Graduation Deadlines
You need to be advanced to candidacy the semester before you plan to graduate. This means you need to be in approved status (not provisional), and your program of study and topic proposal need to be approved by the graduate school. Doctoral students also need to complete their comprehensive exams.
When all the above is turned in and approved by the School of Graduate Studies, you will automatically be advanced to candidacy. You can then go online and apply to graduate when you are ready.
2021-22 Graduation Deadlines
All forms are due to the School of Graduate Studies office by the deadlines listed below. DocuSign forms need to be started in advance of these deadlines to ensure all signatures are received in time. Forms received after the deadline may not be processed in time and may cause delays to your graduation timeline.
| Deadlines | Fall 2021 | Spring 2022 | Summer 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Advance to Candidacy Note: To be advanced to candidacy, you must be in approved status and have submitted the final applicable forms: Program of Study, Topic Proposal, Doctoral Comp Exam Results. |
Sept 3 | Jan 21 | May 27 |
| Apply for Graduation | Oct 1 | Feb 18 | Jun 24 |
| Submit to the School of Graduate Studies: Preliminary Approval and Notice of Defense Note: If your defense is scheduled before this deadline, the Preliminary Approval and Notice of Defense must be submitted 2 weeks prior to the Defense. |
Nov 18 | Apr 14 | Jul 8 |
|
Last Day to defend Thesis/Dissertation Note: Forms to be completed after your defense for committee signatures: (1) Approval Page; (2) Final Report on Candidate form |
Dec 3 | Apr 29 | Jul 22 |
|
Submit to the School of Graduate Studies:(1) Final Report on Candidate (2) Thesis/Dissertation Approval Page |
Dec 9 | May 5 | Jul 28 |
|
PhD Students Only: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates |
Dec 9 | May 5 | Jul 28 |
|
Submit electronic PDF of Thesis/Dissertation to UMI/ProQuest Publishing Note: Once you electronically submit your final copy for publishing, no changes are made to the format or content. Therefore, the burden of how the manuscript looks is entirely the responsibility of the student author. |
Dec 9 | May 5 | Jul 28 |
| Graduate Commencement |
Dec 16 @ 3:00pm Chester Fritz Auditorium |
May 14 @ 9:00am Alerus Center |
Aug 5 @ 3:00pm Chester Fritz Auditorium |
Forms and Assistance
All forms are available on the School of Graduate Studies' website. Students are responsible for obtaining the most current version (available on our site), and submitting them with the appropriate signatures. Forms need to be signed and received in the School of Graduate Studies' office by the deadline. Forms received after the deadline may not be processed in time for graduation.
Enrollment Requirements
Students must be registered for a minimum of one credit hour for the term in which they graduate. If you have registered for all the courses on your program of study, you may enroll in 996 Continuing Enrollment.
Commencement Program
The UND commencement program lists all the students graduating and where they are from. Write down the name of the town or city that you want listed in program. This is only for the commencement program and does not change your address in CampusConnection.