Congratulations! You've made history with the best and the brightest who choose to Go West!

Now it's time to prepare for graduation. The steps listed here will guide you through the graduation process; please read and follow these steps closely. Should you need assistance, the Graduation Team in the Registrar's Office is here to help you make your mark as you transition from student to Alumni.

Contact the Graduation Team

Apply for Graduation

All students intending to graduate must apply for graduation and pay the required fee regardless of whether they intend to participate in the commencement ceremony. The Graduation Application and fee is valid for one year from the student's intended term of graduation. Students must apply by the Graduation Application deadlines listed below. Late applications may be accepted without an additional fee. Students who apply late will have their degree audit reviewed after those students who applied prior to the deadline. Students who do not apply for graduation will not have their degree or stand-alone certificate awarded and will not receive their diploma. The Graduation Application fee is $40 per degree and $20 per stand-alone certificate.

Graduation Application Dates

Semester of Graduation	Application Opens	Application Deadline
Fall	February 1st	August 1st
Spring	April 1st	October 1st
Summer	September 1st	March 1st

• Semester of Graduation: Fall
  Application Opens: February 1st
  Application Deadline: August 1st
  

• Semester of Graduation: Spring
  Application Opens: April 1st
  Application Deadline: October 1st
  

• Semester of Graduation: Summer
  Application Opens: September 1st
  Application Deadline: March 1st
  

 

How to Apply for Graduation

To access the Online Graduation Application and Fee Payment, logon to MyUWG, select the BanWeb tab, select the "Student Services & Financial Aid" link, and then, select the "Graduation Application" option. Follow the instructions listed on the Graduation Application to submit your application and pay the application fee.

• Undergraduate students are required to have at least 85 overall earned hours prior to applying for graduation. Earned hours does not include in-progress or future registration courses. There is no minimum hour requirement for graduate students. Students who have not attended UWG for three consecutive semesters must readmit into their degree or certificate program prior to applying for graduation. Contact the Undergraduate or Graduate Office of Admissions for assistance.
• During the Graduation Application process, students will be asked to indicate their Commencement Ceremony attendance preference, to verify the name to be printed on their diploma, and to provide the address where their diploma will be mailed after degrees are conferred.
• Students who are graduating with dual degrees (ex. Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Science or Master of Business Administration & Master of Professional Accounting) must apply for graduation twice and pay two fees. Dual degree students will receive two diplomas. Students who are pursuing a double major for the same degree (ex. Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology) will only apply once and pay one fee. Double major students will receive one diploma with both majors listed.
• Students who intend to earn a stand-alone certificate will apply to graduate through the online Graduation Application. Students earning a stand-alone certificate and a degree must apply and pay the fee for each degree and stand-alone certificate. Embedded certificates are awarded by academic departments; students must apply for that certificate through the academic department that sponsors the embedded certificate program. There is no fee for embedded certificates.

Login to MyUWG

After Applying for Graduation

Once you have submitted your application for graduation and paid your application fee you are now on the list of degree candidates. Students should consult their academic advisor or program director for guidance on any remaining requirements that need to be fulfilled for graduation. Additionally, students should pay close attention to their West Georgia email account for important information about missing degree requirements (degree audits), the Commencement Ceremony, the Graduation Fair, and diplomas.

View Your Graduation Application

Students may view their completed Graduation Application in BanWeb. To view your Graduation Application logon to MyUWG, select the BanWeb tab, select the "Student Services & Financial Aid" link, and then, select the "View Active Graduation Application(s) option. By viewing your Graduation Application you can verify your intended term of graduation, your ceremony attendance preference, the name to be printed on your diploma and your diploma mailing address. If any of this information is incorrect, please contact the Graduation Team at graduation@westga.edu.

Degree Audits

The Graduation Team in the Registrar's Office is responsible for auditing degree records for degree completion and awarding degrees after graduation. Each student will have their degree audited three times prior to graduation to ensure all requirements are met. Students who are missing degree requirements will be notified via their UWG email account. Students can view their degree audit in Wolf Watch (Degree Works). Wolf Watch is the official university degree auditing system.

• Degree Auditing Process

  Degree Auditing Process

  Audit Review	Review Process
  Initial Review	The Initial Review process begins after students register for their intended term of graduation. Students who applied prior to the Graduation Application Deadline will have their degree audit reviewed and will be notified of the results no later than the first day of classes of their intended graduation term. It is likely that all students who have applied for graduation will receive audit results prior to the end of the first week of classes of their intended graduation term. However, students who applied prior to the deadline will receive priority in the review process.
  Comprehensive Review	The Comprehensive Review process begins after the add/drop period for full-term courses in the intended graduation term. Students who are not meeting requirements will be notified via their UWG email account. If requirements are not met by midterm of the intended graduation term, students will be administratively deferred to the next term (if their application has not expired) and notified by a Degree Auditor.
  Final Review & Degree Awarding	The Final Review process begins the week after graduation when final grades are posted. Students who are meeting all degree requirements will have their degree formally awarded 5-7 business days after graduation. Students who are not meeting requirements will be deferred to the next term (if their application has not expired) and will be notified by a Degree Auditor.

