Commencement vs. Graduation
Most students confuse graduation with the commencement ceremony. Graduation and commencement are NOT the same.
- Commencement is the CEREMONY at the end of the current semester recognizing degree candidates who choose to participate. Participating in the commencement ceremony does not mean you have graduated. There are only 2 commencement ceremonies held at UH Hilo: one held at the end of the Fall semester and one held at the end of the Spring semester.
- Graduation is the official granting of a degree only AFTER having met all degree requirements. Official graduation does not take place until after the current semester’s grades are posted which occurs after the commencement ceremony. A student may opt to graduate in any of the following semesters: Fall, Spring, or Summer. If you do not meet all degree requirements at the end of the semester, you will not graduate at the end of that semester.
Commencement Ceremony
The Advising Center DOES NOT coordinate the commencement ceremony. Any questions related to commencement can be directed to the commencement committee. Information about commencement is available online at the Commencement webpage: http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/academics/graduation/
If you are plan on graduating in summer, but would like to participate in the spring commencement ceremony, you must make your request to the UH Hilo Office of the Registrar and fill out the Commencement Ceremony Participation Form.
Graduation
Apply to Graduate
In order for you to graduate, you will need to have completed all requirements for your desired degree, including general education, major, and overall graduation requirements. You must complete a Graduation Application the semester prior to the one in which you plan to graduate. Please consult the university academic calendar to find the graduation application deadlines.
BEFORE submitting a graduation application:
- Consult the Academic Calendar on the Office of the Registrar webpage or in the current UH Hilo Catalog for the graduation application deadlines. Exceptions will not be made if you miss the deadline.
- Check your Star Degree Check and meet with your advisor as well as someone from the Advising Center to ensure your timely progress.
- Submit all approved petitions for modifications/substitutions/waivers to the Office of the Registrar and keep a copy for yourself. All approved petitions will appear in your Star Degree Check under the "From your Advisor" tab.
- List down your hawaii.edu address on the application.
If you miss the application deadline to graduate in the semester in which you hope to earn your degree, you may fill out the Commencement Ceremony Participation Form and submit it to the UH Hilo Office of Registrar.
Preliminary Graduation Evaluation
Submit your graduation application and payment to the Business Office by the deadline. Your graduation application must be received by the priority deadline to be guaranteed a preliminary graduation evaluation.
Once the Advising Center receives a copy of your graduation application from the Office of the Registrar, an advisor will generate a preliminary graduation evaluation based upon your academic record. Modifications and corrections to your STAR report are entered in at that time. Under no circumstances will the Advising Center correct STAR reports unless we receive a graduation application.
Graduation evaluations are sent via email. Your evaluation will be sent to your hawaii.edu email address. Please be sure to check your email first before contacting us. We do not send evaluations to outside email addresses. If you use an outside email address as your primary email account, be sure to configure your hawaii.edu account to forward all mail to your primary email.
Additionally, a notation is made in your STAR degree check, under the "From your Advisor" tab, indicating the day your evaluation was completed and sent via email. The notation will generate an email to your hawaii.edu account informing you that your evaluation was completed and sent.
If you see the notation in STAR and receive the STAR-generated email, but have not received your evaluation from the Advising Center, only then should you contact us. You are also strongly encouraged to consult your STAR degree report, as all modifications and corrections were entered and should reflect your current graduation status.
You are again encouraged to meet with your advisor as soon as you receive the evaluation to review the document and discuss a plan of action.
Honors at Graduation
Only students who have earned at least 60 semester hours at UH Hilo, all of which are applicable toward a baccalaureate degree, are eligible for graduation with honors. In addition, 54 of the 60 applicable semester hours must be taken for a letter grade.
Honors in the colleges shall be determined in accordance with the cumulative GPA upon graduation in courses taken at UH Hilo in the following manner:
- Honors - UH Hilo GPA of 3.50 to 3.69
- High Honors - UH Hilo GPA of 3.70 to 3.84
- Highest Honors - UH Hilo GPA of 3.85 to 4.00
The award of an honors diploma follows the commencement exercise and is subject to the final review of all grades and credits earned.
Final Graduation Certification
Graduation certification, when you are informed that you have met all degree requirements, takes place after the current semester’s grades are posted which occurs after the commencement ceremony. A final graduation certification is conducted based on your final academic record. If you do not meet all degree requirements at the end of the semester, you will not graduate.
If you have met all requirements for your degree and have been certified to graduate, you will receive a letter of congratulations from the Office of the Registrar.
If you have have NOT met all requirements, you will receive a deficiency letter, informing you of your outstanding requirements and you are responsible for addressing the deficiencies with the necessary offices.
- Requests for modifications, substitutions, and/or waivers related to your major, minor, and/or certificate must be discussed with the chairperson of that department or program. Should your request(s) be approved, you must submit all signed paperwork to the Office of the Registrar ASAP.
- Requests for modifications, substitutions, and/or waivers related to General Education or graduation requirements must be discussed with your college dean. Should your request(s) be approved, you must submit all signed paperwork to the Office of the Registrar ASAP.
- If you are awaiting transcripts from another institution or would like coursework taken at a UH System school transferred into your record, please follow up with the Admissions Office.
If necessary, you may choose to defer your graduation within the academic year without having to reapply for graduation or pay the application fee (e.g. postpone from fall 2008 to summer 2009). Should you choose to postpone your graduation to a later semester, you must inform the Office of the Registrar immediately.
If you decide to postpone your graduation to another academic year, you must reapply for graduation and pay the application fee again.