Graduation

Application Filing Periods

To apply for graduation, eligible students will have an option to submit the request via their myCSUDH student portal; subject to the deadlines below. Once a student submits their application for graduation, the non-refundable fee will need to be paid within 48 hours from the student portal. Also, there will be additional non-refundable fees assessed for submitting after the published deadline. Prior to submitting your application to graduate, please meet with an advisor from your College's Student Success Center first.

If the above dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the following business day.

As a reminder, when you apply for graduation, a degree will only be granted once all requirements are met for your academic plan. Attending the Commencement Ceremony does not automatically indicate you will be awarded a degree after applying for graduation.

Graduation Applications Submitted Before or By the Deadline

The evaluation process for students who submit the Application for Graduation by the published deadlines are reviewed by the date they were received. The timely filing of the Application for Graduation will ensure the degree checks will be processed prior to the last day to add classes for the term of anticipated graduation. Graduation Applications submitted before or by the deadline require a $95.00 non-refundable processing fee. Once you have submitted the electronic application for graduation, the fee will appear in your student account. This fee must be paid within 48 hours and prior to the regular deadline, otherwise an additional $15 non-refundable fee may be applied.

Graduation Applications Filed After the Deadline

Applications and/or fees submitted after the regular deadline require an additional $15.00 non-refundable fee applied to the $95.00 non-refundable graduation application fee. These fees must be paid within 48 hours.

Bachelor Degree Candidates

Each prospective undergraduate student must file for graduation. A student is eligible to apply for graduation if fewer than 10 courses are needed to complete the degree and after completion of 90 semester units. To review your eligibility, please speak with an advisor from the Student Success Center rf518.com/uac. If you have questions about the application/evaluation process of the graduation application, please direct those general questions to The Registrar's Office at (310) 243-3645 or by email at graduation@rf518.com. 

Master Degree Candidates

Each prospective graduate student must file for graduation. To review your eligibility, please speak with an advisor from the Student Success Center rf518.com/uac. For further general questions, please contact your major department or The Registrar's Office at (310) 243-3645 or by email at graduation@rf518.com.

Bachelor's Degree Candidates

Please use the catalog under which you were admitted for all requirements.

An updated list of approved courses satisfying all components of the program is printed in the Class Schedule and in the University Catalog. First–time freshmen must meet the requirements of the General Studies program. Transfer students who have remained in continuous attendance at a campus of the CSU or the California Community Colleges since 1980–81 have the option of choosing this program or the General Education Program described in catalogs prior to 1980-81.

Certification of Lower Division General Education/Studies Requirements

Accredited postsecondary colleges and universities offering the B.A. or B.S., or the first two years of such degree programs, may certify partial completion of the lower division General Studies requirements according to procedures specified in CSU Executive Order 342. CSUDH will accept a maximum of 40 semester or 60 quarter units toward our General Studies program. An additional nine semester units of upper division General Studies courses must be completed at CSUDH. (See the "General Studies" section of the catalog.)

Graduate Degree Candidates

Please use the catalog under which you were admitted for all requirements.

Requirements for the Minor

Please use the catalog under which you were admitted for all requirements.

Students who select a major in one of the Single Fields Majors are not required to complete a minor toward completion of the degree.

Minimum Unit Requirements

Bachelor's Degrees

• A minimum of 120 semester units is required for the bachelor's degree. Students earning a B.S. degree may be required to take up to 132 semester units. A maximum of 24 semester units earned through extension, correspondence, and the United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) may be accepted toward a bachelor's degree.
• A minimum of 40 semester units of upper division credit must be completed.
• A minimum of 30 semester units must be completed in residence at CSUDH.
• At least 24 of the 30 units must be upper division.
• At least 12 of the 24 upper-division units must be in your major, and for a declared minor, at least half of all upper division units must be completed at CSUDH.
• At least 9 units of General Studies must be completed at CSUDH.

Graduate Degrees

• A minimum of 30 approved semester units, or more, as required by the particular program.
• A minimum of 21 semester units in residence after admission to the program offering the degree.
• Only upper division and graduate level courses can be used.
• Not less than one-half of the total units in graduate (500 level) courses.
• Not more than nine semester units of 500 level courses taken prior to admission to conditionally classified or classified status.
• Not more that six units for a thesis or project.
• Not more than six units for independent study.

An undergraduate student who has completed a minimum of 36 units in residence at CSUDH with a grade point average of 3.40 or better may be a candidate for graduation with honors from the University.

The criteria for graduation with honors are:

1. A minimum of 36 units in residence;
2. A minimum grade point average of 3.40 on all units taken at CSUDH;
3. A cumulative grade point average as outlined below on all acceptable undergraduate work:

Students who achieve the above honors will have the information recorded on their transcripts and diplomas.

Individual departments may also have departmental honors (known as Honors in the Major); which are described in each of the program sections of the University Catalog.

The process of conferring degrees begins two weeks after grades are submitted at the end of the term and takes approximately four to six weeks to complete. During this timeframe, your academic history is reviewed to ensure that all degree requirements have been met. If any requirement has not been met, a degree will not be awarded.

Once all requirements have been verified as being met the degree is conferred and posted to the transcript. An email is sent to the student's CSUDH email account to notify them of the request and a diploma is requested on behalf of the student (per the graduation application fee).

Diplomas are mailed directly to the student’s address. Students may update this address by accessing their my.CSUDH.edu account. When the diploma is shipped, students will receive a second notification in their CSUDH email address. Please note that picking up the diploma from the campus is not an option that is available.

What's On the Diploma

• Your name as it appears on your student record. You may add an additional name, but you may not remove the name that appears on your record unless an official Personal Data Change Form and appropriate documentation has been submitted with documentation.
• Your degree (BA, BS, MA, MBA, MS) and major with minor.
• If you have a double major with the same degree both majors will appear on your diploma. (e.g., BA in Psychology and History)
• If you have a double major with two degrees, you will receive two diplomas. (e.g., BA in Psychology and a BS in Computer Science)
• If you have a double major with two degrees and a minor, the minor will only appear on one diploma.
• If you meet the GPA requirements, University Honors (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Summa Cum Laude) and Honors in the Major (if your department has nominated you) will also appear on the diploma.

Requesting an Additional Copy of Your Diploma

If a student needs to request an additional copy (or replacement copy) of their diploma, the following link will need to be used to place the request: Diploma Web Store. The process for diploma reorder will take approximately 3-5 weeks for delivery and includes a $15 charge per each degree requested.

For more information, visit the commencement webpage.

The Undergraduate Request for Reactivation of Graduation is for CSUDH students who previously filed to graduate, did not maintain continuous attendance, and believe that all degree requirements have been completed. 

The Undergraduate Request for Reactivation Form [PDF] should be printed and completed by an advisor at your College's Student Success Center. Students may be required to resubmit transcripts from all other colleges and universities attended. These transcripts must be official and submitted in a sealed envelope. Students who have been academically disqualified from the University and have not yet been reinstated are not eligible for reactivation; the student must be reinstated before filing for reactivation. 

Reactivation is not admission to CSUDH

Students with outstanding requirements to graduate will need to complete these requirements prior to applying for reactivation. Students who are interested in completing the outstanding requirements at CSUDH may reapply to the University. Please refer to Admissions deadlines for the next available term to apply.   

Students who reapply to the University and are readmitted are responsible for all University requirements in effect at the time of reactivation or readmission. These may include, but are not limited to, the current General Education pattern and the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).

The awarding of a posthumous degree is to recognize the academic achievement of the deceased student, and to extend to the university community, family, and friends an opportunity to share in the student’s academic success at CSUDH.