Graduation & Your Diploma

Applying for Graduation

All students must submit an application for degree through the Graduation tab on MySuffolk.

Why Must Students Apply?

An academic audit is conducted and students are notified of their degree eligibility status via their Suffolk email account. Any outstanding requirements will prohibit a student's eligibility to graduate. Students are expected to check their Suffolk email account regularly for updates regarding their degree status and graduation.

Application Deadlines

Suffolk University confers degrees three times per year: January, May, and September. Students who expect to complete all the requirements for graduation should apply for the nearest future conferral date.

There is one graduation ceremony per year in May. Specific dates, location, and ticket information for the ceremony are announced in early spring by the Division of Student Affairs. All students who complete their degree requirements in January, May, or September of that year are invited to attend the May ceremony.

Petitioning to Attend Commencement

Graduate students in the College of Arts & Sciences and Sawyer Business School may participate in Commencement if they have officially applied as a September candidate, are within three (3) courses of completing their degree requirements, are enrolled in their remaining requirements in the subsequent summer sessions, have satisfied all other degree requirements, and have fulfilled all financial obligations to the University.

September degree candidates petitioning to participate in the May Commencement ceremony must apply by February 1 and be enrolled in all outstanding requirements in the subsequent summer sessions. Approval of the petition is contingent upon satisfying the conditions listed above. All coursework must be completed before the end of August for a September degree conferral.