Graduation Requirements

In order to satisfy the requirements for a Bachelor's Degree, you must:

  • Complete all course requirements, including those required for the major, general education, and the minimum number of credits for the degree sought as set forth by the faculty of the college or school in which the student is enrolled, and as described under “major requirements” in the University catalog in effect at the time of admission or most recent readmission.
    • Note: A three semester hour transfer course may be used to satisfy a four semester hour AU requirement in a major or in general education. However, the minimum number of total semester credit hours for the degree must still be earned to complete degree requirements.
  • Earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 in those courses presented for graduation.
  • Satisfy the Common Ground Requirement. This requirement is satisfied by completing with a passing grade the 1-credit course UNIV 101-Common Ground.
  • Satisfy the Global Perspective Requirement. This requirement may be satisfied by
    • Taking an approved “GP” course
    • Participating in an international co-op program or internship
    • Studying abroad
    • Going on a course-based faculty-led international study trip
    • Completing one semester of secondary or post-secondary education outside the United States
  • Satisfy the Lifetime Health and Wellness requirement.
    • The Lifetime Health and Wellness requirement must be fulfilled to receive a Bachelor's degree from any college of the University.
    • The physical activity portion of the requirement can be satisfied by one of the following:
      • One PFIT course or one of the specific Dance and Equestrian courses that have the “Physical Activity” (PFIT) attribute
      • Participation in one varsity sport for an entire season (as certified by the Athletic Department)
      • A lifetime sports proficiency Challenge Exam (requires both written and physical tests; current fee: $225)
      • Current active military service (including National Guard, Reserves, or the ROTC program’s MILS 101 or MILS 102)
    • The wellness portion of the requirement can be satisfied by taking one WELL course or another course that has been approved for this purpose and that has the “WELL” degree attribute.
  • Request legal conferral of degree (apply to graduate) (see section 202 of Undergraduate Academic Regulations) and satisfy financial obligations to the University.
  • Satisfy the Residency Requirement: Undergraduate students admitted or last readmitted Fall 2011 and beyond must complete at least 45 credit hours in residence at Alfred University. (For students admitted or last readmitted prior to Fall 2011, the requirement is 30 credit hours in residence at AU.) “In residence” means courses offered by Alfred University on campus, at an extension site, or through distance education. All students must complete their final 30 semester credit hours in residence.

Students who have met the 45 (or 30) hour residency requirement and who are approved for study abroad in the second to last semester before graduation are exempt from the requirement to be in residence for the final 30 credit hours, but must be in residence in the final semester. Students who have met the 45 (or 30) credit hour residency requirement and who need no more than eight semester credit hours to complete degree requirements may petition the Dean for permission to complete the remaining requirements elsewhere.



An additional Alfred experience for all students new to Alfred University is our Common Ground program: a series of discussions among small groups consisting of first-year and transfer students facilitated by members of the university administration, faculty and staff.

Common Ground, as its name implies, provides true common ground between students regardless of their academic interests, and complements our other first-year experience programs which are unique to their respective colleges and schools.

Common Ground integrates our new students into the Alfred University community through discussions in which students will hear the stories of their peers from different backgrounds, interrogate their assumptions about other people or places, get more comfortable talking about sensitive topics like race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class, and articulate the values that they will live by as citizens of the Alfred community.

These discussions will give administrators, faculty, and staff a chance to learn about our incoming class, too. The perspectives of all of our students at Alfred matter, and we want to start learning from each other as soon as our newest community members join us.

Students earn one baccalaureate degree with two majors (“double major”) if the majors are offered in the same College or School (except for B.S. and B.F.A. in the School of Art and Design; see 201.3, below). Students must complete the requirements for both majors and all other baccalaureate degree requirements that were in effect when the student was admitted (or last readmitted) to undergraduate study at AU. This includes all University, College/School, and major requirements. There is no total credit hour requirement for a double major beyond the minimum required for the degree program when only one major is completed. One diploma is presented at graduation. Note: A student may not add a second or subsequent major to a degree that has already been awarded.

Students may earn two baccalaureate degrees to be awarded simultaneously (“double degrees”) when the two degree programs are offered within the School of Art and Design (B.S. and B.F.A.) or when the two programs are offered by two distinct AU Colleges/Schools. (e.g.: B.A. in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and B.F.A. in the School of Art and Design; B.S. degrees offered in the College of Business and in the Inamori School of Engineering.) To receive two degrees simultaneously, students must complete all University, College/School, and major requirements in effect for both programs at the time the student was admitted (or last readmitted) to undergraduate study at AU and earn a minimum of 148 semester credit hours. Two diplomas are presented at graduation.

Any person who has completed three or more years at Alfred University, who holds no undergraduate degree, and who has subsequently earned the MD, DDS, DVM, JD or comparable professional degree from an accredited college or university, will be granted, upon request, an Alfred University Bachelor of Arts degree. Upon receipt at AU of an official transcript from the school that conferred the professional degree and of an Application to Graduate, the B.A. degree will be conferred at the next opportunity (August, December, or May).

Alfred University may confer posthumous baccalaureate and graduate degrees upon students who are deceased prior to completion of all degree requirements of the program being pursued.

To be eligible for consideration, the student must have been nearing completion of coursework required for the degree and must have been in good academic standing with a grade point average sufficient to have earned the degree. Recommendation for award of the degree must be made by the faculty in the student's major area, and approved by the Chair or Director, the College or School Dean, and the Provost and Chief Operating Officer. Final approval for awarding of posthumous degrees shall rest with the Board of Trustees, which will act upon the recommendation of the President of Alfred University.