Students will receive an email from the Office of Registration and Student Records during the term in which a student is enrolled in the final courses needed to complete his/her degree, certificate or short-term certificate. This email will simply confirm that the student has indeed registered for the necessary courses and that pending successful completion of those courses, can expect to receive his/her diploma or certificate at the end of the term. Once those courses have been completed successfully, graduation will be processed and they will receive their diploma or certificate through the US Mail six to eight weeks after the end of the term.
* The institution mandates, that prior to awarding a degree, certificate or certification, that all courses registered for must be completed whether those courses will or will not be used towards degree, certificate or certification requirements. Also, if you have any outstanding obligations to the institution, your diploma and/or certificate will not be released.
Students earning their associate or bachelor's degrees will be offered the opportunity to participate in Sinclair’s annual commencement ceremony. Participation in the commencement ceremony is limited to those students earning associate or bachelor's degrees.
Information about the ceremony will be sent to participants approximately 30 days before the ceremony. Sinclair has one Commencement Ceremony each year at the end of Spring Term. Associate and bachelor's degree applicants who will graduate during Fall through Summer Terms are eligible to participate in the Spring Commencement Ceremony. Certificate applicants are not eligible to participate in the ceremony.
There is a fee of $5.00 to replace Diploma, One-year certificate, Short-term certificate, or Specialized Course certification. You may mail the replacement form to the Office of Registration & Student Records along with the appropriate fee or you may email your completed form to the Office of Registration & Student Records to studentrecords@sinclair.edu. If you choose to email the completed replacement form, the credit card information must be completed as the form of payment.
For assistance call 937-512-3000, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (4:30 p.m. during Summer term) or email questions to studentrecords@sinclair.edu.
You need to contact your academic counselor/advisor during the second year of your academic program, if not sooner, to have a degree audit run. Apply to graduate during the semester those requirements will be met.
Deadline dates are published in the class schedule. If the deadline is missed, the student may apply but will be considered an applicant of the term in which the application is received. Example: Should one miss the fall application period and apply during the spring application period, that person would be considered a spring applicant and will be finalized for spring term.
Please allow at least a month after the term is completed for the diploma to be mailed. The diploma will be mailed to the address on the application. If for some reason there is a change in the address, please notify the Records Analyst in the Office of Registration and Student Records at least 30 days before the end of the application term.
Any degree-seeking student may apply to participate. Students apply, by the published deadline, during the semester in which the requirements will be fulfilled. On the form, indicate the wish to participate in the ceremony, fill out the cap and gown form, and submit the completed forms to the Office of Registration and Student Records. The application will be processed for the term received, the academic record will be updated accordingly, diplomas will be distributed, and arrangements will be made for the ceremony.
The color for the cap, gown and tassel is black.
Honors and high honors for the commencement ceremony are determined by the cumulative grade point average at the end of the winter term. To qualify for honors a student must have a cumulative grade point average between 3.400 and 3.899. To qualify for high honors a student must have a cumulative grade point average 3.9 or better. Graduates with Honors or High Honors will wear a gold honor cord draped along their neck.
Information about the commencement ceremony is sent 30 days before the ceremony and will answer the questions about picking up your cap and gown, announcements, rehearsal, and what is expected of you on the actual day of commencement. Information is also available on the Commencement website.
You can pick up your cap and gown at the Campus Store on the Dayton campus, Building 7, 1st floor, during regular store hours the week of the commencement ceremony. If your schedule prevents in-person pick-up, you have an option to order online. For additional information, visit the Campus Store website.
Tassels are available for pick up at the Tartan Campus Store after the commencement ceremony. There is no charge for students who paid the graduation fee but did not participate in the ceremony.