Graduation Requirements
You have the option of graduating 3 times a year: in November (if you finish your requirements in a summer term), March (if you finish your requirements in a fall term), or May (if you finish your requirements in a spring term). The University-wide Commencement ceremony is held once a year, in May. If you are a November and March graduate, you participate in the following May’s ceremony, after your degree has been awarded.
Graduation confirmation
As you near the completion of the program, you need to complete the graduation confirmation form, which is available through online services. Submit the online form according to the following schedule:
- For November graduation, by June 1
- For March graduation, by August 1
- For May graduation, by November 1
You must fulfill all of your requirements and be in good academic and financial standing with Harvard University, with no disciplinary or administrative procedures pending, to graduate and participate in May Commencement.
Candidates with GPAs of 3.33 or higher graduate cum laude (with honors), and those with GPAs of 3.5 or higher earn the Dean’s List Academic Achievement Award. The top 10 percent of the graduating class are inducted into the Extension School’s Phi Beta chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national honor society for nontraditional students.
Learn more about graduation.