Graduation

Formal graduation ceremonies are held at the end of the Winter semester in April and the end of the Fall semester in December. Please see the Academic Dates page for the exact date of your graduation.

Students who expect to qualify for a degree must apply for graduation. The University recommends that students apply for candidacy the semester they plan to graduate. The application form is available at the Office of the Registrar or online through Workday. The deadline for the completed application form to be submitted to the Office of the Registrar is the last day of the semester in which you plan to graduate.

The Office of the Registrar will notify students in writing of any remaining requirements needed to earn a degree from BYU–Hawaii. If a student does not graduate during the semester indicated on the graduation application, the application and degree evaluation will be carried forward to a future graduation term at no additional charge. Students are responsible for notifying the Office of the Registrar once all outstanding degree requirements have been completed.

The graduation ceremony at which degree candidates march and are formally recognized is called Commencement. Students who wish to participate in Commencement must indicate their intent by completing the Complete Questionnaire task in Workday after submitting the Apply for Program Completion task. The Complete Questionnaire task must be submitted by the second-half add/drop deadline of the Winter or Fall semester in which the student plans to participate. Commencement ceremonies are held only during the Winter and Fall semesters. 

Participation in Commencement does not constitute graduation or the awarding of a degree. Degrees are conferred only after the Office of the Registrar verifies that all degree requirements have been successfully completed. Students who do not participate in Commencement will have their degree awarded in absentia. 

Diplomas are mailed after all final grades have been posted, all degree requirements have been verified as complete, and any outstanding restrictions have been cleared. Please allow 4–6 weeks for diploma processing and mailing after these requirements have been met. 

The University reserves the right to change the requirements for graduation at any time, and candidates may be required to comply with all changes pertaining to the incomplete portions of their requirements.

Waivers of published graduation requirements are granted only in exceptional circumstances.

Requests for waivers or substitutions to major, minor, or certificate requirements must be submitted to and approved by the dean responsible for the applicable academic program. 

There are three categories of academic recognition awarded to graduating students at commencement who have earned a minimum of 45 semester hours of credit at BYU–Hawaii. These are: summa cum laude (GPA 3.85-4.00), magna cum laude (GPA 3.70-3.84) and cum laude (GPA 3.50-3.69).

A student may be awarded the bachelor’s degree upon completion
of the requirements listed below:

A candidate for the bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit. Of these credit hours, a minimum of 24 credits must be upper level (300 level or above) within the major and 6 credits of upper level in GE.

The student’s record must show a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (C or higher) in all work presented in fulfillment of requirements. Students may not graduate in a semester in which they are on academic probation. Transfer students must show at least a 2.00 GPA for their residence credit at BYU– Hawaii.

A student must complete a major program with at least 15 hours of credit in the major program earned at BYU–Hawaii. A student’s graduation date will not be extended for a minor or second major. Due to changes which occur from time to time in major and minor requirements, it is the responsibility of the dean of the faculty offering the major or minor to certify that requirements are properly fulfilled.

It is expected that students will graduate within 10 semesters at BYU–Hawaii (minimum 120 semester hours of earned credit). Students with transfer credit should graduate in a shorter time period and will not be allotted the full 10 semesters to complete their graduation requirements. Students who wish to enhance their educational experience at BYU–Hawaii by adding additional minors, certificates, or majors are welcome to do so with the understanding that these must also be completed within the 10- semester time to graduation. Given the generous tuition subsidy paid by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church, a double major would not be approved unless it can be earned within 10 semesters.

BYU–Hawaii awards certificates as part of a degree program. Students may not have an academic plan that consists solely of receiving a certificate. When a degree is awarded, any certificate earned within the coursework taken as an undergraduate is listed on the transcript and a physical certificate will be issued by the Office of the Registrar along with the diploma.

The Baccalaureate degree at BYU–Hawaii is awarded for the equivalent of, typically, ten semesters of dedicated university study. At BYU–Hawaii this includes not just the discipline of a major, but the foundation of religious education. A student may have more than one major, but there is only one baccalaureate degree. The degree granted (BA, BS, etc.) is associated with the primary major and is declared when application for graduation is made.

The student must complete the religious education and English proficiency requirements.

At least 15 semester hours of major credit taken in residence at BYU–Hawaii are required for the bachelor’s degree. A maximum of 10 semester hours earned through Educational Outreach may be applied toward this requirement. A student must register on- campus for two semesters, not necessarily consecutive, to satisfy the residence requirement. This requirement may be waived for certain programs completed through Educational Outreach if approval is given by the dean of the college sponsoring the program and the director of Educational Outreach. A maximum of 36 semester hours of correspondence credit may be applied toward the total requirement of 120 semester hours. There is a deadline for filing of transfer and correspondence credit and for the removal of incomplete (I) grades from the student’s record. All credit transactions must be complete, except for filing of final grades, two weeks prior to the date of commencement.

Students not currently in residence at BYU–Hawaii who desire to transfer credits to the University and take their degree from BYU–Hawaii will be able to do so provided they left school in “good standing” and filed their graduation application.

The Graduating Student Survey is required of all students the semester they graduate. The purpose of this survey is to aid the University in evaluating its instructional programs and to provide data for University research. Diplomas and transcripts will not be available until a student has completed the survey.

A student’s graduation may be delayed or denied if he or she is found in violation of the BYU–Hawaii Honor Code.

Note: Any hold, warning, or probation by the Honor Code Office must be properly cleared well before graduation.