Fall graduation deadline Sept. 12

By Dillon Hart, Staff Writer

Friday, Sept. 12, is the recommended deadline for OCCC students to turn in graduation applications.

Students who are hoping to graduate this fall or spring should fill out an application and turn it in to the office of Records and Graduation Services, said Director of Graduation Services Barbara Gowdy.

The college accepts applications all semester she said. The deadline is to ensure everything is handled early.

“It’s a published deadline to encourage people to apply early for graduation,” Gowdy said.

Any student who plans to graduate in December needs to fill out an application.

“A lot of students assume they’ve finished all their degree requirements and they want their degree, but if they don’t apply, then we don’t know that,” Gowdy said.

Students who miss the Sept. 12 deadline, can still apply, she said.

“We’re not going to punish a student for forgetting to apply.

“Now, if it’s into the following semester, then they’re going to have to be that semester’s graduate.

“So if they finish their degree in the fall but they waited too late (to apply), then they’ll be a spring graduate.”

Gowdy said even students who plan to graduate in the spring should take care of the application process as soon as possible.

“We encourage students to apply the semester before, because a lot of times they’re self-advised and they may be taking things that are not required for their degree or they may forget to take some things that they don’t know about,” Gowdy said.

Students also can apply for graduation at the “Degree Check-It-Out” event Sept. 24 and 25. Staff from the Graduation Office will be doing degree checks, open to all students.

Students can ask about degree requirements, find out who their faculty adviser is and update their records.

Staff Writer Dillon Hart can be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.