May 2026 Graduation Calendar
Graduation applications do not carry over to the next term; a student who misses the degree deadlines must sign up again for the following degree cycle.
| Sign up begins | January 14, 2026 |
| Begin accepting dissertations | January 21, 2026 |
| Last day to defend for tuition waiver* | February 25, 2026 |
| Graduation applications received after this date will not have their name included in Commencement Program | March 1, 2026 (tentative) |
| Last day to deposit for tuition waiver* | March 25, 2026 |
| Peak deposit window – must attend a formatting appointment | April 7 – May 4, 2026 |
| Last day to defend | April 22, 2026 |
| Last day to sign up for graduation application and deposit appointment | April 22, 2026 |
| Last day to deposit | May 4, 2026 |
| Degree Conferral Date | May 18, 2026 |
*Tuition waiver policies vary by school.
** Degrees are posted after Commencement. It may take approximately 6 weeks or longer for degrees to be posted on transcripts.
August 2026 Graduation Calendar
Graduation applications do not carry over to the next term; a student who misses the degree deadlines must sign up again for the following degree cycle.
| Sign up begins | May 26, 2026 |
| Begin accepting dissertations | June 2, 2026 |
| Peak deposit window – must attend a formatting appointment | July 13 – August 3, 2026 |
| Last day to defend | July 21, 2026 |
| Last day to sign up for graduation application and deposit appointment | July 21, 2026 |
| Last day to deposit | August 3, 2026 |
| Degree Conferral Date** | August 7, 2026 |
** Degrees are posted after this date. It may take approximately 6 weeks or longer for degrees to be posted on transcripts.
December 2026 Graduation Calendar
Graduation applications do not carry over to the next term; a student who misses the degree deadlines must sign up again for the following degree cycle.
| Sign up begins | August 25, 2026 |
| Begin accepting dissertations | September 1, 2026 |
| Last day to defend for tuition waiver* | October 6, 2026 |
| Last day to deposit for tuition waiver* | November 6, 2026 |
| Peak deposit window – must attend a formatting appointment | November 16 – December 10, 2026 |
| Last day to defend | November 30, 2026 |
| Last day to sign up for graduation application and deposit appointment | November 30, 2026 |
| Last day to deposit | December 10, 2026 |
| Degree Conferral Date | December 17, 2026 |
*Tuition waiver policies vary by school.
** Degrees are posted after Commencement. It may take approximately 6 weeks or longer for degrees to be posted on transcripts.
Updated January 29, 2026