Applying for Graduation
Applications for Master’s degrees. December 2022 is open September 26-November 28, 2022.
Students must complete both. Details are sent out via email for each degree cycle.
Application for PhD degree. December 2022 is open September 12-November 28, 2022.
Please note: Names are purged from the Degree System after each degree cycle. A student who misses the degree deadlines must apply again for the following degree cycle. Degrees are posted after the conferral date and it may take 6 weeks or longer for degrees to be posted to a transcript. Diplomas are mailed by the Secretary’s Office 8-10 weeks after graduation. More information on all of this and more can be found here.
Graduate Student Requests
All requests typically take 5-7 business days for processing.
(Penn Engineering Online students should email their program directly with all requests. Do not use the links below.)
Leave of Absence (LOA) Requests:
- Leave of Absence Request
- Return from Leave of Absence Request
(Return requests should be made at least 30 days in advance of the term beginning that a student wishes to return.)
Grad Engineering Forms and Petitions
For pdf forms, please download/open the form in your pdf reader to access the fillable fields. Handwritten forms will not be accepted.
- Transfer to Another Master’s Program
- Dual Master’s Degrees within Engineering
Path Forms (link here) include:
- Petition to Withdraw from a Course
Letter Requests:
- Current on campus students: Request for a Letter
- Alumni: email graddean@seas.upenn.edu with your specific request.
All letters will be processed and sent electronically as a .pdf only. No ink signature, seal, printed letter pick-ups, or postal mail copies will be issued. These types of requests can be made to the Office of the University Registrar. Please contact them directly to submit your request.
May graduation ceremony letters
Please note that May graduation ceremony letters for international students needing one for their family’s visa will not be generated before February; three months prior to the ceremony. Please do not request a ‘May 2023 Ceremony Invitation letter’ prior to February 1, 2023. (Otherwise it will be deleted and you’ll need to resubmit after this date.)
Degree Verification Letter
If you wish to request a degree verification letter, this option is only for students that just graduated. We will not supply a letter saying a degree has been awarded until after the degree has officially been awarded and is listed on the transcript.
Please note cut off periods for this request type: end of June for May graduation, end of September for August graduation and end of January for December graduation. All requests made after the times indicated must be made to the Office of the University Registrar. Please contact them directly to submit your request.