  • Audit Review: Initial Review
    Review Process:

    The Initial Review process begins after students register for their intended term of graduation. Students who applied prior to the Graduation Application Deadline will have their degree audit reviewed and will be notified of the results no later than the first day of classes of their intended graduation term.

    
    It is likely that all students who have applied for graduation will receive audit results prior to the end of the first week of classes of their intended graduation term. However, students who applied prior to the deadline will receive priority in the review process.

    
    

  • Audit Review: Comprehensive Review
    Review Process: The Comprehensive Review process begins after the add/drop period for full-term courses in the intended graduation term. Students who are not meeting requirements will be notified via their UWG email account. If requirements are not met by midterm of the intended graduation term, students will be administratively deferred to the next term (if their application has not expired) and notified by a Degree Auditor.
    

  • Audit Review: Final Review & Degree Awarding
    Review Process: The Final Review process begins the week after graduation when final grades are posted. Students who are meeting all degree requirements will have their degree formally awarded 5-7 business days after graduation. Students who are not meeting requirements will be deferred to the next term (if their application has not expired) and will be notified by a Degree Auditor.
    

•  Graduation Status Codes in Wolf Watch

  Graduation Status Codes in Wolf Watch

   Graduation status codes are used to track where a student's application is in the degree auditing process. As a degree auditor reviews that student's academic record, their Graduation Status is updated.

  Description	Information
  Grad. Application Received	All graduation applications are automatically coded when the application is successfully submitted online. This code indicates that a degree auditor has not reviewed the student's application for graduation.
  Missing Requirements	The graduation application has been reviewed by a degree auditor. The student is missing degree completion requirements. The student and their academic advisor were notified via email. Students who have changes to their academic record (add/drop, grade changes, etc.) will have their status updated to "Initial Review Complete/On Track for Graduation" within 10 business days.
  Initial Review Complete	This code is used prior to the end of the add/drop period for full-term courses in the student's intended term of graduation. The graduation application has been reviewed by a degree auditor and the student is on track for graduation. Students who makes changes to their registration after the 'Initial Review Complete' code is applied and who are now missing degree requirements will have their status updated to 'Missing Requirements' within 10 business days.
  On Track for Graduation	This code is used after the end of the add/drop period for full-term courses in the student's intended term of graduation. The graduation application has been comprehensively reviewed. Pending final grades, the student's degree will be awarded at the end of their intended term of graduation. Students who withdraw from courses or do not meet graduaiton requirements at the end of the term will be deferred to the next term (if eligible).

  • Description: Grad. Application Received
    Information : All graduation applications are automatically coded when the application is successfully submitted online. This code indicates that a degree auditor has not reviewed the student's application for graduation.
    

  • Description: Missing Requirements
    Information : The graduation application has been reviewed by a degree auditor. The student is missing degree completion requirements. The student and their academic advisor were notified via email. Students who have changes to their academic record (add/drop, grade changes, etc.) will have their status updated to "Initial Review Complete/On Track for Graduation" within 10 business days.
    

  • Description: Initial Review Complete
    Information : This code is used prior to the end of the add/drop period for full-term courses in the student's intended term of graduation. The graduation application has been reviewed by a degree auditor and the student is on track for graduation. Students who makes changes to their registration after the 'Initial Review Complete' code is applied and who are now missing degree requirements will have their status updated to 'Missing Requirements' within 10 business days.
    

  • Description: On Track for Graduation
    Information : This code is used after the end of the add/drop period for full-term courses in the student's intended term of graduation. The graduation application has been comprehensively reviewed. Pending final grades, the student's degree will be awarded at the end of their intended term of graduation. Students who withdraw from courses or do not meet graduaiton requirements at the end of the term will be deferred to the next term (if eligible).
    

Updating your Graduation Term, Ceremony Attendance Preference or Diploma Mailing Address

Students who know they will not graduate in the term in which they applied or students who want to update their ceremony attendance or diploma mailing address should complete the Graduation Information Update Form for assistance. Once the requested changes are confirmed, students will be able to view the changes in BanWeb when they view their Graduation Application.

• Students may update their graduation term for up to one year from their original intended term of graduation. Students who need to update their graduation application past one year of their intended term will need to submit a new graduation application and pay an additional fee.
• Students who update their ceremony attendance from not attending to attending must do so at least 15 weeks prior to the ceremony to be guaranteed tickets to the ceremony.
• Students who update their diploma mailing address must contact the Graduation Team at least one week prior to graduation. Updating your permanent or mailing address in BanWeb will not update your diploma mailing address.
  

Graduation Information Update Form

Additional Graduation Information