How do I graduate?
On November 3, you'll see a lot of activity in J Building, as hundreds of successful students cross the graduation stage and are officially welcomed as new alumni. Do you plan to finish your certificate, diploma or degree program this term or next? Here's what you need to know about graduation for next June.

Where is the graduation info?
Look on Fanshawe's website at www.fanshawec.ca/graduation. Everything you need to know is there. If you are following your program with no changes, we'll also send an email to any email address you have on file with the college — that includes your Fanshawe OnLine email, and your hotmail, sympatico, rogers or whatever. Make sure your email address is accurate, and make sure your mailbox is set to accept mail from fanshawec.ca or you'll miss us.

How do I know if I'm graduating?
In order to be eligible to graduate, you must successfully complete all the program requirements with a minimum grade point average, including any co-op education requirements. If you have questions about what you need to finish, talk to your division office soon.

I'm following my program with no changes.
If you're going through your program successfully and without any changes, your name will likely be put on a “grad list” by your program coordinator or staff in your division office. The list goes to the Graduation Coordinator who makes sure your academic record shows you are “credentialed.”

If you have any changes to your regular program — you've taken courses out of order, repeated a course, taken courses through Continuing Education, or done things in a different order for any reason — check the Graduation site on Fanshawe OnLine. It will tell you whether or not the college thinks you have completed your program. If it doesn't say you're done, it's a very good idea to confirm with your division office that you believe you are ready to graduate, well before the end of term. Otherwise, we won't know you're finished, and you won't receive an email from us about graduation.

I owe a library fine, but it isn't very large
If you have any outstanding debt with the college — tuition, library fees (no matter how small), whatever — your document won't be released when you graduate. Not only that, but you won't be able to get your transcript and you might not be able to register for future courses.

I got an email about graduation, but I'm not finished (maybe I'm on a co-op term) — what's going on?
Most programs at Fanshawe College end on an “final academic semester”, that is, with you in class. When we prepare for graduation ceremonies, we send out invitations before the end of term, before we know whether or not you've completed your program. We send the invitations to everyone in your program's final in-class semester.

Our next graduation ceremonies (after November 3) are in June. We look forward to congratulating you at your graduation!

Office of the Registrar
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This column is a Student Success Initiative sponsored by Counselling and Student Life Services, Financial Aid and the Office of the Registrar.