The terms “graduation” and “commencement” refer to two distinct activities at Golden Gate University:
- Graduation is the official process that takes place at the end of each academic period (i.e., trimester term). During this process, the Office of the Registrar confers degrees on students who have successfully completed their program requirements, updates their transcripts and issues their diplomas.
- Commencement is the annual ceremony that celebrates the achievements of students who have graduated or are expected to graduate during the academic year. Commencement activities are coordinated by the Division of Student Success.
Graduation Application Process
To be considered a graduation candidate, all degree-seeking students must submit a Graduation Application online through myGGU/Self-Service. Submitting this application notifies the Office of the Registrar to conduct a final degree audit and initiate the degree conferral process.
Important: All students must apply for graduation, regardless of whether they intend to participate in the annual commencement ceremony. The deadline to apply for graduation depends on a student’s final academic period (i.e., trimester term) of enrollment:
| FINAL ACADEMIC PERIOD |
DEADLINE |
| Fall 2025 |
December 1, 2025 |
| Spring 2026 |
April 1, 2026 |
| Summer 2026 |
August 1, 2026 |
Failure to submit a graduation application by the published deadlines may result in a delay in the conferral of the degree. In such cases, the degree may not be conferred during the student’s final term of enrollment at GGU.
If students do not complete their academic program requirements within two academic periods following the term for which they have applied for graduation, their application will expire. Students will then be required to reapply for graduation in order to have their degree conferred.
Doctoral degree candidates also must apply for graduation. Additionally, they should consult with the director of the doctoral program for any further requirements related to eligibility to participate in the annual commencement ceremony.
Students do not “graduate” from certificate programs, since they are not awarded degrees. Consequently, certificate-seeking students are not required to apply for graduation. However, certificate-seeking students should submit Certificate Program Request forms to the Office of the Registrar. Refer to Admission to Certificate Programs for more information.
Degree and Certificate Conferral Dates and Eligibility
The university confers degrees and certificates three times per academic year, with each conferral date corresponding to the final day of an academic period (i.e., fall, spring, or summer). Students can refer to the Academic Calendar for specific conferral dates.
Degrees or certificates will be conferred when students have:
- Completed all academic requirements for their programs, and
- Submitted the appropriate application - either the Graduation Application (for degrees) or the Certificate Program Request form (for certificates).
The degree term will be the one for which both of these requirements have been met.
While the conferral of a degree is not contingent upon students having satisfied their financial obligations to the university, diplomas and certificates will not be released until those financial obligations have been fulfilled.
Commencement Registration Process
Degree-seeking students who wish to participate in the commencement ceremony must apply for graduation to become graduation candidates (as described above). The deadline to submit the Graduation Application is February 13. Submitting the application by this date is required to be included in the ceremony booklet and to receive commencement ceremony distribution information.
Commencement ceremony dates are different from degree conferral dates. Commencement is held in the San Francisco Area during the spring. Commencement information is available at https://ggu.edu/university-commencement-ceremony/.
To be eligible to participate in commencement and to be listed in the 2026 commencement program, students must be either:
- Summer 2025, Fall 2025 degree awardees, or Spring 2026 degree candidates;
or
- Summer 2026 degree candidates with no more than 15 undergraduate units or 12 graduate units remaining to be completed in the Summer 2026 Academic Period.
All tuition and fees must be paid prior to the commencement ceremony unless other arrangements have been made. All candidates with outstanding balances who desire to participate in commencement must be approved by Student Accounting Services two weeks prior to commencement.
Honors at Graduation
Undergraduate Programs
Honors are awarded to associate’s and bachelor’s degree graduates based on their cumulative grade point averages (GPA) in courses completed at Golden Gate University. The following honors designations apply:
Associate’s Degrees:
| High Honors |
3.750-4.000 GPA |
| Honors |
3.500-3.749 GPA |
Bachelor’s Degrees:
| Summa cum laude |
3.900-4.000 GPA |
| Magna cum laude |
3.750-3.899 GPA |
| Cum laude |
3.500-3.749 GPA |
Honors are awarded as of the date the degree is conferred, and they appear on both the graduate’s official diploma and transcript.
Graduate Programs
Honors are awarded to master’s degree graduates based on their cumulative program grade point averages (GPA) in their academic program. The following honors designations apply:
| With highest honors |
4.000 GPA |
| With high honors |
3.900-3.999 GPA |
| With honors |
3.800-3.899 GPA |
Honors are awarded as of the date the degree is conferred. Honors appear on both graduate’s diploma and official transcript. Coursework that does not apply to a student’s academic program requirements is excluded from the program GPA calculation and does not affect honors eligibility.
Note: honors are not awarded for certificate programs or doctoral degree programs (e.g., DBA).
Awards
Outstanding students are chosen based on specific award criteria determined by their schools; the award criteria vary and are available from the appropriate dean’s office. Outstanding student awards are not shown on the diploma or on the official university transcript.
Please note: Awardees are chosen from those students who applied for graduation by the commencement deadline and who will complete all degree requirements by the end of the Spring Academic Period.
Summer graduates are eligible for the outstanding student award in the following spring. All students who are selected for outstanding student awards will be notified by the Division of Student Success.
Diploma and Transcript Distribution
Students who submit their graduation application by the published deadlines and have no outstanding financial obligations to the University can expect to receive their diploma and one official copy of their transcript approximately eight to ten weeks after their degree conferral date.
Diplomas and transcripts will be:
- Mailed via first-class mail to the address provided on the graduation application, or
- Held for pick-up at the Office of the Registrar, if that option was selected on the application.
Students are encouraged to ensure that their mailing address is current and accurate when submitting the graduation application.
Inquiries
Inquiries about graduation application status, degree conferral status, diplomas or certificates should be directed to the Office of the Registrar at graduation@ggu.edu or by calling 415-442-7278.
Inquiries about commencement ceremonies and commencement regalia should be directed to commencement@ggu.edu or 415-442-7288.
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