times per year at the end of each term. An annual commencement ceremony is held in June and all degree candidates with approved applications for Fall through Summer terms of that academic year are eligible to participate.
You must apply for your degree to be awarded. You should apply in advance to allow sufficient time for application processing and adjustment to course schedule as necessary.
Degree Application Schedule
Fall 2025: still accepting applications; submit asap!
Winter 2026: Available 10/20/25 – Priority Deadline 11/30/25*
Spring 2026: Available 12/23/25 – Priority Deadline 02/02/26*
Summer 2026: Available 03/09/26 – Priority Deadline 04/13/26*
Fall 2026: Application process will be changing effective Fall 2026 term. More detailed instructions will be announced in June 2026.
- Check with your academic advisors to understand your missing degree requirements.
*Applying before the priority deadlines will help ensure timely application processing and communication; late applications are subject to additional processing delays
Notes: You must apply for your degree in order to graduate.
1) Meet with your major advisors to review remaining required courses AND create a graduation plan in DegreeWorks.
2) It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their degree requirements will be met.
3) You can apply after the priority deadline however it could impact degree completion & evaluation processes.
4) Must apply before May 1st to be in the Commencement program and to receive Ceremony emails.
Review Graduation Workshop Resources
Current students should review the following materials before submitting their graduation application
February 2026 Graduation Workshop PowerPoint
5 Steps to Graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree
1. Create a Graduation Plan
Before submitting the online application, you should meet with your advisor to verify the remaining requirements and develop a graduation course completion plan.
Use the “Plans” feature in DegreeWorks, and your plan will be used for degree evaluation.
*Failure to provide a clear and accurate plan will affect your degree evaluation. Please don’t wait to be notified of degree deficiencies, your plan must address all remaining degree requirements as outlined in DegreeWorks (total credits, upper division credits, university strands, major/minor/cert requirements, etc).
Learn How to apply for a degree at SOU. Access your student account and apply to graduate. Students can login to their student account and complete the application for a degree at least two terms before they expect to complete all the requirements for a degree.
Questions? Email graduation@sou.edu
Students need to be signed into to access the application. If a student does not have access to InsideSOU, or if your network account has been deactivated, please email the Degree Coordinator. Note: Please use this ONLY if you have exhausted all avenues of access to InsideSOU.
Catalog Year/ Curriculum Changes – Your degree evaluation will be based upon the catalog and curriculum you have listed in DegreeWorks at the time of application processing. If you would like to, or need to, update your catalog and/ or add a major, minor, or concentration, please consult with your advisor(s) to make these changes before you apply to graduate. Alert graduation@sou.edu if you make curriculum changes after you have applied to graduate.
Application Fee – A graduation application fee of $85 will be applied to your student account during the processing of your application. This fee is only charged once per bachelor’s degree and while transferable to another term of completion, is not refundable upon cancellation of an application.
Certificate Fee – For students graduating with a certificate from Â鶹´«Ã½Å®Éñ, a $10 certification fee will be applied to your student account in addition to the $85 graduation application fee.
Reapplying – If you have applied previously and were not approved, you will not be charged the application fee again unless it has been more than a full year, at which time you will be charged a reapplication fee of $25.
3. Degree Evaluation
Once your application has been received, an evaluation will generally be conducted within 3-5 weeks to review your progress toward the completion of baccalaureate, University Studies, and general degree requirements. Your application and evaluation will then be sent to your major and minor departments for approval. All communication regarding your application will be sent to your SOU email.
Degree Deficiency – If a deficiency is found at any point in the application process, you will be notified at your SOU email. You will be required to determine a plan to clear your degree requirement(s) prior to the approval of your application. Please respond promptly to avoid delay and possibly cancellation of your application.
Changes to Degree Application – Changes to your degree application, including anticipated term of completion and curriculum changes (catalog year, adding/dropping minor), must be reported to the Degree Coordinator via email graduation@sou.edu . Failure to inform the Degree Coordinator of changes may delay your graduation. Since students make various registration changes, they are responsible to track these course changes using DegreeWorks. Students do not need to report course changes to the Degree Coordinator unless they are repeating courses previously passed with D- or better grade.
