Graduation takes place twice a year, in November and May. Students who need proof that they have completed all their degree requirements and expect to graduate (often needed for jobs, post-doctoral positions etc.) should complete a "Graduate Program Completion Letter Request" form which can be downloaded from the Forms section of this website.

Procedures for Students

Students must apply for graduation through the Student Service Centre (SSC). They can do this in January and February for May graduation, and July and August for November graduation. Students should check the SSC for the exact deadlines for applying for graduation. These deadlines are set by Enrolment Services.

If a student applies for graduation, this does not necessarily mean that he or she will graduate. Students must first meet all the program requirements. There is no penalty for applying for graduation and then not graduating, but students must re-apply for the next graduation season.

Students can check their graduation status through the Student Service Centre.

Procedures for Programs

For Spring graduation, FoGS usually receives approximately 1,200 applications for graduation. SAS clerks have less than two weeks to check 1,200 student records to confirm that students have completed all program requirements and are eligible for graduation.

Programs should check their students’ records to make sure that program requirements have been met, so that minor problems (e.g. missing grades, unfulfilled conditions, PhD supervisor memos and Chair's reports handed in etc.) can be sorted out before SAS does the final graduation check.

You can use SISC to generate the graduation list for your program’s students and check each student’s record. For instructions, see "Electronic Tools & Databases – SISC – Graduation Checking" in this manual.

The SAS clerks will send your program a list of students who have applied for graduation, stating whether or not they met their graduation requirements by the deadline.

Graduation Deadlines

If students miss the deadline for applying online for graduation, they can contact FoGS to ask for a late application. After the graduation list has been approved by UBC's Graduate Council, no further names can be added.