FAQ and Guest FAQ

Graduation is the point at which ALL degree requirements have been met and the degree is awarded. It is the responsibility of the college or school office to certify that all degree requirements have been met and the degree information is added to your official transcript in the Office of the Registrar. Degrees are normally completed at the end of each semester but may also occur the last date at the end of each month during the academic year when all requirements are met.

Commencement is the once a year ceremony held on the second Saturday in May. Graduates are only invited to the ceremony in the academic year (Fall, Winter, Summer) they apply to graduate, participation cannot be changed to a prior or future ceremony.

No later than the first week of the semester in which you plan to complete your degree requirements, you need to submit your graduation application online through your My Portal account. Summer graduates need to complete the application in the first week of the Winter semester before they graduate in order to be eligible to participate in the May commencement ceremony.

Applications received after the deadline may result in denial to participate in the commencement ceremony and/or delay in the date of graduation.

There is a graduation fee of $95, which is applied to your student account at the time you submit your application online. This fee covers the costs of Commencement whether or not you participate.

If you would like participate in the commencement ceremony, regalia (cap and gown) are required for attendance. You will be able to purchase regalia through our cap and gown company. Information will be sent out to you when you are invited to commencement.

No. You may graduate only at the point when ALL degree requirements have been met. Your degree date will be the next available date once all requirements have been met.  There is a graduation date the last day of each month in order to accommodate those that complete degree requirements during the semester instead of at the end of a semester.

Detroit Mercy has one commencement day per year, which is held in May on the McNichols Campus. Students who complete their degree requirements and graduate in December or April or plan to graduate in any month during the summer are invited to attend the May ceremony if their Application for Graduation has been received and they have been approved by their college/school to participate. Students who won't be completing all their degree requirements until after the summer when the academic year finishes will be eligible to participate in the next year's May ceremony as part of that academic year ceremony.

Students who have filed their Application for Graduation by the January deadline will receive an email in early February inviting them to participate. There will be a reservation (RSVP) website for you to complete. If you believe you are eligible for Commencement, but have not received information by the middle of February, contact the Registrar's Office immediately.

The ceremony is planned for only those who RSVP by the deadline.

Commencement is ceremonial. Participation in the ceremony does not assure that all degree requirements have been met or that a degree has been or will be granted.

Your diploma is available after your degree has been certified and has been printed. Diplomas are not distributed during the Commencement Ceremony and will be mailed to the address on file in the weeks following commencement. Make sure your home address on record is correct before you finish your final degree requirements.

Diplomas are withheld for students who owe a financial balance to the University. If you require verification of graduation prior to receiving your diploma, contact the Registrar's Office after Commencement.

Diplomas are printed on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper in landscape format. Included will be your:

• Name
• Degree title
• Latin honors, where applicable
• Date degree was awarded
• Signatures of the Dean of your college/school, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and President

Majors, minors, and concentrations are not included on your diploma. They will be reflected on your transcript. 

The name on your diploma must match the name used on your official student records at Detroit Mercy. After the diploma has been printed, your graduation record is official, and the name on your diploma cannot be changed. 

If you are officially changing your name before your diploma is ordered, you must bring the legal proof of your name change to the Office of the Registrar before you submit your graduation application online.

If you are changing your legal name after your graduation and your diploma has been printed you can provide name change documents to the Office of the Registrar and pay for the cost of a new diploma. 

Duplicate diplomas are available through the Office of the Registrar for $35 for the 8 1/2 x 11 size. Duplicate diplomas from the School of Law or School of Dentistry are $50. 

All duplicate diplomas will have a reissue date noted on the diploma. Duplicate order form is available here.

Please visit the Graduation Day page for a day-of timetable for both ceremonies and baccalaureate mass.

Baccalaureate Mass

This Mass is an integral part of the Commencement activities and graduates and guests of all faiths are invited to join this religious service thanking God for His blessings and praying for our future. Mass is in the Ballroom, located on the second floor of the Student Union on the McNichols campus.

Commencement

Commencement is located at Calihan Hall, which is not an air-conditioned facility. If it is a warm day please dress accordingly.

There is limited Calihan Hall main floor seating for guests requiring accessible seating accompanied by one companion. Calihan Hall has no elevators and balcony seating can only be accessed by steep steps.

There will be additional locations on campus that are accessible and have the ceremony live-streamed. 

Since Commencement is a formal academic ceremony, guests are asked to please show proper respect for both the ceremony and the other guests by:

• Not interfering with the Procession.
• Turning off all cell phones.
• Remaining quiet and dignified during the ceremony.
• Refraining from shouting graduate names from the balcony during the Ceremony. This type of behavior is disrespectful and disruptive. Guests who choose not to respect the rights of others will be asked to be quiet and then, if the behavior continues, asked to leave.
• Conferring of Degrees — This is the most important and solemn part of the Ceremony. Although quiet should be maintained while the President confers the degrees, expressions of joy are appropriate after the conferring of degrees.
• Presentation of Degrees — A joyous expression is also appropriate when your graduate’s name is read. The celebrations should be very brief so that the next graduate’s name can be heard.

A floor-seating diagram will be available for viewing at the northeast lobby entrance when you enter Calihan Hall. The diagram is also available on the website a couple days before the ceremony. This will give the general location of where your graduate’s college/school will be seated. The graduates are seated alphabetically within their degree section.

Graduates' gowns should not contain adornments such as jewelry, flowers, signs, emblems, etc. Gown decoration is strictly limited to approved university, college and school, and student organization regalia items such as cords, sashes, stoles, pins and medallions. Apparel that has not gone through the approval process is not appropriate. Faculty and University Marshals will ask graduates to remove any unauthorized items being worn. Graduates will not be permitted to march in the procession with unapproved items.

The colors represent the academic degree area. The colors are:

- Have their name in the Commencement Program?

Program copy is sent to the printer several weeks before the ceremony. A graduate’s name may not appear in the program if the Graduation Application was filed after the deadline.

- Get a diploma?

Diplomas are not distributed on the day of commencement. After students complete their degree requirements, reasons their diploma may not be mailed to them are:
- degree requirements have not been met, e.g., courses remain to be completed.
- outstanding financial balance.

Graduates who have any concerns should contact their college/school office immediately.

- Have his/her honors read?

Honors are awarded to undergraduate students who have completed all their degree requirements as of the end of Term II and all final grades have been recorded.

Summa cum laude is 3.90 or above, magna cum laude is 3.75 and above and cum laude is 3.50 or above. All coursework in the cumulative GPA at Detroit Mercy is used in the honors calculation All students must have completed 60 hours at Detroit Mercy to qualify for honors. Candidates for Term III (Summer) will not have honors read at Commencement because they have not finished their studies. Honors are not awarded at the master/doctoral degree level or for a second bachelors degree.