A. Declaration and Certification of Candidacy
The primary responsibility for identifying and clearing candidates for advanced degrees rests with the students, major professors, and departments. Students must be registered in the session of graduation. (See Section V-G-1 and V-G-2 .)
The Graduate School requires the assistance of each department in developing a final list of those who expect to graduate at the close of the session. The accurate and timely establishment of a candidate list is important to the student and the University.
- Preliminary Candidate List
At the time of registration, students who expect to graduate at the end of that session should notify their department of their intent. The department is responsible for registering students properly as candidates for graduation. Since students who have been granted permission for absentia research are not automatically added to the candidate list, departments should monitor the progress of these students and register them as candidates in the session in which they anticipate graduating. If an absentia student expects to graduate in the summer session, the student must register for the summer session. (See Section V-F-4a and V-F-5b .)
The registrar supplies the Graduate School with a preliminary list of candidates expecting to graduate. The Graduate School then sends a preliminary (starting) list to each department. For various reasons, the preliminary candidate list may be incomplete Therefore, it is very important that this list be checked thoroughly by each department.
Each department is asked to poll graduate students and major professors as soon as possible after receiving the preliminary candidate list. The names of students who expect to graduate but whose names do not appear on the initial list should be supplied to the Graduate School at once (via electronic mail) but no later than the last day to declare candidacy for the session of anticipated graduation. (See Graduation Deadlines.) Students whose names are not added to the candidate list by the last day to declare candidacy for the session of anticipated graduation normally will be required to register for the following session to receive their degrees. If a student wishes to pursue graduation after the last day to declare candidacy, they will be charged a Late Graduation Deadline Fee to be added to the candidate list. (See X-3)
The Graduate School sets the candidate list up in the Graduate School database, which is accessible by the departments. The Graduate School periodically updates the candidate list, so it is important for the departments to review this list regularly and notify the Graduate School of any changes (via electronic mail). The Graduate School monitors late registrations, and, as students become eligible for candidacy, the Graduate School updates subsequent candidate lists accordingly until the last day to declare candidacy. (See Graduation Deadlines) If a department later discovers that a student who was eligible to graduate but will not, the department should inform the Graduate School (via electronic mail) so the student’s name can be removed from the candidate list.
- Candidate Audit/Certification Forms
The Graduate School sends departments a candidate audit/certification form for each student on the candidate list. The candidate audit/certification form is the department’s formal statement that the student is, or is not, a bona fide candidate to receive an advanced degree at the close of the current session. The audit/certification form informs the department of outstanding problems that must be resolved before the record can be cleared for the anticipated degree (e.g., courses to be completed, notes of unacceptable grades, registration credit issues, gpa issues, or the absence of required transcripts). The completed candidate audit/certification form should be signed by themajor professor and the head of the graduate program to indicate the student’s candidacy or removal from candidacy. The signed form should be returned to the Graduate School as soon as possible, but not later than the final examination deadline in that academic session. (See Graduation Deadlines.) The department should retain a copy of the form.
Any errors detected on the candidate audit/certification form should be reported to the Graduate School by the department as soon as possible. If there are changes to be made to a candidate’s plan of study, the change to the plan of study should be submitted for approval to the Graduate School immediately. Be aware that plans of study may not be altered after degrees are conferred.
The Graduate School should be notified immediately if the degree title is incorrect or if a concentration is not posted or is incorrectly posted on the candidate audit/certification form.
Students whose names appear on the candidate list but who have not met all academic requirements for their degrees by the end of the session of candidacy will not be awarded degrees. These students must register for a future session to be awarded degrees. When a candidate is academically qualified to receive a degree, the degree must be awarded and may not be deferred to a future session.
- Late Graduation Deadline Fee
If a student misses a critical deadline in the Graduation Deadlines Calendar and still wishes to pursue graduation in that academic session, they will be assessed a Late Graduation Deadline Fee. Students can only be assessed the fee one time each academic session. There are five reasons a student could be assessed the Late Graduation Deadline Fee:
- Missing the Plan of Study Deadline
Plans of study must be received by the Graduate School with all advisory committee, department/school, and college signatures, prior to the posted deadline for the session of anticipated graduation.
