Commencement Information

The first graduating class of SCU in 1948.

Commencement is a great day of celebration for our SCU students who have already graduated or are poised to graduate in the very near future (lacking no more than 9 credit hours to complete their degree program). Students graduate from SCU when they complete all general education and degree requirements of their chosen academic degree program.

This page is dedicated to providing information about Commencement to our graduates and their families and friends.

If you have questions about Commencement that are not provided on this webpage, please feel free to contact Registrar Sherri Hendrix by email at sherri.hendrix@swcu.edu.

Commencement Activities Schedule

Awards Ceremonies
Various times prior to Commencement. Watch for announcements from deans and program directors for information about these ceremonies.

Saturday, May 10, 2014
8:30-9:00 a.m. - Students arrive at the Patrick Center for line-up
9:00 a.m. - Pickens-Springer Gymnasium doors open to the public
9:15 a.m. - Group photo in Patrick Center stage
9:30 a.m. - faculty, board members and graduates line-up
9:45 a.m. - Line moves to gymnasium 9:50 a.m. - Processional into gym begins (All guest should be seated by this time)
10:00 a.m. - Commencement ceremony begins (Processional will have ended and graduates will already be seated)

Ceremony Location
Pickens-Springer Gymnasium

Graduation Application

Students are required to submit a graduation application in order to graduate, to be conferred a degree, and/or to participate in Commencement exercises in May. Graduation application deadlines for the three degree conferral dates offered at SCU are as follows:

December 30 Graduation (Commencement ceremony participation may be allowed in the following May): August 30
May Commencement Date Graduation: November 30
August 1 Graduation (Commencement ceremony participation may be allowed in the preceding May): November 30

If a student is lacking more than 18 credit hours (9 for graduate students) at the time of application, the student's advisor will be contacted by the registrar's office to confirm the accuracy of the graduation date. If after the advisor reviews the student's degree audit, it is confirmed that the student is not able to graduate by the time indicated on the application, the graduation application will be denied and deleted from the application database. The student will be required to submit a new application, reflecting the accurate graduation date.

If the student does not complete requirements by the time indicated on the graduation application (e.g. if the student fails a class), a new graduation application will need to be submitted, even if the student has already participated in Commencement. There will not be an additional graduation fee applied, but the application is necessary for internal tracking.

Concessions are made for undergraduate students to participate in Commencement if they are lacking 9 or fewer credit hour . However, their graduation application should still reflect the accurate graduation date following the Commencement in which they participate. Students may not participate in more than one Commencement ceremony. Additionally, once a student's name appears in a Commencement program (meaning they have been given an opportunity to participate in a Commencement), they will not be allowed to participate in another Commencement, even if they did not participate in the Commencement in which their name appeared in the program. Any exceptions will have to be approved by the Provost by a written appeal. Therefore, it is very important to advise students accurately as to their graduation application and participation in Commencement.

Students may cancel Commencement participation up to one week prior to the Commencement date. After that, their name will appear in the program.

More details about the Graduation Application can be found at the Graduation Application link.

Commencement Participation

It is assumed that all students graduating from SCU will participate in Commencement exercises in which they are approved to participate. Regardless of participation in Commencement, students must pay a graduation fee as stipulated by the business office.

Undergraduate students must be within 9 credit hours of graduating (completing all degree requirements) in order to be given permission to participate in Commencement. However, participation in Commencement does not guarantee graduation or degree conferral. All students must have completed all graduation/degree requirements in order to officially graduate and have a degree conferred on their academic transcript from SCU.

Commencement Participation Eligibility

Students will be allowed to participate in Commencement exerecises if they have

completed all degree requirements as stated in the catalog of their matriculation,
completed exit counseling with the Financial Aid office, and
no academic or business office holds.

Commencement Regalia

For traditional students:
Commencement regalia (a.k.a. cap and gown) for traditional students may be picked up in the Office of the Registrar on the main campus in the Administration Building Monday-Thursday the week immediately prior to Commencement. All business holds must be resolved before regalia will be issued.

For adult studies and graduate students:
Commencement regalia for graduate students and adult students in Bethany and Tulsa will be available in the respective offices on Thursday the week before Commencement. Regalia for only those students who have resolved all holds on their accounts will be available. Other students will be required to pay their balance and pick-up regalia from the Office of the Registrar when they have opportunity or on the day of Commencement. Students should be prepared to pay off any balance that remains on their account in order to receive regalia.

Diplomas

SCU confers degree three times duing the calendar year: the date of May Commencement for students completing classes and degree requirements from December 30 to that date; August 1 for students completing classes and degree requirements between May Commencement and August 1; and December 30 for students completing classes and degree requirements between August 1 and December 30. These students are all members of the graduating class of that calendar year.

Our graduation dates and policies are established as a part of compliance with federal reporting mandates for financial aid. Graduates must be processed through financial aid exit counseling within 10 days of the graduation date; therefore, students who have not met degree requirements before the published dates will not graduate until the next available graduation date. Even if the student applied for graduation in advance, we cannot confer a degree outside the reporting parameters.

Diplomas will reflect the date of the degree conferral and will typically be mailed within four (4) weeks after the conferral date if

all financial holds have been resolved by the student
financial aid counseling is complete by the student
all grades for the student have been submitted by instructors

Diplomas are meant to for presentation purposes and not for verifying completion of degree requirements. Only official transcripts from SCU verify degree conferral and honors. For more information about transcripts, please see swcu.edu/transcript-request.

Graduation Announcements

Announcements are available at gradstuff.com 6-8 weeks prior to the May Commencement date in which you have applied and been given permission to participate. These announcements contain information about what degree you will be earning upon completion of your degree requirements and information related to the upcoming Commencement exercises in which we will celebrate your graduation.

Photos

A professional photographer, Candid Color Photography, will be at Commencement to take photos of individual graduates as they shake hands with the president and again after they have crossed the stage. The photography company can be contacted at http://oklahomapartypics.com. Images will be posted within 48 hours of the ceremony.