Preparing for Graduation

Your graduation date is determined by the date you fulfill all your academic requirements. Please speak with your academic advisor if you would like to know your expected graduation date.

There are no commencement ceremonies held directly following Fall or Summer terms.  If students graduate within the 2026 – 2027 academic year, then they are eligible to attend their respective ceremonies/celebrations held in Spring 2027. Please view degree completion eligibility dates here.

Each campus in our global system will be hosting its own ceremony for graduates from that campus.

We strongly advise attending the graduation ceremony held at your primary campus. Please click here to view dates and locations.

A separate registration will be emailed from your specific campus.

If you are not attending this year’s Commencement because you will not be completing your program during this academic year, please contact your academic advisor to update your graduation application and expected graduation date.

If you are completing your program and graduating this year, please note that graduates are generally eligible to participate in Commencement only in the academic year they graduate.

In some circumstances, exceptions may be considered such as for military service, health restrictions, or death in the family. If you would like to petition to participate in Commencement, please contact [email protected] in January 2027.

The address you provide in your application to graduate will be used for the university’s diploma shipment. Updates to your Diploma Mailing Address can be made at Student Hub > Resources > Graduation > Graduation/Commencement Form. You can confirm that the address has been updated successfully by going to Student Hub > Resources > Graduation > View Application to Graduate.

Cut-Off Date for Updates

After your conferral date, address updates can be made until a cut-off date which will be communicated to you via email. If you miss the cut-off date, and you are unable to retrieve your diploma at the original address on your Application to Graduate, you can contact USPS to set up a forwarding address or you can order a copy of your diploma from Paradigm to be sent to a different address. Copies cannot be ordered until after the original diploma order ships. See “How can I order a replacement diploma?” for more information.

If a student’s account has an active financial hold, balance due, or Enrollment Management hold, their diploma will not be released with the original diploma shipment. The Registrar’s Office is not automatically notified when holds or balances are cleared. Please submit a Diploma Request (ServiceNow) when your hold or balance is resolved.

If the hold is related to a missing admissions document, please reach out to your academic advisor or the admissions team of your college for assistance. 

If the hold is financial, please contact Student Financial Services for assistance. Visit 354 Richards Hall (Boston campus) or Ask a Question.

The major will be printed on diplomas for nonspecified degrees only (Associate in Science, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Professional Studies, Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study, Doctor of Philosophy). Minors and concentrations do not appear on diplomas. 

Combined Majors

Students in combined majors earn a single degree/diploma from the home college. If the degree earned is a nonspecified degree, the combined major will appear on the student’s diploma and transcript. If the degree earned is a specified degree, the combined major will appear on the student’s transcript only.

Double Majors

Students in double majors earn a single degree/diploma. If the two majors are in different colleges, the earned degree will align with the major in the student’s home college. If the earned degree is a nonspecified degree, both majors will appear on the student’s diploma and transcript.  If the earned degree is a specified degree, the majors will appear on the student’s transcript only.

Related Information

• Combined Majors (Admissions)
• Degrees, Majors, Minors (Academic Catalog)

All degree diplomas measure 11″ × 14.” Certificates are 8.5″ × 11″.

Your legal name will appear on your diploma, and you can add, edit, or remove a middle name when submitting the application to graduate. No prefix or suffix relating to a title or credential is allowed (e.g., Dr., DMD, Esq., Mrs., Mr.). 

If you need to update your legal name, please submit a Personal Details Update service ticket.

If you wish to change your Diploma Name, first submit the application to graduate via the Student Hub, then submit a Diploma Name Change service ticket via the Personal Details Update form.

After your conferral date, Diploma Name updates can be made until a cut-off date which will be communicated to you via email. If you miss the cut-off date, you can order a copy of your diploma from Paradigm. Copies cannot be ordered until after the original diploma order ships. See “How can I order a replacement diploma?” for more information.

Graduates can order a diploma replacement or copy via Paradigm, Inc. There’s a fee of $50, and the replacement orders typically take 3-4 weeks to ship. We are unable to rush replacement diplomas at this time. Only students are authorized to order a replacement for themselves. Others are not permitted to order on their behalf.

Special Instructions

Legal Name Changes: If you are ordering a replacement because of a change to your legal name, please submit a Personal Details Update ticket in ServiceNow prior to ordering a replacement. 

Notarized diplomas: See FAQ, “How can I request a notarized diploma?“

Marymount Manhattan College alumni: Diplomas can be ordered using the PDF form.

Mills College alumni: Diplomas can be ordered via Paradigm, Inc.. Select “Mills College Replacement Diploma” under the Available Products drop down menu on the main order page (see screenshot below).

CeDs are not available for degrees earned before March 2020 nor for undergraduate or graduate certificates. 

If you earned a degree after March 2020, you have access to a certified electronic diploma. CeD download links are active for a limited time, and you can request a new link when your link expires. If your link expires and you no longer have access to your NU student email account, please submit a Diploma Request (ServiceNow).

Related Knowledge article: Certified Electronic Credential – CeDiploma

The Registrar’s Office can provide a transcript or degree verification at https://registrar.northeastern.edu/group/academic-records/.