Graduation & Diplomas

Graduation is not an automatic process, all students who are eligible for graduation must submit an application to graduate.

• December 2023 graduation applications are free if received by Saturday, September 30, 2023
• Beginning Sunday, October 1, 2023, the university will apply a $25 fee to all late December 2023 graduation applications
• The absolute deadline to apply for December 2023 graduation is Friday, December 1, 2023 (the $25 fee will apply)

• December 2023 Commencement:
  • University December Commencement - JUST ANNOUNCED: 
    • The University will be holding a Commencement ceremony Sunday, December 17, 2023 (time and location TBD) for Oakland campus students who graduate in both August and December 2023...More information to come!
  • The School of Social Work:
    • The Johnstown campus will be hosting an Afternoon of Recognition for December 2023 Johnstown MSW graduates on Sunday, December 3, 2023 from 1 – 3 PM. More information to come!
    • The Bradford campus will be hosting an Afternoon of Recognition for December 2023 Bradford MSW graduates on Saturday, December 9, 2023 from 2 – 4 PM in the University Room at Frame-Westerberg Commons.
    • The Oakland campus will not be holding a December ceremony.

Students can check their Graduation Status at any time in their Student Center by navigating to Self Service > Degree Progress/Graduation > View Graduation Status.

HOW TO Apply for Graduation from the University of Pittsburgh:

1. Complete the online application by logging into my.pitt.edu and following these instructions.

• If you are pursuing a degree, minor, certificate, or distinction in more than one academic program/school you will need to submit an application for each program.
• If you’ve applied for graduation and need to postpone, please reach out to sswgrads@pitt.edu
  • Students are responsible for reapplying for graduation in the subsequent semester they expect to graduate. Students are not automatically rolled over onto future graduation rosters.
• Your name on your graduation application must be identical to the way it appears in PeopleSoft. You will be required to provide legal documentation to change your name. Acceptable forms of documentation are:
  • Birth Certificate
  • Marriage Certificate
  • Divorce Decree
  • Formal Court Order
• If you have questions about the online graduation application, please reach out to the Registrar's Office:  graduation@registrar.pitt.edu or 412-624-7627

Applying for Graduation

Graduation is not an automatic process, all students who are eligible for graduation must submit an application to graduate.

Find graduation deadlines/important dates for current and upcoming terms in the drop downs below.

Students can check their Graduation Status at any time in their Student Center by navigating to Self Service > Degree Progress/Graduation > View Graduation Status.

HOW TO Apply for Graduation from the University of Pittsburgh:

1. Complete the online application by logging into my.pitt.edu and following these instructions.

• If you are pursuing a degree, minor, certificate, or distinction in more than one academic program/school you will need to submit an application for each program.
• If you’ve applied for graduation and need to postpone, please reach out to sswgrads@pitt.edu
  • Students are responsible for reapplying for graduation in the subsequent semester they expect to graduate. Students are not automatically rolled over onto future graduation rosters.
• Your name on your graduation application must be identical to the way it appears in PeopleSoft. You will be required to provide legal documentation to change your name. Acceptable forms of documentation are:
  • Birth Certificate
  • Marriage Certificate
  • Divorce Decree
  • Formal Court Order
• If you have questions about the online graduation application, please reach out to the Registrar's Office:  graduation@registrar.pitt.edu or 412-624-7627

December 2023 Commencement

University December Commencement - JUST ANNOUNCED: 

• The University will be holding a Commencement ceremony Sunday, December 17, 2023 (time and location TBD) for Oakland campus students who graduate in both August and December 2023...More information to come!

The School of Social Work:

• The Johnstown campus will be hosting an Afternoon of Recognition for December 2023 Johnstown MSW graduates on Sunday, December 3, 2023 from 1 – 3 PM. More information to come!
• The Bradford campus will be hosting an Afternoon of Recognition for December 2023 Bradford MSW graduates on Saturday, December 9, 2023 from 2 – 4 PM in the University Room at Frame-Westerberg Commons.
• The Oakland campus will not be holding a December ceremony.

December 2023 Graduation Deadlines and Important Dates

October 1, 2023                   Applications submitted now include a $25.00 late fee.

December 1, 2023              FINAL DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING DEC. 2023 GRADUATION APPLICATIONS BY 5PM.

December 16, 2023            Official date for degrees awarded for December 2023 graduation.

December 17, 2023            University December Commencement – time and location TBD, more information to come!

January 12, 2024                 Transcripts with December 2023 degrees posted available.

Jan 30 – Feb 5                       OUR will begin mailing diplomas for December 2023 graduates.

Diplomas, Transcripts, and Enrollment Verifications

Diplomas

• You must be in good financial standing with the University to receive your diploma.
• To ensure your diploma is routed to the correct address, you can update your Graduation Address through PeopleSoft up to one month prior to the end of your graduation term/session. 
• Diplomas will be mailed out at no charge approximately 6-8 weeks after the end of your term of graduation.
• Allow 30 days from the advertised ship date to consider the diploma lost for domestic mail, 90 days for international delivery.
• To declare a diploma lost, please contact graduation@registrar.pitt.edu.
• All discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the Office of the University Registrar immediately.

Transcripts and Enrollment Verifications

• Official Transcripts are requested through the Office of the University Registrar. Visit their website for electronic and hard copy transcripts and enrollment verifications.

Education Verification

• If you are applying for social work licensure (LSW, LMSW) prior to graduation you will need to have an Education Verification form completed by the School of Social Work Academic Registration and Records Manager. Please contact sswregistrar@pitt.edu with the applicant portion of your form completed.
• If you have obtained employment prior to graduation and your employer is requesting education verification, please complete the following request form:

You will need to provide:

• Your employers HR contact information – name, title, address, & email.
• Any specific additional information your new employer is requesting.
• Your tentative start date.

Once your final semester grades are posted and your graduation status has been certified, we will provide:

• A formal letter written on official letterhead indicating you have met departmental requirements, your degree(s) earned, the official date for your degree confirmation, and the date official transcripts with degrees awarded will be available, signed by a Dean of the School of Social Work. This letter will be sent from the School of Social Work directly to your future employer and you will be CCed on this communication.

Students can expect a two week turn around once final grades are posted OR once a student has submitted this request, whichever happens later.

Past Graduations