Diploma Application and Degree Conferral

Degrees and certificates are not awarded automatically upon completion of academic requirements. To be considered as a candidate for a degree or certificate, students must submit a diploma/graduation application via their student portal.Submitting a diploma/graduation application triggers a final degree audit. The audit process confirms that the student has met all academic and programmatic requirements.

The conferral date will be listed as the end date of the last course in their degree program. This date will be used as the student’s degree conferral and diploma date.

If a doctoral student successfully defends their dissertation prior to the end date of the last dissertation course, the University will use the date the student defended their dissertation as the degree conferral and diploma date.

The student’s legal name in the official record will be printed on their diploma. Students may type out how they want their name to appear on the diploma in the diploma application; however, only minor deviations from the name will be allowed (e.g., omission or inclusion of middle name or suffix, abbreviated or nickname). If a student wants a different name than what is on record, they must complete a change of information request/ Biographical Change e-form prior to submitting the diploma application. Contact the Office of the Registrar for additional assistance.

Diplomas are mailed six to eight weeks following the degree conferral date. The University provides students with one complimentary copy of their diploma. Students will receive one physical diploma and will also receive one electronic diploma sent to their primary email address.

Information regarding commencement ceremonies can be found on the University website at https://www.nu.edu/grad-events. 

Honors

Undergraduate

Students who demonstrate exceptionally high academic progress in the undergraduate programs are eligible for graduation honors. Students must have earned at least 30 semester/45 quarter credits with letter grades (A through F) at NU for honors to be determined. Honors for associate and baccalaureate degrees are determined only by courses taken at National University. Academic honors are posted to the diploma and final transcript when the degree is conferred. 

Students completing an Undergraduate program may qualify for the following honors: 

• Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors) = GPA 3.90 +
• Magna Cum Laude (with high honors) = GPA 3.70 - 3.89
• Cum Laude (with honors) = GPA 3.50 - 3.69

Master’s

Students in a master’s program whose grade point average (GPA) is 3.85 or higher will graduate “With Distinction.” Prerequisites completed at the undergraduate level are not included in the calculation of the GPA for graduation with distinction. In the calculation of eligibility, the official cumulative GPA is truncated to two decimal places. 

Earned distinctions are noted on diplomas and official University transcripts.

Students must have earned at least 27 semester/40.5 quarter credits with letter grades (A through F) at NU for master’s distinction to be determined.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor students who have completed their degree requirements, have completed at least 39 of the 62 required numerically graded units in residence at the JFK School of Law at National University, and have taken no more than 17 terms (including summers) to complete their degree requirements are eligible for graduation with honors as follows:

• Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors) = GPA 3.66 +
• Magna Cum Laude (with high honors) = GPA 3.33 - 3.65
• Cum Laude (with honors) = GPA 3.00 - 3.32

Academic honors will be posted on the students’ transcript and diploma. Please see the Juris Doctor Catalog for more information.