Applying for Diplomas and Certificates

The application is a way for students to request a review of the courses they have taken and to verify that by the end of the term, they will likely meet all requirements for the credential (diploma or certificate) listed on the application. The application also allows the student to indicate how they would like their name written on their diploma or certificate and where they would like it to be mailed.

If you are applying for your declared major, the application will auto-populate the correct degree information. If you are applying for a non-declared associate degree or for a certificate, you will need to know and indicate the correct name of your credential and the correct catalog year. If you are applying for an associate degree, you will also need to know the correct degree type (AS, AAS). All this information is available in your Grad Plan or through Academic Advising. If you apply for the wrong credential or on the wrong catalog year, you will likely not meet the requirements.

You must be registered for your final courses for us to confirm that you will meet all requirements by the end of the term. For that reason, we recommend that you wait until you are completely registered for all remaining courses before submitting your application. Students can submit their application earlier; however, if it is reviewed before you add your final courses, then you will be told that you are missing a graduation requirement. We highly recommend that students check their Grad Plan or Academic Advising to verify which courses are needed to graduate because most applications are not reviewed until after the deadline for adding full-semester courses.

Yes. Each credential (certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree) needs a separate application. Ideally, you will apply for each credential as soon as you qualify for it. You can apply for multiple credentials in the same semester. Once your bachelor’s degree has been awarded, you will not be able to apply for certificates or associate degrees. If you graduated with your bachelor’s degree and did not know you needed to apply for certificates that were declared as part of your program, please contact graduation@byui.edu for assistance within one semester of graduation.

Visit the Graduation Application Checklist and click "Apply for Graduation," then click “Diploma or Certificate Application” on the left side menu. From the diploma or certificate application page, scroll down until you see “Add New Application.” 

If you would like your name printed in the commencement program, your application will need to be submitted about a month before the end of the semester. We continue to accept applications until the day before final grades are posted. The exact dates for each semester can be found here.

Yes. However, no graduation events are held for the Summer Session. Graduating students can choose to participate in graduation events the semester before or after the Summer Session. All summer graduate names will automatically appear in the Fall commencement program. 

“Non-matriculating” is a non-degree seeking admission status. Although a non-matriculating student cannot apply for degrees, they can apply for certificates. If you are a non-matriculating student and do not have access to the graduation application, please email graduation@byui.edu for assistance. You will need to know the exact name and the catalog year of the certificate you are applying for.

You can edit some parts of your application unless it is currently in review, or if the final review has been completed. If you applied for your declared major, you will only be able to change your graduation term, the term you would like to participate in graduation events, and the college you would like to walk across the stage with for commencement ceremonies.

If you applied for an associate degree or a certificate, you could also edit the degree or certificate you applied for and the catalog year. Many students make errors in their application by applying for the wrong certificate or associate degree or applying for the correct one on the wrong catalog year. These errors will populate your degree audit with the wrong set of requirements, and it will appear that you have not met all the requirements.

Yes. Your “diploma name” is your name written exactly as you would like it printed on your diploma. We reserve the right not to order your diploma if your diploma name does not reasonably match your school records. If you have legally changed your name, please make sure your school records are updated.

Diplomas should arrive 6-10 weeks after graduation. If you are moving after graduation, you may want to have your diploma sent to a friend or family member’s permanent address so that it is not lost in the mail.

All applications are held until the first week of the term that you are applying for. For example: If you apply for a Fall graduation, your application will be held until the first week of the Fall semester regardless of whether you applied in June or in September. The volume of applications is extremely high during the first few weeks of each semester, but most students should have a response by the fourth week of the term they have applied for. After that initial rush of applications, students can expect a response within a week of applying.

To check the status of your application, click here to return to where you applied. Every credential (degree or certificate) you have applied for will be listed below the “Add New Application” button under the heading “Application Details." Each application has a graduation status. The “Status Key” explains the meaning of any status you see next to your application.

Degrees and certificates are not posted for graduation candidates with a past due debt, housing debt, or honor hold. The degree will be posted automatically within one week after resolving the hold. If you need assistance regarding a degree that has not been awarded because of this, please email graduation@byui.edu.

You may have applied for the wrong credential or on the wrong catalog year. Grad Plan or an Academic Advisor can help you identify errors on your application that are causing it to appear incomplete. You can also email graduation@byui.edu for clarification regarding which requirements are incomplete. Sometimes students apply for graduation and then change majors or drop non-required components such as a certificate or minor. The graduation application retains the original information and may need to be updated.

If you will not meet graduation requirements in the semester that you applied, please email graduation@byui.edu and ask that we move your application to the next semester. This will keep your application active and ensure that it gets re-reviewed. Academic Advisors are available if you need assistance in planning your final semester.

It is not possible for us to know about or verify courses you are taking somewhere else. You will need to transfer the coursework to us before we can verify that the courses satisfy our degree or certificate requirements. Taking required courses during your last semester at a school other than BYU-Idaho can delay your graduation because we must wait until those courses are transferred to us and processed by Transfer Evaluation before they show on your final degree audit.

If your final degree audit appears incomplete because you are still waiting on transfer credit, then you will need to contact graduation@byui.edu once the transfer credit has been awarded and request that we re-review your application. If you did not apply before the application deadline, we encourage you to apply for the current semester and then contact graduation@byui.edu for assistance.

Students will receive an electronic copy of their certificate or diploma in their school email about 2 weeks after it is posted to the transcript. Students will receive the hard copy 6-10 weeks after it is posted to the transcript. Please allow an additional 2-4 weeks for diplomas and certificates mailed to an address outside the United States. If you have not received your certificate or diploma in the mail within 6-10 weeks of the credential posting to your transcript, please email graduation@byui.edu for assistance.

Yes. Diploma covers and commencement programs can only be mailed to an address inside the United States. Students living outside the United States can request diploma covers and commencement programs if they have a US mailing address we can use or if they provide us with a pre-paid shipping label. Please email graduation@byui.edu to request programs or diploma covers.

No. Certificates are not ending degrees and the awarding of a certificate is not considered “graduation."

Yes. Students can participate in graduation events up to one semester before or after they have earned their degree. Participating in graduation events does not mean that your degree has been awarded.

No. The program lists the names of students who applied to have their degrees awarded that semester. It is not a list of students walking across the stage. Printing your name in the program is also not a guarantee that you have met all graduation requirements. Final graduation eligibility is determined after final grades are posted, completed about a week after graduation events.

Academic honors are awarded to bachelor’s degree-earning students based on cumulative GPA at the time the degree is posted. Academic certificate and associate degree-earning students are not eligible for academic honors.

• Summa Cum Laude: Graduates with a cumulative GPA of 4.000.
• Magna Cum Laude: Graduates with a cumulative GPA between 3.950 and 3.999.
• Cum Laude: Graduates with a cumulative GPA between 3.900 and 3.949.

No adjustments will be made for grades posted or changed after diplomas are printed (approximately two weeks after degrees are posted).

Students will receive an electronic copy of their certificate or diploma in their school email about 2 weeks after it is posted to the transcript. Students will receive the hard copy 6-10 weeks after it is posted to the transcript. Please allow an additional 2-4 weeks for diplomas and certificates mailed to an address outside the United States. If you have not received your certificate or diploma in the mail within 6-10 weeks of the credential posting to your transcript, please email graduation@byui.edu for assistance.