The awarding of degrees is the culmination of several steps that begin when students identify the term in which they expect to complete degree requirements.

Degree Date

Degrees are awarded at the end of fall, winter, and spring quarters and at the end of summer session C. School of Law and School of Medicine degrees are normally awarded at the end of fall and spring semesters. See the UCLA term calendar for the degree-award date, which is the final day of the term.

Commencement

The College, each school, and the Graduate Division conduct commencement ceremonies for their graduates. Ceremonies feature addresses from distinguished speakers, and recognize candidates who have achieved high academic distinction and honors.

Check with the College, school, or department for eligibility requirements, programs, and time schedules. Commencement information—including the schedule of ceremonies, maps and parking, and updates—is published online. Doctoral hooding ceremony information is also published online.

Privacy

Names of students who request that no public information be released do not appear in commencement ceremony programs. Students may change their privacy status on MyUCLA.

Undergraduate Student Graduation

Approximately nine out of every 10 UCLA undergraduates eventually receive a bachelor’s degree, either from UCLA or from another campus or institution. One-third of all UCLA bachelor’s degree recipients go on to graduate school.

Declaration of Candidacy

All undergraduate students are assigned a degree-expected term when they first register at UCLA. This term is based on admission level (first-year or advanced standing), and time-to-degree based on undergraduate program. For most students, this is 12 regular terms (first-year) or six regular terms (transfer). Students must petition the College or school counseling unit to enroll in additional regular terms beyond the allowed number.

Friday of finals week of the term is the last day to declare candidacy for the current term.

Students can verify the degree-expected term through MyUCLA. For questions about degree candidacy status, College students may contact the Registrar’s Office. All other students should contact their school office. Declaring candidacy is not a guarantee of graduation.

In Absentia Graduation

Students who intend to complete degree requirements while nonregistered (those who take a course through UCLA Extension or at another institution, remove an Incomplete grade, and so on) must notify their degree auditor of their intention to graduate as a nonregistered student by Friday of finals week. Students graduating in absentia are assessed the undergraduate in absentia degree-processing fee if they were also not registered in the term immediately prior to their degree-expected term.

Retroactive Degree and Graduation

Students who do not declare candidacy in the term that final degree requirements are met, or who had pending degree-related issues (such as grade changes, department approval of major courses, or advanced-standing work at other institutions) in the declared term, must submit a Retroactive Degree Request form. If the request is approved, the degree is recorded on the transcript immediately, and the student record is closed to any further revision. The $35 special degree processing fee applies.

Final Degree Audits and Graduation

Degree auditors are responsible for verifying each candidate’s eligibility for a bachelor’s degree. Degree auditors have information pertaining to a student’s graduation only if that student declared candidacy and completed 160 quarter units (172 units for engineering students). Degree auditors are available in the following offices:

School of the Arts and Architecture

Office of Student Services, 2200 Broad Art Center

School of Education and Information Studies

Office of Student Services, 1002 Moore Hall

Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science

Office of Academic and Student Affairs, 6246 Boelter Hall

College of Letters and Science

Registrar’s Office, 1113 Murphy Hall

Herb Alpert School of Music

Office of Student Affairs, 1642 Schoenberg Music Building

School of Nursing

Student Affairs Office, 2-147 Factor Building

Meyer and Renee Luskin School of Public Affairs

Student Services Office, 3250 Public Affairs Building

Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health

Office of Student Services, 16-059 Center for Health Sciences

School of Theater, Film, and Television

Student Services Office, 103 East Melnitz Building

During their graduating term, students should inform a degree auditor of grade changes, petitions for substitutions or exemptions, transfer credits, or similar changes that may affect their degree. If graduation eligibility cannot be verified, a degree auditor notifies the student of any outstanding requirements or other degree completion problems.

Student records are closed to revisions in enrollment, grading, and academic actions on award of a degree. Students are responsible for requesting review of their record prior to award of their degree.

A summary of shortages for the bachelor’s degree statement is sent to each current-term candidate who does not satisfy degree requirements that term. Students who receive such notices should contact a degree auditor immediately. If students expect to satisfy degree requirements in a later term, they must change their degree-expected term through MyUCLA. They may be assessed applicable fees.

Contact degree auditors only for questions about degree audits. Contact information is published on the Registrar’s service directory. Do not contact auditors regarding commencement procedures; see Commencement.

Graduate Student Graduation

Candidates for both master’s and doctorate degrees must be advanced to candidacy and complete all degree requirements—including the master’s thesis or capstone, or doctoral dissertation—before the degree is conferred. See the filing deadlines calendar for thesis/dissertation filing deadlines. For graduate degree requirements and procedures, see program requirements for UCLA graduate degrees and Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA (PDF).