4. Final Review
After grades post for the term, a final review will be conducted to ensure you have completed all degree requirements. Please allow 3-5 weeks for final review processing. All communication regarding your final review will be sent to your SOU email.
Degree Deficiency – Degree evaluation is based on the graduation plan submitted and the student’s final terms of courses. If you do not meet your degree requirements by your anticipated term of completion you will need to determine a plan to clear your degree requirement(s). Please email graduation@sou.edu if you do not successfully complete your degree requirements to avoid cancelation of your application.
Unresolved Grades – A degree cannot be awarded if there is an unresolved grade (‘I’, ‘E’ or ‘M’) on your record. Students must clear all grades prior to degree awarding. To avoid delay in degree awarding, all incomplete grades (‘I’ or ‘E’) must be completed within 60 days from grade posting in final term. Changes made after 60 days will move a student’s degree awarding date to the end of the term in which the change is entered.
5. Degree Awarding
Degree Awarding starts after final grades have been posted and can take 4-6 weeks to get through all of the degree applications (longer for Spring due to volume of degrees). After it is determined that you successfully completed all degree requirements, your degree will be awarded and you will see it posted to your records in Banner Self- Service accessible through InsideSOU. You will receive an email to your SOU email account once your degree has been awarded. Your transcripts will not reflect the degree until it has been officially awarded by the Degree Coordinator.
Institutional Honors:
Undergraduate students (seeking their first undergraduate degree) graduating with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible to receive graduation honors. The honors are listed on students’ transcripts and diplomas. Graduation honors are based on SOU GPA only. Masters and Post-Baccalaureate students are not eligible for these honors, including Post-Baccalaureate students seeking an undergraduate degree.
Honors are as follows (in GPA):
Cum Laude – 3.50 to 3.74
Magna Cum Laude – 3.75 to 3.89
Summa Cum Laude – 3.90 to 4.00
Graduate Degree Students
Â鶹´«Ã½Å®Éñ students whom are graduating with a master’s degree should speak with their graduate coordinator about their specific program’s application process. Masters students who are ready to apply for graduation can follow the link below.
Diplomas
Diploma Name – Diploma names are based on the information provided on the degree application. Name changes must be submitted to graduation@sou.edu in order to update your degree application information. You may submit an Affidavit of Name Change prior to awarding. Any changes made after awarding will not prompt a new diploma; however, you may order one online for a fee.
Degree Information – Degree type and major(s) will be listed on diplomas. Minors and concentrations will not be included on the diploma. Double majors leading to the same degree type will be awarded as one degree/diploma. Dual degrees (any non-duplicative combination of BA/BS/etc) will be awarded as two degrees/diplomas.
Mailing – Diplomas will be ordered and mailed approximately two weeks after degree awarding. Diplomas will be sent to the diploma mailing address provided on the degree application. Any address changes should be reported to graduation@sou.edu . Student’s will be charged a $30.00 reissue fee if their diploma information is incorrect at the time of degree awarding. Our vendor will send an email to you when the diploma is en route.
*Students must be in good financial standing with the university and have no financial holds on their account in order to receive their diploma. Diplomas and transcripts cannot be released until all holds are resolved, and their account balance is under $20.00
Commencement is the celebratory graduation ceremony held once a year in June and a wonderful opportunity for you to share your accomplishments with friends and family. Students with an approved degree application on file for the current academic year, including the upcoming summer term, are eligible to participate in the ceremony.
*This page is intended for undergraduate students graduating with a bachelor’s degree. Students graduating with a master’s degree should speak with their graduate coordinator regarding the application process.
*Make sure to apply for the correct graduation term: Graduation Term = Your last term of classes and/or when you will complete all degree requirements & coursework.
*You must apply for your degree in order to graduate.
*It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their degree requirements will be met.
*Late applications could impact degree completion & evaluation processes.
*Students must apply before May 1st to be in the Commencement program and to receive ceremony emails
*Late applications will be accepted but may affect graduation term and degree awarding.