Policy - Program Completion and Graduation


University Commencement

Commencement is held once a year in May. Eligible students are encouraged to attend commencement exercises and have their names listed in the commencement booklet.

Awarding of Degrees

The University confers degrees three times a year:

  1. For students completing degree requirements during the Spring, degrees are conferred on the commencement date in May and mailed out in June;
  2. For students completing degree requirements during the Fall Semester, the degrees are conferred in February and mailed out in March;
  3. For students completing degree requirements during the Summer term, the degrees are conferred at the end of August and mailed out in October.

Undergraduate Process

Completing an Undergraduate Certificate

Undergraduate certificate courses must be completed within a five-year period with a minimum 2.000 GPA. If you have completed an undergraduate certificate program, you must fill out a Certificate Petition Form and submit it to the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies (OCEGraduation@uml.edu) in order to have the certificate formally noted on your transcript. Before you complete and submit the Certificate Petition Form, please make sure you have either completed the Online Application Form or completed and submitted the Certificate Application Form.pdf file.

Completing an Undergraduate Degree Program

All students must submit a Declaration of Intent to Graduate (DIG) form to the appropriate email outlined below by the deadline.

Spring completion: Deadline to submit DIG form is April 1.
Fall completion: Deadline to submit DIG form is December 1.
Summer completion: Deadline to submit DIG form is August 1.

Associate and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

ManningAssociateDeans@uml.edu

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Angela_Callahan@uml.edu

Bachelor of Arts in Economics

shakil_quayes@uml.edu

Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering

Bradley_Mingels@uml.edu

Bachelor of Arts in English

Jill_Pruett@uml.edu

Associate and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

johannes_weis@uml.edu

Bachelor of Liberal Arts

Anthony_Szczesiul@uml.edu

Bachelor of Science or Arts in Mathematics

Jennifer_GonzalezZugasti@uml.edu

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Glenn_Sundberg@uml.edu

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Mary_Duell@uml.edu

Letters of Completion

Undergraduate students in online and evening programs offered through the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies who wish to submit verification of degree completion to their employers or to graduate schools during the transitional period between the end of final grading and when the degree is officially awarded, may request a "Letter of Completion" by emailing OCE_StudentSuccess@uml.edu. In your email, please include your UMass Lowell ID# and the program you are completing.

University Honors

The university recognizes baccalaureate graduates who have attained exceptional scholastic distinction. To be eligible for such recognition a student must achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.250 for all courses completed at the university and must have earned a minimum of 60 credits from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. A total of nine (9) credits of departmental exam and/or courses graded "S" may be used toward the 60 credits needed to be considered for University Honors. Credits taken on a Pass/Fail basis may not be counted toward the 60 credit requirement.

Students who transfer into the university will be also be eligible for University Honors if they earned a minimum of 3.000 GPA at their previous institutions, earned a minimum of grade point average of 3.250 for all courses completed at the University and satisfied the University Residency Requirement.

Three levels of distinction are noted at commencement:

  • Summa Cum Laude: 3.850 - 4.000
  • Magna Cum Laude: 3.500 - 3.849
  • Cum Laude: 3.250 - 3.499

University Honors are officially entered on the permanent record of students.

National Honor Society

The Gamma Delta Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda is a national honor society for undergraduate non-traditional students. The aim of Alpha Sigma Lambda is to recognize adult students who achieve academic excellence in their course work while performing the many responsibilities associated with their families and careers. Eligibility for membership requires that students rank in the top 10 percent of all students who meet certain academic requirements. Selections for membership are made during the Spring, and students who are invited to become members are inducted into the Society in April or May. Find out about UMass Lowell's Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society, a nationwide organization that recognizes the academic excellence of undergraduate non-traditional students.

Graduate Process

Completing a Graduate Certificate Program

Graduate certificate courses must be completed within a five-year period with a minimum 3.000 grade point average and no more than one course with a grade below B. Once all courses for a graduate certificate have been completed, students must complete and submit the Graduate Certificate Clearance Form. Students must submit their clearance form to their coordinator. The coordinator will apply them in SIS, Graduation Tracking.

Completing a Graduate Degree Program

Students earning a Master's, Ed.S. or Doctoral degree must complete this Declaration of Intent to Graduate form. Your form must be submitted by the deadline indicated in the Academic Calendar for the appropriate semester. Completed forms should be sent to the graduate program coordinator for your degree program.

Letters of Completion

Graduate students who wish to submit verification of degree completion to their employers during the transitional period between the end of final grading and when the degree is officially awarded may request a "Letter of Completion" by emailing academicprogression@uml.edu with this request in writing before their official graduation date. In your email, please include your UMass Lowell ID# and the program you are completing.

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Attending Commencement

All UMass Lowell degree program students who successfully complete a degree on campus or online are invited to attend commencement. The deadline for students to apply for graduation and have their name appear in the commencement book is April 1st. Undergraduate students who anticipate completing their programs in the Summer can submit the Declaration of Intent to Graduate (DIG) form up until August 1st, but their names will not appear in the commencement book.

Degrees are awarded by one of the University's five colleges. Confirm which college your program is offered through here and get details about your college's commencement schedule on the University's Commencement Website.

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