The registrar, in conjunction with department chairs, is responsible for certifying that all graduation requirements have been met prior to the awarding of degrees. The Office of the Registrar is located in Dorsey Center Room 207.

Students may receive their degree and diploma in August, December, or May. The Commencement ceremony takes place once a year only, in May. All students graduating that academic year may participate in the May Commencement.

It is the responsibility of each student to monitor his or her academic progress. The student is expected to know the graduation requirements pertinent to his or her program, to be cognizant of his or her grade point average, to make appropriate elective course selections, and to add/drop courses to facilitate attainment of his or her educational goals. To assist in making these decisions, the college provides each student with an academic advisor.

Application for Graduation

How do I apply for graduation?

Complete the online application for degree in your myGoucher account. Please read the instructions provided below on how to access the form. If you have any questions about the form, or you do not see this link on your myGoucher account, please call 410-337-6090 or e-mail registrar@goucher.edu.

Instructions to access Application for Degree:

1. Log into MyGoucher
2. Click on "MyGoucher Links" tab
3. Click on the "Undergraduate Application for Degree" link – found in the Student Links section
4. Complete all pertinent questions

Click on the “Submit” button at the end of the form

When should I submit my application for degree?

You must apply for your degree by February 3, 2023 as indicated on the Important Dates for Students page. Failure to complete the application by the deadline could result in you not being allowed to participate in the Commencement ceremony. Please contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@goucher.edu if you wish to apply after the deadline.

When and how will I know that I have completed all the requirements for my degree and am cleared to graduate?

Each semester, you should check your DegreeWorks degree audit, which you can access from myGoucher. All general education or liberal education courses you have successfully completed through the past term will show a check mark to the left of the requirement. All general education or liberal education courses you are currently registered for will show as In Progress, with a tilde in a blue box to the left of the requirement. These are pending. Requirement that are not complete or pending will be listed and will have an empty check box to the left of the requirement. For major, minor, and concentration requirements, please meet with your advisor before the end of the add/drop period each semester to determine if any additional courses are needed.

Will I be notified if I have any holds on my record that could prevent me from graduating or prevent me from receiving my diploma?

The Office of Financial Aid and the Bursar’s Office, as well as any other office having a hold on your account, will notify you prior to graduation if there are any holds on your record that will prevent you from receiving your diploma. If you receive financial aid, you must complete an exit interview with the Office of Financial Aid prior to graduation.

Office of Financial Aid - FinAid@Goucher.edu, 410-337-6141

Bursar's Office - billing@goucher.edu, 410-337-6022

What happens to a student who completes degree requirements at the end of the summer or in December?

A clearance form is sent to the appropriate department chair. Once you have been cleared for your major/minor requirements, your diploma will be mailed to the permanent address on file unless the Registrar’s Office is notified otherwise. Your transcript will also reflect the fact that you graduated and your graduation date.

Can seniors take a Baltimore Student Exchange Program (inter-institutional) course in the term they expect to graduate?

It is not recommended that a graduating senior take a course in his or her last semester through another BSEP college. Typically, grades from other schools arrive later than we need for our Commencement ceremony, which would prevent a student from receiving his or her diploma at the ceremony. If it's vitally important that a student take a BSEP course in his or her last semester, he or she must have finished all the coursework by the time of Goucher's degree date for that term, or the student will have to wait to have his or her degree awarded at our next degree date (i.e., May, August, or December).

Are degree candidates exempt from taking final exams?

Degree candidates are not exempt from taking final exams.

Honors & GPA

Who is eligible for honors, and how are they calculated?

Honors in the Major: Honors are determined by a vote of department faculty just prior to Commencement. Guidelines for honors are determined by the individual department. Consult your advisor or department chair for requirements.

Latin Honors: Students who have taken at least 60 semester credit hours on a letter basis at Goucher or as part of a Goucher-sponsored, study-abroad program may be awarded their degree:

• Summa cum laude with a cumulative grade point average of 3.90 or above
• Magna cum laude with a cumulative grade point average of 3.70-3.89
• Cum laude with a cumulative grade point average of 3.50-3.69

Rounding of the grade point average is not done for Latin honors.

What is the minimum GPA required to graduate?

The minimum cumulative GPA required for graduating with an undergraduate degree is 2.0.

What grade must be obtained to complete a major requirement?

