Graduation Procedures

Preparing for Graduation

 

The commencement ceremony is held once a year in May.  Students who graduate in August or December of the preceding year are invited by the University and Engineering to attend the May ceremony.  Students anticipating graduation in the same year may also apply to participate in the May ceremony. The Penn Engineering Commencement website for all ceremonies can be found here.

Commencement Regalia: If you wish to participate in the May graduation ceremony, you’ll need to order academic regalia (cap and gown). Students can purchase regalia at the Penn Bookstore during “Grad Week,” traditionally held in March. There is no option for students to rent regalia; only purchase. Students/alumni can order regalia online and have regalia shipped directly to them. To see details and to order, please visit Grad Express.

 

Master’s Candidates

Master’s students applying for graduation must submit an Application for Master’s Graduation by the deadline given for the term’s graduation. The application opens in: December for May graduation, June for August graduation, and September for December graduation. The application is necessary to ensure that grades, diploma name, and all requirements are fulfilled by the deadline for graduation. If you have questions on your degree’s curriculum and that you have taken the appropriate courses and requirements, please double check with your advisor and/or program admin. If writing a thesis, make sure to obtain the faculty thesis supervisor and director’s signature prior to submitting the thesis electronically to Graduate Engineering. Follow thesis guidelines here.

 

 

PhD Candidates

All PhD candidates at the University of Pennsylvania are governed by procedures established in the Provost Office. Candidates for PhD degrees need to apply online with the Provost Office to graduate and deposit their dissertation. Please note all deadlines in place by the Provost Office are firmly observed and Engineering will uphold their rules and deadlines.

Graduation Checklist

  1. Obtain dissertation procedures and instructions from your department early. Please also view the following Graduation Information from the Provost to prepare.
  2. Apply for graduation with the Provost.
  3. Once your defense date is set, schedule your deposit appointment (2-3 weeks after the date) via Calendly. The link will be sent at the start of each term (and can be found on the Provosts page).
  4. Be sure all milestone accomplishments are complete through the BP Logix/Path Forms portal. You will also obtain all committee member’s agreement to join/form the dissertation committee and votes for your dissertation through Path Forms as well.

Please follow the specific details requirements the Provost has listed as well as any department requirements. Failure to follow the requirements and deadlines may result in delays or cancellation of the deposit appointment.

Students wishing to “pick-up” the master’s route to the PhD degree may only request to do so in August and December graduation cycles. Please talk with your program administrator for details.

 

 

Degrees and Diplomas

Degrees are posted after the conferral date. It may take approximately 6 weeks (or longer) for degrees to be posted on transcripts.

Diplomas will be mailed approximately ten weeks following the official degree conferral date by the Office of the Secretary.  Diplomas are issued three times a year: May, August, and December, and are mailed in July (May graduates), October (August graduates), and February (December graduates). Certified Electronic Diplomas (CeDiploma) are now being offered for May 2020 students forward.

Diplomas are issued by degree types*:

  • Dual Major – One Degree, One Diploma (with both majors listed)
  • Dual Degree – Two Degrees, Two Diplomas

*This is in effect as of Fall 2025.

 

Diploma Names

As part of the Graduation Application, expected graduates will indicate how they would like their name to appear on their diploma. Students are encouraged to ensure that the name printed on their diploma matches their other official forms of identification (passport, driver’s license, visa, etc.). Students who have legally changed their name (or other information) and need to update it in their student record should do so in Path. Information on how to do so is here.

 

Expiration of 'SEAS' email account

Graduates have access to their ‘seas.upenn.edu’ email account for a few weeks after graduation. The CETS IT group is not responsible for alumni accounts, but they have information on what happens to email accounts post graduation here. Graduates are invited to set up a Quaker Gmail (@alumni.upenn.edu) account through the Department of Alumni Relations and review their Quaker Gmail FAQs.