Graduation

Declaration of Candidacy

Registered undergraduates with eight or more terms (four or more terms for junior transfer students) completed on their record will be automatically added to the degree list that aligns with their Expected Graduation Term (EGT) as posted on CalCentral. To verify that your name is on the degree list for the appropriate term, please check CalCentral. Students placed on the degree list will see a note indicating that they are in their final term, e.g. "Spring 2024 is your Final Term," appearing in the Notifications section of their CalCentral dashboard. This note does not mean that the student is necessarily eligible to graduate (see confirmation of candidacy below), only that the student has been placed on the Spring 2024 degree list.

Both registered and unregistered students who plan to graduate but were not automatically added to the degree list, should contact their college advising office at the beginning of the semester, to be added to the degree list before their college deadline.

Students will not graduate if they are not on the degree list, even if they have met all degree requirements. Students who miss the deadline may be added to the degree list in the following term.

Confirmation of Candidacy

Students will be confirmed to be candidates for graduation if they are on the degree list and have completed all the requirements for graduation: they are in good academic standing, have at least 120 cumulative units and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0, and all their grades have been received. In addition, in order to graduate, students must have completed all the University of California requirements, all the requirements for the Berkeley campus as well as their schools or colleges, and all the requirements for their majors and/or minors. Consult with your college advising office to learn more about confirming completion of graduation requirements. Students with degrees from two different colleges, must consult with both colleges to confirm completion of all college graduation requirements.

Opting Out of (Dropping From) a Degree List

Students who believe they were added to a degree list in error, or who wish to appeal to graduate in a later term, should contact their college adviser to discuss options for changing their Expected Graduation Term (EGT).

Commencement

A campuswide commencement is held each year in May to honor all students, in every school and college, who have earned undergraduate and graduate degrees and to recognize students graduating with distinction. Students who earned their degrees the previous fall semester or in summer sessions are also welcome to participate. The ceremony includes speeches from a keynote, the Chancellor, and University Medalist (the top graduating senior), as well as the conferring of degrees. Graduate names are not read at the spring campuswide event.

Berkeley also offers a campuswide commencement in December for all graduates who wish to participate in a ceremony at the end of the fall semester. 

Many schools/colleges, departments, and student organizations also hold individual ceremonies in the spring semester only. Participating in either the campuswide ceremony and/or individual ceremonies is up to each student. 

For information, visit the Berkeley Commencement website.

Diplomas

Diplomas are not given out at Commencement but are available approximately four months afterward.

Diplomas will be mailed automatically without a fee. Degree candidates should update their diploma mailing addresses on CalCentral prior to the end of the term in which the degree is to be awarded. If a diploma address is not supplied, the diploma will be mailed to the student’s home address.

For further information, please see the Diploma page on the Office of the Registrar's website.