Frequently Asked Questions

Apply for graduation by clicking on the Academics tab via MyIUP, then going to “Academic Record” and choosing Apply for Undergraduate Graduation.

Deadlines to Apply

Undergraduate

• May graduation: Must apply by November 15
• August graduation: Must apply by April 1
• December graduation: Must apply by April 1
• January graduation: Must apply by December 1

Graduate

• May graduation: Must apply by April 30
• August graduation: Must apply by July 31
• December graduation: Must apply by November 30
• January graduation: Must apply by December 31

• May: Students who will graduate at the end of spring, or the summer term directly following the spring term.
• December: Students who will graduate at the end of fall, or the winter term directly following the fall term.

• Ensure your eligibility by reviewing Degree Works.
• Confirm your eligibility with your advisor in your college.

Diplomas are mailed two to six weeks after the last term of attendance.

All graduating undergraduate students are encouraged, but not required, to attend. The main objective of the ceremony is to recognize those individuals who have dedicated their time and energy to achieve this award.

Typically, ceremonies last approximately two hours, depending on the size of the graduating class.

• The May ceremony is a ticketed event.

• Yes, the Graduate Master’s and Doctoral Ceremony takes place on Friday, May 8, 2020, at the KCAC beginning at 7:00 p.m.
• The Undergraduate Ceremony takes place on Saturday, May 9, 2020, at the KCAC. There will be two undergraduate ceremonies:
  • Undergraduate students from the College of Health and Human Services and the Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and students in the Public Health major in the Academic Affairs Division, are invited to attend the morning ceremony. Students are required to report at 8:00 a.m. for the ceremony, which will begin at 9:00 a.m.
  • Undergraduate students from the colleges of Business and Information Technology, Education and Communications, Fine Arts, and Humanities and Social Sciences are invited to attend the afternoon ceremony. Students are required to report at 1:00 p.m. for the ceremony, which will begin at 2:00 p.m.

Students that are double majors will not have a choice of ceremony. They will be required to walk in the ceremony of the college of their primary major. (Students that will receive dual degrees—if degrees are in separate colleges and ceremonies—will have a choice of ceremony.)

• Yes, the Graduate Master’s and Doctoral Ceremony takes place at 9:30 a.m. In Fisher Auditorium.
• The Undergraduate Ceremony takes place at 1:00 p.m. at the KCAC.

Yes. Students must confirm their attendance on their MyIUP home page to participate in the commencement ceremonies. You must first apply for graduation (see How do I apply for graduation?). An overnight process needs to occur after applying before you will be able to confirm your attendance.

Undergraduate Students

May

• The deadline for undergraduate students to confirm their attendance for the May 2020 university commencement ceremony is 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2020.

December

• The deadline for undergraduate students to confirm their attendance for the December 2019 university commencement ceremony is 11:00 p.m. on Friday, November 8, 2019.

Graduate Students

May

• The deadline for graduate students to confirm their attendance for the May 2020 university commencement ceremony is 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

December

• The deadline for graduate students to confirm their attendance for the December 2019 university commencement ceremony is 11:00 p.m. on Friday, November 29, 2019.

• The May undergraduate ceremony is a ticketed event. Each undergraduate student eligible for graduation is guaranteed up to six (6) main arena tickets. Tickets are free.
• Undergraduate students must confirm their attendance for the May commencement ceremony by 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, in order to be eligible for commencement tickets.
• The December ceremony is not a ticketed event.

Yes, they may attend. Children age three and over require a ticket. Children under the age of three do not require a ticket, but must remain on the lap of another attendee. The ceremonies can be lengthy, and children may get restless. Use your discretion to determine if the child should attend.

No, there is no rehearsal.

• There are departmental commencement ceremonies held in May in addition to the university commencement ceremony.

Graduating seniors will follow directional signage and use the dedicated, graduates-only entrance #21 located on the west/stadium side of the Kovalchick Complex for the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies.

Graduating master’s and doctoral will follow directional signage and use the dedicated, graduates-only entrance #21 located on the west/stadium side of the Kovalchick Complex for the Graduate Commencement Ceremony.

Yes. Upon arrival at the KCAC there will be staff available to direct you to either the loading dock or the PNC room, based on your college. You will be given a line-up card that will place you in alphabetical order, by college, for the procession and seating for the ceremony.

• Graduating seniors will follow directional signage and use the dedicated, graduates-only, entrance #21 located on the west/stadium side of the Kovalchick Complex for the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies.
• Staff members will be available inside to direct you to the correct location to line up.

Yes, parking is free at the KCAC on the day of the commencement ceremony!

Yes, the KCAC is accessible. Please visit the KCAC website for more details.

The KCAC will open its doors at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8 for the Graduate Ceremony, and at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, for the Undergraduate Ceremony.

Traditional Latin honors are awarded at graduation to first bachelor’s degree candidates with appropriate academic records. Calculation is based on all undergraduate credits and quality points earned at IUP. Graduation honors are not granted for second (subsequent) degrees. The distinctions are:

• Cum laude: 3.25 to 3.49 cumulative GPA

• Magna cum laude: 3.50 to 3.74 cumulative GPA

• Summa cum laude: 3.75 to 4.00 cumulative GPA

Honors medallions are awarded based on the GPA of the last term completed.

Yes, vendors will sell flowers, balloons, and water. The Co-op Store will also have a table with alumni items for sale along the upper concourse.

Caps and gowns can be pre-ordered online, or by following the link on the Co-op Store website. Cap and gown pre-orders must be submitted by March 17, 2020. They will be available for pickup at the Graduation Fair, hosted by the IUP Co-Op Store and the Registrar’s Office. This event helps graduates take care of all graduation needs at once. It will be held in the Ohio Room in the Hadley Union Building (HUB).

If you do not or cannot attend this event, you can purchase or pick up your cap and gown order at the Co-op Store, located in the Hadley Union Building. The cost of a cap and gown, which the student may keep, is:

• bachelor’s outfit, $38.11 (tax included)
• master’s outfit with hood, $70.92 (tax included)
• doctoral outfit with hood, $83.64 (tax included)

The IUP graduation sash (in school colors) is available for $34.93, with tax included.

• Additional sash options may vary in price.
• Doctoral grads can be fitted and purchase custom regalia. Allow for six weeks prior to the graduation date for custom regalia to be ready for the ceremony.

Please visit the Co-op Store website for additional questions, store times, or other contact information. 

Yes.

Before candidates receive their degrees, the tassel is worn on the right side of the cap. After the conferral of the degree, the tassel is moved to the left side.

Yes, Grad Images takes pictures.

Diplomas will be mailed within two to six weeks after the ceremony. Diploma covers are given at the ceremony. If you do not attend the ceremony, a diploma cover may be purchased at the Co-op Store.

• Check your Junk Mail. The anti-spam in the current IUP email environment will aid in identifying and handling messages that may be spam. With any anti-spam utility, there is a risk that some legitimate email messages will be flagged as spam.
• Is your IUP email box full? It is the responsibility of email users to monitor, read, and use their IUP email account. If your account is full, you will not receive intended messages.

Yes, but you will not receive your diploma, so it is pertinent to take care of these holds ASAP.

• Yes, there will be a free, live webcast streaming on IUP’s YouTube channel.

Faculty planning to participate in the academic processions at Commencement are reminded that the deadline for ordering rental regalia at the Co-Op Store is April 24. Faculty can stop in or call the Co-Op Store. Cost sheets, info packets, and rental information are available and should be taken care of on or before April 24 to receive regalia for graduation.