Graduation 103: Graduating with Honors

Departmental Associate - Undergraduates Review undergraduate student records in preparation for graduation Interpret and explain policies and procedures governing degree requirements for undergraduate candidates Communicate graduation information to students, faculty, and staff Award or defer degrees Prepare and assist with the Commencement Ceremony and the Annual Graduation Fair Process degree program changes (major, minor, catalog, etc) and replacement diploma requests

Graduating with Honors What are the requirements students must meet in order to graduate with honors? West Georgia awards baccalaureate degrees with honors to those who have grade point averages on all courses attempted and completed as follows: 3.5 honors (cum laude) 3.8 high honors (magna cum laude) 3.9 highest honors (summa cum laude)

Graduating with Honors Are transfer students eligible to graduate with honors? Yes. Those candidates who have transferred from other institutions will qualify for honors if they meet the following criteria: attainment of an honors grade-point average on all work attempted and completed at West Georgia; and attainment of an honors grade-point average on the combined total of all courses attempted and completed at West Georgia and other institutions.

Graduating with Honors Are graduate students eligible to graduate with honors? No. Only undergraduate students are eligible to graduate with honors. All graduate students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in order to meet degree requirements for their program.

Graduating with Honors What factors are used to determine a student’s Honors GPA? Honors GPA includes all courses attempted, that is, honors GPA accounts for: Institutional coursework Transfer coursework Repeated coursework

Graduating with Honors Do Honors GPAs display in Wolf Watch? Not necessarily. Wolf Watch displays a student’s overall, institutional, and transfer GPAs. If a student has NOT repeated any coursework, then their Honors GPA will be their overall GPA (truncated, not rounded). If a student has repeated coursework, then their Honors GPA must be manually calculated and will not display in Wolf Watch.

Graduating with Honors Are there instances where students appear to be meeting requirements, but are not eligible to graduate with honors? Yes. If a student’s overall, institutional, and transfer GPAs are 3.5 or above, but the student has repeated coursework, they may not qualify for honors. Repeated coursework is not included in these GPs. This student repeated three courses. As a result, their Honors GPA was calculated to be a 3.43 placing them below the 3.5 required GPA.

Graduating with Honors When are honors designations determined? Honors designations will initially be assessed approximately 5-6 weeks before the commencement ceremony. After all grades for the current term have been submitted and all GPAs have been recalculated, honors designations will be re-assessed and finalized. This typically occurs the week following graduation.

Graduating with Honors Can a student’s honors designation change after final grades have been submitted and GPAs have been recalculated? Yes. Final honors designations include grades for the final term. Since these grades are not available until after the commencement ceremony, it is possible that students may: Lose their honors status Change their honors status Gain honors status

Graduating with Honors Are students notified of their honors designation? Yes. All marching candidates are notified of their honors designation before the commencement ceremony. Letters are mailed to the students’ diploma mailing addresses. After the commencement ceremony, all honors graduates receive a letter to their diploma mailing address indicating their final honors designations.

Initial Notification Honors Letter Not Honors Letter

Final Notification Honors Letter Not Honors Letter

Graduating with Honors How are honors graduates distinguished from non-honors graduates? All marching candidates who are eligible to graduate with honors will be permitted to receive honors cords to wear during the commencement ceremony. Additionally, students’ honors statuses are designated in the commencement program and are announced as the student marches across the stage at graduation.

Graduating with Honors How can students obtain honors cords? All marching candidates are able to pick up their honors cords from the UWG bookstore approximately 4 weeks prior to the commencement ceremony. A list of eligible recipients is provided to the bookstore and candidates are required to show photo ID and/or their congratulatory letter to receive their honors cords.

Graduating with Honors Do honors designations appear on diplomas and/or official transcripts? Yes. Once the student’s final honors status is assessed, the student’s honors status is input into Banner and will be printed on all requested transcripts. Additionally, students’ diplomas will display their honors status directly beneath their major.

Overview of Honors Process Before Graduation Assess honors designations 5-6 weeks prior to commencement ceremony & notify marching candidates Provide UWG Bookstore with a list of eligible students to receive honors cords Periodically review report for those who are cleared for graduation at a later date Graduation Honors designations are printed in commencement programs and are announced as students march across the stage After Graduation Re-assess honors designations & notify students after final grades have been posted and all GPAs have been recalculated Update system to display honors designations on transcripts Update commencement program with final honors designations

Questions? If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact our team at: graduation@westga.edu