Graduation and Graduation Ceremonies

Degrees are conferred in August, December, and May. A ceremony for August and December graduates is held in mid-December. A ceremony for May graduates is held in mid-May.

Graduation with Honors

The award of undergraduate honors at Campbell University is determined in accordance with the following rules:

1. The GPA on all work at Campbell University must equal the stated GPA requirement.
2. To be eligible for honors at graduation, any student must have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours at Campbell.
3. Students who achieve a grade point average of 3.500 will be graduated cum laude, 3.700 magna cum laude and 3.900 summa cum laude.
4. Students electing to apply the Eight-Year Academic Forgiveness Policy are ineligible for graduation with honors.

Graduation in Absentia

All candidates are expected to participate in the appropriate graduation ceremony, unless hindered by exceptional circumstances. To be eligible to participate in the ceremonies, the student must have completed all degree requirements prior to the date of graduation. Candidates with legitimate conflict, such as military duties, will be excused.

Graduation Participation

Undergraduate candidates may participate in the graduation ceremony for which they qualify. Participation cannot be deferred to a future ceremony. Participation is contingent upon the following conditions:

• Candidates must have a valid Application for Graduation on file in the Registrar’s Office prior to the required deadline. Application deadlines for the current graduation cycle are posted on the Registrar’s website.

• Candidates must be within 6 semester hours of completing the minimum hour requirement for the degree.
• Candidates must have a 2.000 grade point average overall and satisfy the minimum grade point average of the major.
• Candidates with unfulfilled requirements for graduation must have the appropriate form completed, approved, and on file in the Registrar’s Office. Forms for this purpose are available in the Registrar’s Office. See paragraph below for further details.

Candidates who are within 6 semester hours of completion of degree, and who otherwise qualify for graduation, may participate in the graduation ceremony. Candidates must re-apply for graduation by completing a Final Application for Graduation to initiate the Registrar’s certification process during the semester they complete their remaining requirements.Candidates who participate in the graduation ceremony will not officially graduate or recieve a diploma until all requirements are met. Academic honors and class rank will only be documented for students who have completed all graduation requirements by the time of the graduation ceremony.

NOTE: For graduate and professional degree candidates, all requirements for graduation must be met prior to participating in a graduation ceremony unless the particular college or school has a commencement participation policy. Should the extraordinary circumstances of any student support consideration for an exception, the matter shall be handled within the particular college or school in accord with its processes, and with a result that does not violate the spirit of the undergraduate standard.

Posthumous Degrees

For humanitarian considerations propelled by compassion in response to tragedy, Campbell University operates with a special degree category termed “Posthumous Degrees.” These are degree awards to bring ministry and closure to tragic situations involving the deaths of current Campbell students. Acknowledging that unique circumstances surround such situations, eligibility for any posthumous degree award shall be considered on a case by case basis. In this vein, the University operates simply with general guidelines.

Eligibility

1. Any student who has completed all degree requirements but who is deceased before the formal commencement ceremony is eligible to be awarded a posthumous degree.
2. Any matriculated student who has substantially completed the work for a degree, normally 3/4 of all coursework toward the degree, who was in good academic standing and was successfully progressing towards completion of degree requirements, shall be eligible for consideration for a posthumous degree.

Approval Process

Upon consultation with the student’s major/program faculty, the dean of the school from which the degree would be offered may prepare a written recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. The Vice President shall review the record and consult with the President before approving or denying the recommendation.

Awarding the Posthumous Degree

1. With the affirmative recommendation of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the posthumous degree shall normally be awarded. However, the President retains the authority to override the decision of the Vice President and/or to deal with related extraordinary circumstances which may arise.
2. The degree will normally be conferred at the next regularly scheduled commencement exercise, though other avenues for conferral may be utilized as appropriate.
3. The posthumous nature of the degree will be indicated on the diploma, the student’s permanent record in the Office of the Registrar, and in the commencement program.