Each course required in the major, minor or concentration field of study requires a C- or above or P if the course must be taken Pass/No Pass. Major, minor, and concentration requirements must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is given only on a Pass/No Pass basis.

How many credits are needed for graduation?

Goucher requires a minimum of 120 credits for graduation. Of that, candidates for the degree must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours at Goucher. Ordinarily, 12 of the last 24 credit hours must be completed at Goucher; a student may petition the associate dean for undergraduate studies to waive this requirement. This is called “completing out of residence.”

Can I complete the last few credits of my degree at another college?

If completing out of residence, grades will need to be received on an official transcript. If the grade is not received prior to Commencement, the degree will be awarded at the next graduation date after the transcript is received and the student has completed his or her requirements to graduate. The diploma will then be mailed to the student’s permanent address on file unless the Registrar’s Office is notified otherwise.

How do I receive my diploma?

All students who have completed all degree requirements by May 25, 2023 will be mailed their diploma within a few weeks after the Commencement ceremony. Any student who is not attending the commencement ceremony and will be receiving a diploma in abstentia is to notify the registrar prior to graduation. 

What appears on the diploma?

The Goucher diploma has your name, degree (Bachelor of Arts), honors received, and the date of graduation. Majors, minors, and concentrations are NOT listed.

How do I change the name on my diploma from what is in the official school records?

Diplomas are issued in the name recorded in the student records database. The name listed in the program will be the same name listed on your diploma. Your application for degree should reflect this name. No nicknames are allowed. An initial can be used for the first name only if legal documentation can be provided showing that you use only the initial in your legal name. If the name in the database is not correct, documentation is required before any change can be made. See the Name Change Policy page for more detailed information.

How do I change my major, minor, or concentration?

The form for changing a major/minor/concentration is available on the Office of the Registrar Forms page. When completed, submit the form to the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in Van Meter G24. The change will be made there.

Graduation Regalia

When do I receive information about invitations, photographs, and Commencement activities?

Detailed information concerning all aspects of graduation can be found on the Commencement page.

How do I order my cap and gown?

Goucher College will be working with Herff Jones in regards to academic regalia. We are working to get the Herff Jones website up and running. You will receive a link and code to order your regalia and graduate paraphernalia after the February 1 "Application for Degree" deadline. Payment will be processed at the time you submit your order.

Commencement

Which degree candidates will be allowed to participate in the Commencement exercises?

Commencement exercises are held once a year in May. To participate, a student must have completed all academic requirements for the appropriate degree and have settled all college accounts and all student disciplinary matters as either December (of the prior year) degree candidate or as a May degree candidate. The college reserves the right to not permit the attendance of any student who has not been cleared for graduation.

A student who is an August degree candidate, who is in good academic standing (cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0) and is within four credits of completing graduation requirements may participate in Commencement exercises only if documentation demonstrates that the remaining credits will be completed by August 31 of that year.  Permission to participate in Commencement must be granted to August degree candidates by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies. Students must submit a request to the online petition form to walk at Commencement. This request will be sent to the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies for approval. Students who will be completing their degree by August 31 will receive an empty diploma cover at Commencement.

Exceptions to the Commencement policy can only be made by the provost and are generally rare. Petitions for exception are only considered from students who have been enrolled in the spring for all remaining courses needed for participation in Commencement exercises but who have been affected by unforeseen and unpreventable forces at the end of the semester that prevent them from completing those courses. Such petitions must be submitted in writing to the provost four weeks prior to Commencement, and they must be accompanied by an endorsement from one or more of the student’s faculty members or advisors.

Students can participate in only one undergraduate Commencement ceremony.

Transcripts

How do I request a transcript?

Fill out the transcript request form on the Registrar’s website.

If you want to review your own transcript, you can also request an unofficial student copy for your records or view it online through myGoucher. Your ability to access myGoucher will end shortly after you graduate, and you will not be granted further access after that time.

It generally takes about 3-5 business days to process each request. If the transcript is being mailed, don’t forget to account for the shipping time it could take for the document to arrive at its destination – that time is not accounted for in the 3-5 business day processing time. Please note that transcripts will not be available during the grading period. In May, all seniors’ transcript requests are processed after their degrees have been entered into the computer system. At this busy time of year, it may take as long as two weeks to process requests.