Graduation
File your Degree and Diploma Application (DDA) by Friday of Finals Week of your graduating quarter. The last day to file for Summer graduation is the last day of Summer Session II.
Missing the deadline or filing for the wrong quarter of graduation may delay processing of your degree. Contact Sixth College via the Virtual Advising Center with any questions.
Note that graduation and commencement are two distinct terms:
- Graduation is the term used to describe when you complete all requirements and your degree has been officially posted to the academic record.
- Commencement is the annual ceremony in which eligible students participate. Participation in the commencement ceremony is optional and does not constitute official graduation from the University. See commencement.ucsd.edu for more details.
Graduating Senior Checklist
Monitor your Degree Progress
Review your degree audit regularly to verify the current status of your courses. Ensure you run a new copy each time you review the degree audit. A red “X” indicates that a requirement has not been fully satisfied, blue dots indicate that a requirement is in-progress, and a green check-mark indicates that a requirement has been met.
For questions regarding:
- General-education or University requirements, contact Sixth College Academic Advising.
- Major/minor requirements, contact the appropriate academic department.
We recommended you do graduation check-in with each department prior to your final quarter.
File your Degree and Diploma Application (Required)
File your Degree and Diploma Application (DDA) by Friday of Finals Week of your graduating quarter. The last day to file for Summer graduation is the last day of Summer Session II.
To retract or change your application for graduation, contact a Sixth College via the Virtual Advising Center.
Filing a DDA does not ensure graduation. It is subject to the review and approval by your major department(s), the College, and the Office of Academic Records.
Verify your TritonLink Records
Verify that the following information is accurate on TritonLink:
- Full Name
- Major(s) and applicable minor(s)
- Contact the College for instruction if your major(s) or minor(s) are listed incorrectly.
- Permanent Address
- Listed under Toolbox > Personal Tools > Addresses
- Your diploma is mailed to this address. Contact Academic Records if you are unable to update an international address.
Register for Commencement by the Deadline (Optional)
Information regarding Sixth College Commencement Ceremony, including date, time, registration, ticketing, attire, apparel, and more, is available on our Sixth College Commencement page. All Campus Commencement information can be found at commencement.ucsd.edu. Participation in commencement ceremonies is optional and does not constitute official graduation from the University.
Degree Conferral Timeline
It takes approximately 30-90 days from when grades are posted for your degree to be officially conferred and mailed. Your diploma will be mailed to the permanent address listed on TritonLink.
For Summer Graduates: All summer graduates will be processed at the conclusion of Summer Session II, regardless of the session that coursework was completed.
Completing coursework outside of UC San Diego in your final quarter: If you are completing coursework at another institution (domestic or abroad) in your final quarter, you must request that a copy of your official transcript be sent to UCSD Admissions upon course completion. It can take 6-8 weeks for transfer coursework to be posted to your Academic History once received by Admissions. Delays in the receipt or posting of transcripts can delay the processing of your degree.
For Summer Graduates: All summer graduates will be processed at the conclusion of Summer Session II, regardless of the session that coursework was completed.
Completing coursework outside of UC San Diego in your final quarter: If you are completing coursework at another institution (domestic or abroad) in your final quarter, you must request that a copy of your official transcript be sent to UCSD Admissions upon course completion. It can take 6-8 weeks for transfer coursework to be posted to your Academic History once received by Admissions. Delays in the receipt or posting of transcripts can delay the processing of your degree.
Priority Posting of Degree (Rush)
Priority posting is available if an employer or graduate program requires proof that your degree is posted to your academic records sooner than the typical 30-90 day processing period. Examples include graduate school admission (i.e., medical, law, pharmacy, dental, etc.), employment, military service, or participation in a specialized program (i.e., Teach for America, Peace Corps, etc.) that require proof of graduation by a certain date.
You will need to notify them that a formal request is required. It must clearly state that provisional employment or admission will not be offered until they have received proof of graduation. Have the letter sent to:
We cannot guarantee a specific date your degree will be conferred, however, this will shorten the amount of time it takes for your degree to be processed. Upon receipt of the formal request, the Dean of Advising will request that the Registrar's Office put a rush on the conferral of your degree.
Latin Honors
University honors are awarded
