APPLYING FOR DEGREE COMPLETION
Degree/Certificate Completion | Commencement Ceremony | Graduation Application Deadline* |
Spring Semester - May | May | November 1st |
Summer Semester – August | May Preceding Degree Completion | February 1st |
Fall Semester – December | May Following Degree Completion | May 1st |
*A $25.00 fee will be charged for an application accepted beyond the due date.
Applications Available
Office of the Registrar - Aquinas Hall, 1st Floor registrar@caldwell.edu
Center for Graduate and Continuing Studies - Alumni Theatre, 2nd Floor (973) 618-3203
Students will be charged a Commencement Fee of $125 after their Application is processed.
COMMENCEMENT
Commencement Day is held in May of each year. All candidates for degrees are encouraged to participate in the Honors Convocation, Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony.
Students completing degree requirements in December are invited to attend the May Commencement Ceremony following their degree completion. Diplomas for December graduates will be available by February 1st and pick-up may be arranged by contacting the Office of the Registrar.
Students completing degree requirements in August are eligible to participate in the Commencement Ceremony of the preceding May. These students must, by the Monday before commencement, be registered in any courses still needed and must have completed all other requirements for graduation and have met all financial obligations to the College. Diplomas for August graduates will be available by October 1st and pick-up may be arranged by contacting the Office of the Registrar.
ELIGIBILITY FOR GRADUATION**
I. UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
To be eligible for graduation with a bachelor’s degree, a student must satisfactorily complete the following requirements:
- A minimum of 120 credits.
- A minimum overall grade point average of 2.0 (C) in courses completed at Caldwell College.
- A minimum of 2.0 (C) in each course required in a student’s major. A student must also satisfy all department requirements and successfully pass a form of outcomes assessment in the senior year.
- A minimum of 30 credits taken at Caldwell College, with the last 30 credits of the 120 credit requirement completed at Caldwell.
- A minimum of half the total number of credits for a given major must be completed at Caldwell College by all transfer students.
II. GRADUATE PROGRAMS
- To be eligible for graduation with a master’s degree, a student must satisfactorily complete all of the program requirements with a minimum GPA of 3.0 based upon a possible 4.0 system. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of and to meet all graduation requirements.
**Students who have applied for graduation but fail to meet the requirements at the conclusion of the semester must re-submit an Application for Graduation when they intend to graduate, but are not required to pay an additional Commencement fee.
GRADUATION WITH HONORS
Honors are not awarded for completion of graduate programs. An undergraduate student meeting the following criteria will graduate with honors:
- Must be in attendance at the College for a minimum of two years and must have attempted no fewer than 60 credits at Caldwell College exclusive of CLEP, TECEP, ACT-PEP and the New York Foreign Language Proficiency exam credits, that is, those credits not formally taken at the College for grades. Prior Learning Assessment taken at Caldwell College is considered Caldwell College credits and is included in the 60 credits necessary for honors.
- Honors are determined on the basis of the student’s cumulative GPA at Caldwell College and are as follows:
3.90+ Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor)
3.75 - 3.89 Magna Cum Laude (with high honor)
3.5 - 3.74 Cum Laude (with honor)
Numerous departmental honors and other awards are presented at the Honors Convocation, a formal event held in May.