- Missing the Deadline to Declare Candidacy
Students must be registered as graduate candidates and be listed on the candidate list prior to the last day to declare candidacy for the session of anticipated graduation.
- Registering as a Candidate for Graduation for Three or more Consecutive Sessions
Students who are on the candidate list for three or more consecutive sessions will be assessed the late fee for each consecutive session, starting with the third session.
B. Commencement Participation and Receipt of Degree
The day after the last day to declare candidacy, the registrar electronically notifies candidates that they may access the “graduation tab” through their myPurdue account. Through this tab, the registrar will issue directives, and provide information to candidates relative to graduation and participation in the commencement exercises. If it is their intent to participate in the commencement ceremonies, the candidates are to indicate that through this graduation tab.
It is at this time that the Graduate School sends to the Registrar’s office the list of major professors who have doctoral candidates on the candidate roster. If a major professor plans to hood their doctoral candidate at commencement, he or she must register to do so on the registrar’s website.
The names of all participants in the commencement ceremonies must appear on the candidate list during that academic session. The only exception is a graduate who wishes to return to participate in a ceremony for a session subsequent to the session of graduation. In this case, a special, written request must be submitted to the registrar.
A candidate who has been on the candidate list during the session but who is not able to complete the degree requirements by the end of the session may still participate in commencement, provided they have notified the registrar of their intent to participate. If the Graduate School is notified that a candidate will not meet degree requirements by the end of the session, and the student has not notified the registrar of his or her intent to participate in commencement, that student will be removed from the candidate roster and will not be eligible to participate in commencement.
Please be aware that students cannot be added to the candidate list for the sole purpose of participating in commencement.
Diplomas are mailed to graduates if their records could not be cleared for the degree before commencement or if they did not participate in commencement. Diplomas normally are mailed about eight weeks after commencement.
C. Doctoral Candidate Hooding
The day following the deadline to declare candidacy, the registrar sends the Graduate School the preliminary candidate list for that session’s graduation. Based on this preliminary candidate list, a roster of major professors who have doctoral degree candidates graduating at the end of the term is produced.
The major professor is sent a notification that one of their doctoral candidates is on the candidate list for graduation at the end of that session, inviting them to march with, and hood, their candidate(s) during the commencement exercises. (This list is sent out three times throughout the session to all major professors who have doctoral degree candidates on the candidate roster.) If, after working with their candidate(s), it is decided that both would like to participate, this invitation gives the major professor the link they will need to use to register with the Registrar’s Office, along with the deadline by which they must be registered.
Only regular certified graduate faculty who are major professors are eligible to participate, and hood, doctoral candidates. If the candidate has co-chairs on the advisory committee, a decision will need to be made as to which co-chair will participate. Also, co-chairs who have special certification are not sent the invitation as they are not eligible to participate.
Major professors participating must be in academic attire, and it is their responsibility to obtain the appropriate academic attire. Information regarding gown and hood rentals is included in this invitation should the faculty member not have their own academic attire.
An invitation is sent out for each doctoral candidate participating in commencement. As a result, some major professors may receive more than one invitation.
Care should be taken to thoroughly read this communication as various other pieces of valuable information are also included.
D. Report of Graduation Results
At the close of each session, after the final grades have posted, the Graduate School receives a final record for each candidate on the candidate roster. A final audit is once again completed on each candidate’s record.
As soon as possible after the final audits have been completed, the Graduate School returns to the registrar the updated list of candidates who were certified as having met all academic requirements for their degrees. Departments are notified by email of outstanding issues at the time the audits are done. The Graduate School updates the candidate list in the Graduate School’s database, which is accessible by departments. Departments should review this list carefully for any discrepancies with their own records and immediately report any discrepancies to the Graduate School.
Once the records have been cleared and degrees have been posted to the academic records, the Graduate School will mark the plans of study as “Posted” in the Graduate School database. The departments may then access the Graduate School database to verify posted degrees for their graduates.
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