Apply for Graduation

Although the words are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between graduation and commencement. Graduation is the completion of academic requirements to earn your degree, while commencement is the ceremony that celebrates this achievement. 

Apply for graduation

To apply for graduation at University of Idaho, you should submit your application through MyUI. The deadlines are typically at the end of the fall semester for a May graduation and before the end of the spring semester for winter graduation.

Apply for graduation.

Fees are non-refundable. Academic certificates do not incur a late fee for applying for graduation after the application deadline.

Graduation fees are not billed until the term of your graduation and after your application has been conditionally approved by the Office of the Registrar. The fee amount is based on the date your application was originally submitted, not the date your application is conditionally approved.

Graduating with Honors

To graduate with university honors for baccalaureate and Juris Doctor degrees you must have earned 56 credits at University of Idaho and a cumulative institutional GPA that meets the criteria below. Juris Doctor GPA is based exclusively on the student's College of Law transcript.

Graduate students are not eligible for honors.

Credits earned through correspondence study, CLEP, experiential learning or technical competence may not be counted among these required credits.

The Office of the Registrar will notify honors-eligible students approximately eight weeks before the end of the term and provide honor cord distribution instructions.

Summa Cum Laude, “With Highest Distinction,” represents students whose GPA places them in the top 3% of graduates from their respective college within the last five years.

Magna Cum Laude, “With Great Distinction,” represents students whose GPA places them in the top 6%, but below the top 3%, of graduates from their respective college within the last five years.

Cum Laude, “With Distinction,” represents students whose GPA places them in the top 10%, but below the top 6%, of graduates from their respective college within the last five years.

Every summer, each college's 5-year average GPA is recalculated for the three award levels. When the average of the top 6% of graduates is 4.00, no silver honor cords are awarded.