Students who have completed 90 semester hours or more are eligible to apply for graduation online. It is strongly recommended that eligible students apply for graduation at least one full year before they intend to graduate. (See information about deadlines below)
Students must apply for graduation through PAWS. The application link is found under your Student tab in PAWS. You will select the term of your graduation, provide the address for your diploma and tell us exactly how you would like your name to appear. There will be a one-time charge of $40 per degree.
Students must apply or reapply for graduation prior to the deadlines established for any given semester.
Your student account will be automatically billed a $40 application fee. There is no fee for any reapplications.
Students who have applied for graduation, but need to change their date of graduation or diploma information, must reapply for graduation online (see published deadline dates). No additional fees are charged for reapplying. Students only wanting to change minor or catalog year must notify Lori Brewer to make that change.
Students may reapply for graduation through PAWS. No additional fee is charged for reapplication. Reapplication should be done if you need to change your graduation term, the degree or major you are pursuing or want to alter the way your name appears or the address your diploma will be sent. Don’t reapply just because you want an updated degree checklist, contact your certifying dean's office for that. Reapplying will not generate another checklist.
Exceptionality allows students to walk at commencement early in certain circumstances. Students can now apply online by selecting the appropriate college link:
Information about commencement can be found at the https://www.eiu.edu/commence/.
It is the student's responsibility to notify the Office of the Registrar of any courses being taken at other institutions which will complete the requirements for graduation.
Official transcripts documenting the completion of those courses must be in the Office of the Registrar (Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, IL 61920) prior to the Deadline to Complete Graduation Requirements for the current semester. This date can be found on the Academic Calendar.
The diploma will not be given to the student and the conferral of the degree will not be recorded on the student's permanent record until all such documents have been received. If the student does not complete all graduation requirements at the end of the grading period, he/she must reapply for graduation online for a later semester/term.
At the end of each semester, or summer term, and once all graduation requirements have been verified by the college certification officer, the student's name is forwarded to the Office of the Registrar as having completed all graduation requirements. The degree/major/option/ concentration/minor information is then entered on the student's transcript in the Office of the Registrar.
An official transcript can be requested by the student through the Office of the Registrar when verification of graduation is needed.
Regardless of participation in a commencement ceremony, no student will be certified for graduation and awarded a degree and diploma until the college certification officer has provided the Office of the Registrar with official verification of the completion of all degree requirements.
Diploma covers are handed out at commencement ceremonies. After all graduation requirements have been verified by the college certification officer, the student's official diploma is mailed to the student, at the address indicated on the Application/ Reapplication for Graduation, approximately 6-8 weeks after the semester ends. Inquiries concerning diplomas should be directed to the Office of the Registrar at (217) 581-3511. You must have a clear record in order to receive a diploma or transcript.
Additional information can be found online at the Office of the Registrar.
To be eligible for a degree with distinction, a student must have completed at least 56 semester hours of coursework through Eastern Illinois University and must satisfy the required grade point average.
Eligible students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.90 to 4.00 are graduated summa cum laude; those with a cumulative GPA of 3.80 through 3.89 are graduated magna cum laude, and those with a cumulative GPA of 3.65 through 3.79 are graduated cum laude.
Students who qualify for degrees with distinction wear an appropriate chevron as part of their academic attire at commencement and their names appear in the commencement program as being awarded Degrees with Distinction.
All grades earned at EIU are counted in computing the cumulative GPA. Grades earned during the final grading period are not used for compiling the tentative list developed for commencement. Transcript notations of graduating cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude are based on the student’s total cumulative GPA, including the final grading period.
Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL) is an honor society for adult students in higher education. Membership is by invitation only. Students must be in the top 20 percent of their major and they need to have earned at least 24 hours through EIU.
An induction ceremony is held on campus each year whereby students take the membership pledge and receive the opportunity to purchase an honor cord which may be worn during the commencement ceremony.
The Dean’s List at Eastern Illinois University recognizes undergraduate students who achieve a GPA of 3.80 - 4.00 while completing a minimum of 12 graded semester hours, excluding credit/no credit grades. The Dean’s List is generated in the fall and spring semesters only.
